Mayers or Hooda likely to open with KL Rahul in first two matches
In the absence of Quinton de Kock, Lucknow Super Giants may look to open the innings with West Indies’ Kyle Mayers or Deepak Hooda along with skipper KL Rahul in the first two matches of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). South Africa are scheduled to play two 50-over ICC World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands on March 31 and April 2, with their top players not playing for their franchises in the first two matches.
This will see Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) missing their regular opener De Kock while their arch-rivals Delhi Capitals will be without Anrich Norkia and Lungi Ngidi in the first two matches. The Lucknow team will take on Delhi Capitals in Lucknow on April 1 after which they will leave for Chennai for their next match against Chennai Super Kings.
A source in the know of the Lucknow team told PTI on the condition of confidentiality, “In the absence of Dickock, the best option would be Kyle Mayers who is also a left-handed batsman and his strike rate in T20 Internationals is also close to 135.” Hence Meyers is a strong contender to open the innings with Rahul in the first two matches. If the Lucknow side look to strengthen their middle-order or bowling side with overseas players, the talented Hooda could face the new ball alongside the skipper.
Hooda has scored a hundred for India opening the innings in T20 cricket and has shown that he can be a force to be reckoned with with his skills in the powerplay. Mohsin Khan, who is currently in the ‘rehab’ process with the team’s ‘Strength and Conditioning’ unit, is expected to be ruled out of at least the first phase of the tournament but the team management feels that he could be available in the second phase.
Talking about Delhi Capitals, they will not be able to get the services of all their foreign fast bowlers in the first two matches. Mustafizur Rahman will also be unavailable due to Bangladesh’s ongoing series against Ireland. Norkia and Ngidi will be in the South Africa squad while Kagiso Rabada will also be with the national team, which will also be missed by the Punjab Kings.
