Full list of LSG released and retained players ahead of IPL 2024 auction

Lucknow Super Giants have announced their list of players retained and released ahead of IPL 2024 Auction.

The KL Rahul-led outfit grabbed the headlines by trading in Devdutt Padikkal during the trade window. They traded out Romario Shepherd and Avesh Khan to Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, respectively.

Speaking of the other players whom LSG have released, capped Indian cricketers like Jaydev Unadkat and Karun Nair have lost their contracts.

Nair had joined the team as a replacement last season, while Unadkat could not impress much in the few opportunities he received.

Head coach Justin Langer has also decided to release Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams, who largely played as a substitute fielder for LSG in IPL 2023.

Uncapped names like Manan Vohra, Karan Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Swapnil Singh and Arpit Guleria have been released as well. Here's the full list.

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Full list of players released by LSG before IPL 2024 Auction

Daniel Sams, Karun Nair, Romario Shepherd (Trade), Jaydev Unadkat, Manan Vohra, Karan Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Swapnil Singh, Arpit Guleria and Avesh Khan (Trade).

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Full list of players retained by LSG before IPL 2024 Auction

KL Rahul (c), Naveen-ul-Haq, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal (Trade), Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav.

While most of the names in the retained players list were expected to be present, the decision to retain Deepak Hooda has surprised many fans.

Hooda had an ordinary IPL 2023 season, scoring 84 runs in 12 games at an average of 7.63. He bowled only one over, conceding eight runs. It will be interesting to see how Hooda performs in IPL 2024.

LSG have their first-choice playing XI sorted on paper. They still need some solid backup options, though.