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The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are in a tricky situation ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. While they have a fair amount of talent in their ranks, it's hard to say whether they have enough players priced at the retention slabs announced by the IPL governing council.
Despite seemingly having some differences with the management, captain KL Rahul is arguably too valuable a player to be released. Big-hitting batter Nicholas Pooran might also be locked down by the Super Giants as one of their first retentions.
In other areas, however, things might not be as straightforward. We could see Lucknow let go of some names who have been integral parts of their side over the last auction cycle.
On that note, here are three top players that might have to be released by LSG ahead of IPL 2025.
#3 Ravi Bishnoi
Signed by the Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 pre-auction draft, Ravi Bishnoi has been the team's lead spinner over the last three seasons. However, he ended up having his worst IPL campaign till date in 2024.
In 14 matches, Bishnoi picked up only 10 wickets at an economy rate of 8.77. His lengths let him down at times, and KL Rahul's bizarre usage of him didn't help matters either. LSG might thus not be very high on the leg-spinner despite the fact that he is in and around India's T20I side and is one of the country's most promising options in that department.
Most franchises are likely to release their wrist-spin options, meaning that Lucknow might not be pressed for choices at the auction. The retention price tag is also a factor, with Bishnoi unlikely to readily command such a high amount.
#2 Quinton de Kock
While he has been impressive in other franchise leagues, Quinton de Kock hasn't set the IPL on fire over the last two seasons. He played only four matches in 2023 as LSG opened with Kyle Mayers, who was in form at the time, ahead of him. In 2024, the South African averaged only 22.73.
A clearly limited player against spin, De Kock hasn't been able to overcome his weaknesses in the way that others like Faf du Plessis have. However, while the fact that he doesn't play top-level international cricket round the year anymore isn't in his favor, he has managed to find a fair degree of success since IPL 2024 concluded.
If the Super Giants retain KL Rahul, they will already have a keeping option. With plenty of aggressive overseas openers slated to be available at the auction, it wouldn't make sense for them to retain De Kock at a price of ₹11 crore or more.
#1 Krunal Pandya
One of the best defensive spinners going around in the IPL right now, Krunal Pandya hasn't had an economy rate above eight in any of his nine IPL seasons. He has also chipped in with a few handy runs lower down the order and is an excellent option for a ground like the Ekana Stadium.
Krunal was signed for ₹8.25 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction. It's hard to ascertain what his market value is at right now, with him not having been a pivotal figure with the bat for LSG like he was for the Mumbai Indians.
It's safe to say that he might not command a double-digit price tag at the IPL 2025 auction, and LSG would thus want to release him and potentially buy him back at a cheaper price.
