'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are being led by Nicholas Pooran instead of KL Rahul against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday, March 30.
Several fans were in store for a major surprise as Rahul did not walk out for the toss ahead of their first home game. The wicketkeeper-batter had led the team in their season-opening loss to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur, and also kept wickets despite having two more wicketkeepers in the squad namely Quinton de Kock and Nicholas Pooran.
KL Rahul has been dealing with some injury issues with his quadriceps that forced him to miss the majority of the home series against England to begin the year. The origins of the injury were laid out at Ekana Stadium during the 2023 season.
Since he only recently returned from injury following a lengthy rehab, Rahul has been given a breather, given the intensity of the tournament, and the fact that LSG will play again in a couple of days' time.
Nicholas Pooran shed further light on the same during the toss, when he opted to bat first.
"We'll bat first. Looks like a good track, runs on the board could be vital. KL is coming back from injury and we're looking to give him a break in such a long tournament, but he'll play as an impact player today. Everyone must take the opportunities and perform at their best," Pooran clarified.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) employed a similar tactic in the 2023 edition, when injured skipper Faf du Plessis featured only as a batter due to an injury, while Virat Kohli led the side on the field.
KL Rahul had scored a fifty in vain to kickstart the season
KL Rahul is battling for a place in the Team India squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. He did not make the strongest of impressions with a 44-ball 58 in a steep run chase, but still has quite a long way to go.
It is to be noted that he opened the innings on that occasion, and it remains to be seen whether he drops down the order as initially planned, during the build-up to the 2024 IPL.
LSG have made several changes to their lineup, with the key emphasis being the addition of a third spinner in the form of Manimaran Siddharth. The combination comes across as an early indicator as to how the black soil pitch will play out, a surface which has garnered a notorious reputation for yielding low scoring matches.
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran(c), Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, and Manimaran Siddharth.
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, and Arshdeep Singh.
