"If KL Rahul has a great season, they will be a dangerous side" - Sanjay Manjrekar on the Lucknow Super Giants

Sanjay Manjrekar believes the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be a dangerous side in IPL 2023 if their skipper KL Rahul is at the top of his game.

LSG finished fourth in their debut season in the prestigious league in IPL 2022. They retained 15 players ahead of the mini-auction in Kochi on December 23 and can buy 10 more players with their remaining purse of ₹23.35 crore.

While speaking on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Manjrekar opined that the Lucknow Super Giants will be a formidable unit if Rahul is aggressive apart from being consistent, elaborating:

"When you look at Lucknow Super Giants, they are secure with their openers, high-quality openers. If KL Rahul has a great season, where his strike rate is also as good as his aggregate runs, they will be a dangerous side."

The former Indian batter feels the Lucknow-based franchise needs to acquire a No. 3 batter, reasoning:

"Down the order, they have got a Deepak Hooda but he is not really your No. 3. So can be said about Stoinis, where they seem to have assigned a role for him to go later in the order. It didn't work too much but he is somebody who can be a good No. 5 or No. 6."

Deepak Hooda had an excellent IPL 2022 for LSG, aggregating 451 runs at a decent average of 32.21 and an impressive strike rate of 136.66 in 15 games. Marcus Stoinis, who was slightly underutilized with the bat, scored 156 runs at a below-par average of 19.50 in 10 innings.

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"Rilee Rossouw and Cameron Green become exciting options" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Lucknow Super Giants' need for a No. 3 batter

Cameron Green will likely be one of the most expensive players at the IPL 2023 auction.

Manjrekar reckons Rilee Rossouw and Cameron Green will be enticing options as No. 3 batters for the Lucknow Super Giants, observing:

"Then Krunal (Pandya), not one of your top three or four batters. So they need a No. 3 and that's where Rilee Rossouw and Cameron Green become exciting options. I know they have got Kyle Mayers who can play that role."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Green will also bring all-round abilities to the table like Jason Holder, a player the franchise released ahead of the auction. He said:

"I guess there is a bit of an X-factor with somebody like a Cameron Green because they have let go also of Jason Holder. So a No. 3 and if he can bowl a bit, so much the better."

LSG will have the third-highest remaining purse at the auction. They should be able to acquire at least one of Green, Ben Stokes or Sam Curran if they wish to do so.