"He won't bowl now" - Aakash Chopra on Lucknow Super Giants' potential challenges in IPL 2025

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked injury concerns as the Lucknow Super Giants' biggest challenge in IPL 2025. He pointed out that Mitchell Marsh, their premier all-rounder, will not bowl this season.

LSG acquired Marsh for ₹3.40 crore at the IPL 2025 auction last November. The Australian all-rounder missed the recently concluded 2025 Champions Trophy due to a back injury and will only play as a pure batter in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener opined that the spate of injuries in the Lucknow Super Giants camp, including the one to Marsh, would be their biggest concern heading into IPL 2025.

"The first and biggest challenge is injury concerns. Mitchell Marsh is not available as a bowler. You want to play Mitchell Marsh because he does two jobs. Considering the sort of pitch in Lucknow, red soil with a little grass, his bowling would also have worked decently. Then he becomes like a match-winner, but he won't bowl now," he said (5:05).

Chopra added that LSG have also been hit hard by injuries in their seam-bowling department.

"After that, the injury concerns are not with him only. Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan are injured. If so many people are injured, and in case you have to play Akash Deep, Akash Singh and Shamar Joseph, the combination will totally change then. The injuries are already coming to the fore as a big challenge," he elaborated.

Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan have reportedly not yet been cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to join the LSG camp. Certain reports suggest injury-prone express pacer Yadav could miss the first half of the season.

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"Ravi Bishnoi is your only attacking wicket-taking spinner" - Aakash Chopra on the Lucknow Super Giants' bowling concerns ahead of IPL 2025

The Lucknow Super Giants retained Ravi Bishnoi for ₹11 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra chose the lack of potent spinners, barring Ravi Bishnoi, and the inexperienced Indian seam attack as the Lucknow Super Giants' other potential challenges in IPL 2025.

"When I look at spin, Ravi Bishnoi is your only attacking wicket-taking spinner. Shahbaz Ahmed is okay. Then the Indian fast-bowling attack, which is promising, but extremely inexperienced. If the entire bowling attack is Indian, it sounds great, but we will get to know how effective it would be only after the season starts," he said (5:50).

The cricketer-turned-analyst added that LSG's bowling might be found wanting in away games.

"This team can do well at home with this bowling attack, but when they travel, and play on extremely flat pitches, I don't know, because we haven't seen it thus far. This team could be seen slightly troubled in away games from their bowling department point of view," Chopra observed.

The Lucknow Super Giants will start their IPL 2025 campaign with two away games. While the Rishabh Pant-led side will square off against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Visakhapatnam in their tournament opener on March 24, they will lock horns with the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad in their second game three days later.