Unlike the mega-auction held for the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the 2023 season will witness a mini-auction. All ten franchises have been asked to submit their list of retained players by November 15, and ahead of the due date, many franchises are brainstorming on whom they should retain and release.
Regarding the same, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who were one of the two new franchises that made their debut in IPL 2022, will be looking for some changes.
Notably, the Lucknow team management formed a stellar squad at the IPL 2022 mega auction, making KL Rahul as the captain of the side. The Super Giants performed well and made it to the playoffs in their debut season, but their campaign ended after facing a defeat from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator match.
According to media reports, the Super Giants might release Indian batter Manish Pandey, Australian fast bowler Andrew Tye, and Indian pacer Ankit Rajpoot ahead of the mini-auction due to their price tags.
Veteran batter Manish has been around the cash-rich league since its beginning. Manish has played for various teams, and in the 2022 season, he was roped in by LSG for a sum of INR 4.6 CR to strengthen their middle order.
Manish was expected to justify his price tag, but he failed in doing so, as he managed only 88 runs at a strike rate of 110.00 in six matches last season. Since LSG already have Deepak Hooda, who had a brilliant outing with the bat, they are likely to release Manish.
LSG had signed Aussie pacer Tye as the injury replacement for England’s Mark Wood. However, Tye played only three games and couldn’t impress as he picked up two wickets and had an expensive economy rate of 9.72. The franchise already have a few pace options, including Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan and Wood, who is fit again.
Another pacer who might be released ahead of the auction is Ankit. The right-arm speedster was roped in for INR 50 lakhs, but unfortunately, he didn’t get any game to prove his mettle.