Their strengths and weaknesses offset each other: Aaron Finch on LSG openers Rahul and De Kock

Tags: Indian T20 League 2023, Lucknow XI, Aaron James Finch, Kannaur Lokesh Rahul, Quinton de Kock

Published on: Mar 28, 2023

Former Australia captain Aaron Finch reckons that openers Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul will be Lucknow Super Giants' biggest strength in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. According to Finch, since the two are diverse players, they complement each other really well.

LSG captain Rahul was the second-leading run-getter in IPL 2022. He scored 616 runs in 15 matches at an average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 135.38, with two hundreds and four fifties. De Kock finished at number three in the list of players with most runs last season. In matches, he scored 508 runs at an average of 36.29 and a strike rate of 148.97, with one hundred and three fifties.

Speaking to Star Sports during a discussion on IPL 2023, Finch shared his views on Lucknow’s opening pair. He commented, "They are very different players, and their strengths and weaknesses offset each other. So, I think if they are going to have a big season. I think the home ground advantage for LSG this year.

Stating that LSG will be bolstered by a strong batting line-up, he named Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda as the players to watch out for. The former captain added, "Player to watch out for, for Lucknow, will be Nicholas Pooran. They’ve spent a lot of money to get him in the auction. He wasn’t at his best last season, but we know how destructive he can be.

"He’s someone who strikes it at such a high strike rate, particularly early in his innings. So, for me, he is the player to watch out for. The X-factor for me this season for Lucknow I see being Deepak Hooda. He’s someone who has taken the responsibility of batting at number 3. He’s someone who strikes at a good strike rate, particularly in the first 10 balls. He continues to keep being aggressive," Finch continued.

Lucknow Super Giants will start their IPL 2023 campaign by taking on Delhi Capitals in Lucknow on April 1.

Lucknow Super Giants squad: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Manan Vohra, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Karan Sharma, Marcus Stoinis, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Yudhvir Charak, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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