Lucknow Super Giants didn’t plan their retentions and auction process with an idea of winning the title in the 18th season. They retained Mohsin Khan and Mayak Yadav and paid a heavy price for their mistake. Mohsin was ruled out even before the season started, while Mayank played just two matches before a back injury ended his season. Even spending INR 27 crore on Rishabh Pant was a suicidal move, considering his track record in the shortest format of the game. He has become the most expensive flop in the history of the tournament. LSG were eliminated from the playoff race after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their latest clash of the ongoing edition.
Their top three batters, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran, have scored 400-plus runs each, but the ordinary batting by Pant and David Miller did damage to their chances. However, Mohammad Kaif feels that more than the batting, the bowling of Lucknow should be held responsible for the below-par display. He questioned the decision-makers for backing players who were not fit.
“I think more than the batters, LSG bowlers are responsible for the mediocre season. There were matches when the bowlers couldn’t defend 200 or 200-plus totals. In their match against SRH, the batters posted 205, and it is never easy to complete a chase of a big total in Lucknow but Hyderabad did it easily with 10 balls left. The bowling has been a real issue for them,” Mohammad Kaif said on Star Sports.
“Look at what the Gujarat Titans did with Mohammad Shami. He was their match winner, but the franchise didn’t retain him as he was coming back after a serious injury. Shami is also prone to injuries. Lucknow shouldn’t retain bowlers who are likely to get injured. Instead, they would have got them at a low price in the auction. Mayank has played just six games in two years,” he added.
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