Predicting Lucknow's playing XI for their opening clash against Gujarat

Lucknow is one of two new franchises to be introduced in the Indian T20 league 2022. Lucknow will face off the other new team in the tournament Gujarat on March 28. Lucknow picked up KL Rahul before the auction. Later, they named him their captain. The new franchise will be looking to make an impression on their debut appearance in the tournament. The franchise has put together a great group of players for this season.

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Let’s have a look at the probable XI for Lucknow in the opening match.

Openers

1. KL Rahul (Captain): Rahul is known to be an aggressive opener. He will be looking to lead from the front. He will be opening for Lucknow and will have the responsibility of giving his team a brisk start.

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2. Quinton De Kock (Wicket Keeper) (Overseas): The South African will complement Rahul and will form a potent left-hand/right-hand opening pair. De Kock himself is an attacking batter. With Rahul, De Kock can give the team some brisk and fiery starts.

Middle Order

3. Manish Pandey: Manish Pandey has played the role of number 3 very efficiently during his time in Kolkata and Hyderabad. His presence in the middle will give Lucknow stability in the middle order.

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4. Marcus Stoinis (Overseas): Stoinis with his power-hitting ability will be an asset in the middle overs for the team. He will give the team some good aggressive finishes, and also be handy with the ball in hand. He can bowl some overs taking off the pressure from the main bowlers.

5. Deepak Hooda: Deepak Hooda is an aggressive middle-order batter. Hooda will combine with Stoinis and Krunal to finish the innings effectively for India. He can bowl some cheap overs.

6. Krunal Pandya: The left-hand batter will be looking to play some short and fiery knocks towards the end of the innings. His left-arm spin will also be an asset for the team in middle overs.

Lower Order

7. Jason Holder (Overseas): Holder has grown in stature as an all-rounder in the international circuit over the last few years. He is going to bowl some important overs for the team and play some finishing knocks towards the end

Spinners

8. Shabaz Nadeem: Shabaz Nadeem is a well-known name in the domestic circuit of India. He will be handy with his left-arm spin in the middle overs for the team.

9. Ravi Bihsnoi: Bishnoi, the young Indian leg-spinner has impressed everybody in his short career with his economical bowling and wicket-taking ability. He will be an asset for the team in the middle overs.

Fast Bowlers

10. Avesh Khan: The young pacer with his raw pace and varieties will be a big weapon for Lucknow.

11. Mark Wood (Overseas): Mark Wood, the English pacer will intimate a lot of batters this season with his pace. Wood is also a specialized death-over bowler. His skills towards the end of an innings will be very important for the team.