Lucknow Supergiants mentor Gautam Gambhir© BCCI/IPL
Lucknow Supergiants paid a whopping Rs 16 crore to get the services of West Indies wicket-keeper batter Nicholas Pooran in the recently held IPL 2023 auction. The amount was deemed too high by many as Pooran has failed to deliver consistently in the league in the past. Pooran has scored just 912 runs in 47 matches in the league and has just 4 scores of fifty-plus under his belt. Although did have a decent outing last season as he scored 306 runs in 14 matches at a strike-rate of close to 145.
The big bid meant Pooran became the costliest West Indian player in the IPL auction history.
Former India opener and LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir later explained why the franchise decided to break the bank to go for the player.
“I don’t look at the last season. I look at the player’s ability and impact. This tournament is not about scoring 500-600 runs. That player can win you 2-3 matches in a season, and he has age on his side. If you can get such a player, you try your best to build your team around him,” Gambhir told JioCinema.
“I’m not only looking for this season, he also provides us longevity. Very less players in that age bracket (27-28) have that ability. Pooran will continue to get better as he plays. I always believe that records only make headlines but impact wins you the tournament,” he added, according to a Cricketnext report.
Lucknow made it to the playoffs in their first season in 2022 when fellow newcomers Gujarat Titans went on to win the title.
The team would hope to do better than last season and win the title this time around.
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