IPL 2023 Toss ka Boss Only Ansh : Gambhir, KL Rahul need to give him a free hand to play, says Kaif on LSG’s IPL 2023 game-changer.

Many fans will be watching KL Rahul closely when the IPL 2023 gets underway on March 31 with the 50-over World Cup just around the corner. The wicketkeeper-batter has struggled in international competition and needs to get going in the IPL 2023. Rahul-led LSG were in outstanding form throughout the league phase of IPL 2022, which was also their first season, finishing in third place with 18 points from 14 games, with nine victories and five losses.

Openers Rahul and Quinton de Kock were in excellent shape and took second and third in the Orange Cap race, respectively. De Kock scored 508 runs in 15 games, and Rahul concluded the season with 616 runs in 15 matches. They succumbed to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 14 runs in the playoffs, putting an end to their incredible journey. After that, Rajasthan Royals defeated RCB in the eliminator, while Gujarat Titans triumphed over RR in the championship.

At the IPL 2023 auction, the team made some wise purchases, including Nicholas Pooran, who they paid 16 crores for. No other player in the auction, including Pooran, saw their franchise reach the crore threshold. After making his IPL debut in 2017, the West Indies wicketkeeper-batter has had some difficulty establishing himself. But, Mohammad Kaif, a former cricketer for India, believes that the 27-year-old might be a game-changer for LSG in the IPL 2023. Additionally, if Rahul and De Kock have a bad day, someone like Pooran could handle the strain.

If he establishes himself in the middle order of the team, Pooran, who is regarded as a great batter in T20 cricket, can prove to be a wise investment for LSG. Speaking on Star Sports, Kaif said that Rahul and the LSG management needed to lessen the burden on Pooran and give him more room to manoeuvre. “Considering that a player of Pooran’s calibre cannot be pushed past a certain point, I believe Gautam Gambhir and KL Rahul should give him free rein to play. Also, you can’t expect them to win every game “Kaif stated.

“With him, you may have realistic expectations, such as that he will participate in 14–15 league games and that it will be sufficient if he helps Lucknow win 4-5 games. We always assume a player didn’t perform well when he loses his wicket, like Pooran. But a power batter like Pooran needs coaching; be encouraging by doing things like putting an arm over their shoulders and encouraging them to bring their best effort to the next game “He went on to say.

Pooran has amassed 912 runs in 47 IPL games, with just four fifty-pluses. In the IPL, he boasts a top score of 77 runs. In addition to Pooran, LSG also purchased Daniel Sams for $75k, Amit Mishra for $50k, Romario Shepherd for $50k, Naveen Ul Haq for $50k, Jaydev Unadkat for $50k, Yash Thakur for $50k, Swapnil Singh for $20k, Yudhvir Charak for $20k, and Prerak Mankad for $20k. On March 31 in Ahmedabad, GT will play the Chennai Super Kings in the season’s first game. On April 1 in Lucknow, LSG will begin their season against Delhi Capitals.