Revamped LSG Look to Upgrade Fortunes Under Rishabh Pant

Squad Changes and Leadership

• New Captain: Rishabh Pant takes over as captain, signed for a record INR 27 crore.
• Coaching Update: Zaheer Khan joins as mentor.
• Overseas Imports: David Miller, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, and Aiden Markram added to bolster batting.

Auction Highlights

• Retentions: Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 Cr), Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav (INR 11 Cr each), Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni.
• Acquisitions: Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Aiden Markram.
• Departures: Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis.

Injury/Availability Concerns

• Key Pace Bowling Unit: Mayank, Mohsin, and Avesh racing to recover for IPL opener.
• Mitchell Marsh: Recovering from back injury, fitness to be monitored.

Fixture Build-Up

• Opening Matches: Away games against Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
• Home Games: First home game on April 1, with five of seven home games in April.
• Travel Schedule: Balanced travel with no more than two consecutive away games.

Squad List

• Batsmen: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ayush Badoni, David Miller.
• Bowlers: Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Akash Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep, Manimaran Siddarth.
• Others: Aryan Juyal, Himmat Singh, Abdul Samad, Arshin Kulkarni, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Shamar Joseph.

Key Players to Watch

• Rishabh Pant: Aims to prove his worth after missing recent T20I series.
• Akash Deep: Potential breakout player, acquired for INR 8 crore.

Home Ground Stat

• Ekana Stadium: Lowest average first-innings total in IPL since 2023. Will the track be more batsman-friendly this season?