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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has appointed Nicholas Pooran as their new vice-captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. The West Indies wicketkeeper will take over the role from all-rounder Krunal Pandya, serving as the deputy to captain KL Rahul. Pooran was given the vice-captain's jersey with number 29 by Rahul during a ceremony on Wednesday.
Krunal, who stepped up as a captain for LSG in Rahul's absence, won three and lost two of his six matches. One match ended in draw. Pooran has been in good form in the recent past and this could also mean, he could take up the gloves in the upcoming season.
Here we take a look at 3 reasons why Nicholas Pooran as LSG vice captain for IPL 2024 is the right move.
#3 KL Rahul can focus on his batting
KL Rahul has not been at his best as far as fitness is concerned. He has already missed four matches of the ongoing Test series against England. With Pooran getting a more senior role, Rahul can ditch the wicketkeeping gloves and focus on his batting.
As a wicketkeeper and a vice-captain, he can be the perfect ally to KL Rahul from behind the stumps and help him devise different tactics. In this role, he will also be well-suited to adding plenty of balance to the playing XI.
#2 Excellent player of spin
One of the big reasons why Nicholas Pooran needs to play all the games, and he might with the vice-captaincy responsibility is his ability to tackle spin well. In the IPL, he strikes at 122.36 and this could be one of the reasons why he has been given this added leadership responsibility.
Pooran was quite good with Lucknow last season - he finished IPL 2023 with 358 runs in 15 matches at 29.83 with a strike rate of 172.94. His strike-rate against pace is 156.61 and this well-rounded game can really serve Lucknow well.
He shares a good rapport with KL Rahul - they have played together even for Punjab, and with these batting numbers, the duo might hope to go the distance this season.
#1 Great leadership record in recent times
Over the past 18 months, Nicholas Pooran's captaincy has been exceptional. Under his captaincy, MI New York won the title in the first season of Major League Cricket. He was sensational with the bat in the final against Seattle Orcas, smashing 137 runs from just 55 deliveries, featuring 10 fours and 13 sixes.
He then led MI Emirates to victory in the second season of the International League T20 in the UAE. The captain stepped up once again in the final against the Dubai Capitals, as he scored 57 runs off 27 balls and powered Emirates to a formidable total of 208 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
These numbers show that responsibility sits perfectly with Pooran and with Rahul's body not being his best ally in recent times, Pooran can well captain the side for a few matches even in the IPL.
