Of the four teams that made it to the playoffs, Lucknow Super Giants are the least glamorous and talked about. They obviously don’t have the rich history of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, and even Gujarat Titans get a lot more attention than them. LSG’s highest run-scorer – Marcus Stoinis – is 19th on the run charts this season, and their top bowler – Ravi Bishnoi – is 11th on the list of top wicket-takers.
They don’t have a future Indian superstar at the top, an experienced fast bowler, or a magician of a wristspinner.
That LSG qualified for the playoffs without their regular captain and star batter KL Rahul speaks volumes of Krunal Pandya’s captaincy. Under his leadership, they won three of their last four completed games; those victories coming at the end of the league to qualify without much stress.