"If he wants to play the World Cup, he probably needs to bat at No. 4" - Aakash Chopra on KL Rahul's position in LSG's batting order in IPL 2024

Aakash Chopra reckons KL Rahul might have to bat at No. 4 for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024 if he harbors hopes of being a part of India's squad for this year's T20 World Cup.

Rahul wasn't picked in the Indian squad for the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan. With either Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shubman Gill likely to open with Rohit Sharma at the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Indian think-tank would be looking for a middle-order wicketkeeper.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on the Lucknow Super Giants' potential batting order. He opined Rahul might bat at No. 4, reasoning (4:35):

"You might see KL Rahul at No. 4. If he wants to play the World Cup, he probably needs to bat at No. 4. You might see one among Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni and Prerak Mankad playing at No. 3. They have plenty of options available to get the work done."

The former India opener observed that LSG have a lot of firepower in the lower-middle order, elaborating (4:55):

"After No. 4, they have Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, and Ayush Badoni along with Krunal Pandya down the order. Suddenly you see a lot of depth in the batting. So they have prepared a very good team."

Marcus Stoinis (408 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 150.00) was the Lucknow-based franchise's top run-getter in IPL 2023. Nicholas Pooran was their third-highest run-scorer, with his 358 runs in 15 innings coming at an outstanding strike rate of 172.94.

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"They made a good move" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's acquisition of Devdutt Padikkal

The Lucknow Super Giants acquired Devdutt Padikkal from the Rajasthan Royals. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra reckons the Lucknow Super Giants made a good move by trading in Devdutt Padikkal for Avesh Khan. He said (3:00):

"They made a good move. They had enough bowling options available. So they let Avesh (Khan) go and got Devdutt Padikkal in his place. If you see Devdutt Padikkal's performance over the last year, he has come as a Devdoot (angel)."

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects the Karnataka opener to bat at the top of the order for LSG alongside either Kyle Mayers or Quinton de Kock.

"He is scoring runs consistently. He has been unstoppable in every format. I feel he has come to open. There will be a left-handed batter along with him. It could be either Kyle Mayers or Quinton de Kock."

Chopra urged LSG to open with De Kock ahead of Mayers. He reasoned:

"If you ask me, I would say play Quinton de Kock the entire season because if he plays 14 matches, he will single-handedly win four or five. You can probably not say that for Kyle Mayers but you can say that for Quinton. So my vote is for Quinton de Kock."

De Kock played only four matches for LSG in IPL 2023, amassing 143 runs at an impressive strike rate of 140.19. Mayers was the franchise's second-highest run-getter, smashing 379 runs in 13 innings at a slightly better strike rate of 144.10.