While losing skipper KL Rahul at a crucial juncture to injury was a major blow, there were occasions when the team selection left fans baffled. The bowling attack, too, at times lacked depth and it got exposed at crucial junctures.
TOI takes a look at what went wrong for Lucknow…
Rahul’s injury and Hooda’spoor form
The captain wasn’t exactly setting the stage on fire but his presence at the top provided a calming influence. The pitch for Wednesday’s match had something in it for the bowlers and needed a quality Indian batter to steady the ship.
But the likes of Prerak Mankad, Ayush Badoni, Krishnappa Gowtham and Deepak Hooda failed to deliver.
Hooda, in particular, had a disastrous campaign and the team management just didn’t know where to fit him. It meant that LSG were not getting the services of their two best Indian batters.
Dropping de Kock
Aussie legend Matthew Hayden could not believe it when he had a look at the LSG team sheet for the game against Mumbai Indians. Quinton de Kock, a proven IPL player, was made to sit out as West Indian dasher Kyle Mayers was included.
LSG vs MI 2023 Highlights: Mumbai Indians thrash Lucknow Super Giants to face GT in Qualifier 2
Mayers had started off well but opponents figured out his limitations quickly. It must have been a difficult selection for the management, but for a game as important as this one, the South African would probably have been a good idea.
“It’s always a tough decision. It’s just that Kyle had a better record here (than de Kock). We just felt we could go with Kyle,” captain Krunal Pandya said.
Bowling lacked depth
Another crucial factor that hurt LSG was the lack of experience in the attack. Afghan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq and young Indian pacer Yash Thakur were definitely good finds, but one felt that the attack lacked that incisive edge that teams like CSK and Gujarat Titans have.
Leggie Ravi Bishnoi, too, is an honest trier, but he is more of a restrictive option. Mumbai Indians batters didn’t take too many risks against him and that helped them get to a total of 182 which proved too big for LSG.
(AI image)
