After being knocked out of IPL 2025 playoff contention by Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Lucknow Super Giants’ decisions at the auction have come under scrutiny. Commentators Tom Moody and Abhinav Mukund highlighted the financial strain of investing heavily in Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore) and Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 crore), which left little scope to develop a robust bowling line-up.
Moody, speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out, observed, “The expense on Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran makes it very hard to build a very strong bowling unit.” He elaborated that while impactful batters are valuable, a successful team needs an adaptable and effective bowling unit. LSG struggled throughout the season with their bowling, facing issues with injuries and underperformance.
Significant challenges included left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan missing the entire season and Mayank Yadav spending most of his time on the sidelines. Avesh Khan and Akash Deep grappled with fitness problems, which affected their play significantly. Even Mohsin’s replacement, Shardul Thakur, failed to maintain his initial form.
Abhinav Mukund noted that LSG’s approach seemed emotionally driven, especially in retaining Mayank and Ravi Bishnoi. Mukund remarked, “A lot of teams get emotional about their picks… That’s the same with Bishnoi.”
In spite of a challenging season, there were silver linings. Digvesh Rathi stood out, playing in all 12 matches and securing 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.18, making him LSG’s best bowler. Another promising retention was Ayush Badoni, who made a solid contribution.
Bishnoi, a strategic retention, failed to meet expectations, taking nine wickets in 11 games at an economy rate of 10.83. Abhinav opined, “He’s become too predictable.” The lack of variation in Bishnoi’s bowling limited his effectiveness.
The performances this season have raised questions about LSG’s retention strategies and auction decisions, suggesting a need for a balanced approach, ensuring both batting and bowling strengths.
