IPL25
Follow UsThe Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had a fruitful mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. While the franchise didn’t continue with the services of KL Rahul, they managed to acquire Rishabh Pant at a whopping INR 27 crore.
Along with David Miller, Nicholas Pooran, and Aiden Markram, he forms a strong batting core for the LSG. While Pooran was retained, all the others were acquired in the auction.
LSG also retained Indian talents like Ravi Bishnoi, Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav.
Regarding captaincy options, these three names below are front runners for IPL 2025, which can tentatively start on March 14 and continue until May 2025.
Rishabh Pant
One of the main reasons the LSG management went after Pant with all its might in the auction is the leadership value he brings to the table.
While his performances have been middling in the last few IPL seasons, he remained a strong leader for the Delhi Capitals and has led his team from the front. Since he’s also a wicketkeeper, he is involved in the game on every single delivery and can dictate the tempo from behind the stumps.
Pant, who has scored 3284 runs overall in the IPL at an average of 35.31 and strike rate of 148.9, will also be the key batter for LSG in the middle order, which will potentially be stacked with power hitters like Pooran and David Miller.
Nicholas Pooran
Pooran has had a wide range of leadership experience, from global franchise league cricket to the West Indies.
While success has been a roller coaster ride for the Windies batter as a leader, he certainly has scored a lot of IPL runs to make him a strong contender for leadership. Pooran has scored 1769 runs at an average of 32.16 and a strike rate of 162.3 in IPL.
Notably, there were reports about LSG being able to retain Pooran because they offered him a leadership position. However, the buying of Pant in the auction jeopardises the likelihood of that scenario playing out.
Aiden Markram
Markram has a great captaincy record for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape. He led them to victory in the inaugural season of the SA20 league and then once again in the next season 2024, where they defeated Durban Super Giants by 89 runs in the final at Cape Town.
This great result for Markram the skipper has also come on the back of Markram the batter, as the right hander averages 33.27 in the SA20 league and has scored 366 runs - the highest so far.
With LSG acquiring him in the auction for IPL 2025, there is a big chance that he will open the batting as well along with Mitchell Marsh. It’s unlikely that LSG will consider him over Pant or Pooran, but crazier things have happened in the IPL.
