A silver lining in a storm - LSG evade mediocrity but fall short of excellence in IPL 2024

The Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign can be remembered for a slew of reasons. Whether it be the old-school approach for the majority of it or Mayank Yadav's emergence or Goenka's animated chat with KL Rahul. One thing is for certain, the destination is a bittersweet feeling.

"Storm in a tea cup", "Storm in an espresso cup", are idioms and clever variations of it used by LSG's coaching staff to describe the volatile off-field situation, and they may be right or they may not be. But, the real storm has been raging and brewing on the pitch for LSG all season, which comes to an end with an 18-run win over the Mumbai Indians (MI).

LSG's campaign began with promise. They had to battle inconsistency, injuries, and unavailability issues, but more so than all of these, LSG were ousted by something that they were too late to comprehend - the changing landscape of the game.

Some of those cracks were still on show when LSG were tottering at 69/3 in the tenth over at the Wankhede Stadium. A general feeling of doom or rather deja vu struck upon one and all sensing that LSG are once again heading towards the perilous path of no return.

However, Pooran showed that he is the present and the future of the franchise, with his exceptional knock that turned the game around completely. His eight sixes against MI's makeshift bowling attack completely deflated them, and was almost a statement in itself.

Investing heavily in a finisher to bulk up their lower order and promoting Pooran up the order might just be one of the biggest decisions that LSG have to make, because the Caribbean ace is far from someone that can just slog in the death overs. But, more on that later.

Even though LSG's win over MI may seem an exercise in futility, the reality is far from it. Keeping the typical talks of playing for pride and points table aside, the real purpose of the match was to undo the mistakes of the past. While they cannot rectify those, it was an exhibition to prove that there will not be a repeat in the future, and they have certainly made a good case for that. But is it enough?

A tale of what-ifs - Parallel universes have the answers LSG may or may not want

The conclusion of the campaign is bound to evoke feelings of 'What-ifs' and 'Only- ifs' for LSG, because of how they had the playoffs spot in their hands at one point of the season.

Such queries can only be resolved or answered by going or having a peek into the past. Science has also evolved alongside cricket, but not so far that time machines are a reality. Another interesting angle to go about this hypothetical yet invigorating journey to determine 'what could have been', is the possible existence of parallel universes.

There is no need to get into the science, for this is no Interstellar. For the sake of this purpose, let us assume that parallel universes exist and are easily accessible.

If that self-forged theory holds true, there must be a universe among infinite far far away, where everything aligned together for LSG, a faultless season so to speak. The real question is, if LSG could see how things 'could' have turned out, would it cripple them with regret or fortify them with motivation?

What if Mayank Yadav was injury-free?

In a season where LSG's batting was always under the radar, for obvious and right reasons, there was not much spotlight on the bowlers' woes, especially in the latter half of the season. Primarily because it was a fruitless endeavor. The bowling unit was left crippled and not much could be said about the reinforcements.

Among the principle reasons that LSG were in such a predicament was Mayank Yadav's injury. The speedster already showed what he was capable of, and his impact can be summed up in just one statement - 'LSG have never lost a match when Mayank Yadav has taken the field.'

This is not to suggest that LSG would have won the entire tournament had Mayank Yadav been fully fit, but it is certainly enough to imply that his presence could have made a whole lot of a difference to LSG's season. His impact and rare ability supersedes the small sample size here.

The vision of Mayank Yadav troubling Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma with bouncers and potentially even dismissing them to avoid the brutal defeat in Hyderabad is one that is only a mirage. He could have made such similar crucial breakthroughs during LSG's losing streak, and maybe it could have all been different.

What if LSG were logical in Delhi?

A virtual knockout clash particularly from LSG's perspective, a 209-run target on a batting-friendly surface against DC away from home- the platform was set for LSG to have fate in their own hands. Instead, they fumbled, and in the worst possible way.

It would be safe to say that LSG would approach that run chase quite differently if they get another chance. In a classic example of overcompensation, LSG went swinging hard at everything after being criticized for the lack of it earlier.

As an alternative, if they could have just taken the criticism and approached the match rationally looking at the big picture, instead of trying to make a statement, once again, it may have just turned out differently. Fortune does favor the brave, but it also favors the smart.

What if Kyle Mayers was tried out at some point in the season?

A big brute left-handed opener is an idealized half of a perfect opening pair in the shortest format, and LSG had one on their bench all this while.

In IPL 2023, LSG stuck with Kyle Mayers even when Quinton de Kock became available. The West Indies all-rounder responded with 379 runs at a strike rate of 144, which if replicated in 2024 as well, could have made a world of difference for LSG. But it never came to be.

The modern-day opening combination is a blend of volume and impact, with more emphasis on the latter. Among the top-order candidates, KL Rahul had volume, while Quinton de Kock had neither. The major takeaway here is that it was devoid of impact, which is where Mayers could have had a say.

LSG's combination makes their overseas combination tricky, but there is enough evidence to suggest that Mayers could have been tested out at some point, especially when things were not working out and the side were crying out for a change in terms of approach and personnel.

Mayers at the top could have given LSG some momentum in the start they lacked the whole season. His style of taking on the bowlers and intimidating presence could have forced opponents off their rhythm. Moreover, LSG's middle order could have come into play on a more dominating basis if they had some momentum to work with.

What if LSG have braved to send Pooran out earlier?

One of the questions that the broadcast teams asked LSG head coach Justin Langer in a mid-innings interaction in the clash against MI was regarding Pooran's batting position. The Australian rightly explained that the balance of the team has forced them to keep Pooran down the order, and that they lacked 'someone like a Tim David' to sort things out at the back end.

In other words, LSG chose to play if safe. While that may have been the right call, their fate could have been different had they chosen to risk, gamble, and take a chance with Pooran up the order. Particularly because LSG's lower order is not as fragile as one thinks.

Badoni has shown composure as a finisher on numerous occasions while Krunal Pandya was arguably underutilized with the bat. Even Arshad Khan showed his prowess when he availed the opportunity.

As a result, LSG's fear of sending Pooran up and the move backfiring would not have been the end of the world. Then again, if that move had paid off, they would have had the whole world in their hands.

There are a hoard of other What-ifs that suggest how turbulent LSG's season was, and one too much is enough to drive someone crazy. Enough regret is fuel, but too much regret is toxic.

With the dust settling after a rather tumultuous season, a feeling of what is next is inevitable, which is why the real work for LSG begins now.

Unfortunately for the franchise, not all their queries are 'What if' based. They have a whole other legion of doubts that need answering like, 'What next for KL Rahul?, How to go about the retentions? or How to cultivate the modern-day approach into their contingent from top to bottom?

But LSG need to keep one thing in mind, and that is - nothing changes if nothing changes.