Aakash Chopra is of the opinion the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are too reliant upon KL Rahul. In 11 innings, KL Rahul has scored 431 runs. His strike rate is 141.31. He has scored the most runs for LSG in IPL 2024.
LSG will play against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Wednesday, May 8. It is an important game in Hyderabad. Both teams have 12 points from 11 matches. The winning team will move up to third position in the points table. They will have a better chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
In a YouTube video, Aakash Chopra identified Rahul as the first Lucknow Super Giants player to focus on in Wednesday’s game.
“The first is like a broken record. You can write KL Rahul’s name there because everything depends on him. Please score runs because no other Indian player has scored too many runs and doesn’t seem like scoring as well. So KL Rahul will be expected to score runs.”
“If there are any weaknesses visible in the opposing team’s bowling, which to be fair have been seen in this entire season barring the last two games where Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been sensational, capitalize on that. So KL Rahul is No. 1.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener identified Nicholas Pooran as another key player for the franchise.
“The second player I am thinking about is Nicholas Pooran. He has been slightly cold in the last two or three matches and you want his bat to fire. He has a massive role if this team has to post or chase down a big score. So I am going with him as my second player to watch out for.”
Aakash Chopra
At IPL 2024, Pooran scored 315 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 159.09. He is LSG’s third-highest run-scorer. The powerful left-handed batter has only managed 35 runs in his last 3 innings. Pooran will aim to play a big knock against the SunRisers Hyderabad team.
“You are not gaining anything by playing Ashton Turner” – Aakash Chopra urges LSG to play either Kyle Mayers or Quinton de Kock
Aakash Chopra said Lucknow Super Giants must choose Kyle Mayers or Quinton de Kock. He said they should not play Ashton Turner.
“If Kyle Mayers is available, play him. If Quinton de Kock has become available, play him because you are not gaining anything by playing Ashton Turner. The number at which you play him, there is no chance of him doing anything. Arshin (Kulkarni) is a good cricketer but I feel you are wasting an overseas slot.”
Aakash Chopra
Marcus Stoinis is the third LSG player to watch versus SRH, according to the cricketer-turned-commentator.
“When I see this team’s bowling, some patches of brilliance are visible, but you don’t see consistent performances to say this is my guy, which it seemed like with Mayank (Yadav) but he isn’t there anymore. So Marcus Stoinis as the third player. He bowls and bats, and is looking in good form. If this team has to win, Marcus will have to hit hard.”
Aakash Chopra
Marcus Stoinis is the second-best batsman for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024. He has scored 352 runs in 11 innings. His batting strike rate is 153.71. Stoinis is an all-rounder who can also bowl fast. He has taken 4 wickets in 14 overs. His economy rate is 9.00 runs per over.