‘We felt like we needed someone in the middle order who can be explosive’ - KL Rahul reveals why LSG signed Nicholas Pooran

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) got off to a solid start in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) in their first match on April 1. They will now play the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Monday, April 3, in Chennai. Notably, CSK are coming off with a loss against defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the tournament opener.

Ahead of the clash against CSK, LSG skipper KL Rahul revealed the reason why the franchise acquired the services of Nicholas Pooran for the 2023 season. The opening batter said that the team was looking for a player who could be explosive in the middle order and also have some finishing skills. He added that Pooran was a big buy and the entire team was quite excited to have him.

“This year we felt like we needed someone in the middle order who can be explosive and can also give us some finishing skills so Nicholas Pooran was a big buy for us and we were very excited again,” Rahul told Star Sports.

Pooran, the former West Indies limited-overs captain, was purchased by LSG for a whopping 16 crore, making him the most expensive wicket-keeper in the tournament's history. He has played 47 matches and scored 912 runs, including four 50-run innings so far in the cash-rich league. He has previously played for the Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad franchises in the IPL.

Successful franchises are filled with all-rounders: Rahul

KL Rahul went on to say that the team was looking for players who would prioritize the team and contribute in both departments of the game. He also mentioned his conversation with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka and mentor Gautam Gambhir about player selection.

“The kind of team we picked we were very clear about the individuals we wanted and speaking to Sanjiv sir and Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the support staff that we will try and build a team of players who put their team first who are team players and who can contribute in two areas of the game,” Rahul said.

Furthermore, KL Rahul opined that all-rounders now dominate T20 franchises. The 30-year-old also mentioned that is the reason why they retained Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, and Jason Holder, among others, who can and did bowl a few overs in the previous edition.

"I feel T20 is heading that way and we have also seen that. Successful franchises are filled with all-rounders. So we’re very clear about getting a lot of all-rounders in our team so if you see we started with retaining Stoinis and we got KP (Krunal Pandya), we got Jason Holder and Hooda who can bowl a few overs and did bowl a few overs last year. It goes on,” the LSG skipper concluded.