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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Gautam Gambhir recently explained the rationale behind spending ₹16 crore for Nicholas Pooran at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction in Kochi.
The mini-auction saw franchises splash the cash to rope in all-rounders for the upcoming season. England's Sam Curran shattered all records to become the most expensive player in the history of the tournament after the Punjab Kings (PBKS) spent ₹18.50 crore to avail his services.
Cameron Green (₹17.5 crore) and Ben Stokes (₹16.50 crore) also bagged multi-millionaire deals from Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, respectively.
While Pooran hasn't been in the best of form in recent times, the Super Giants are unfazed by it. Speaking on JioCinema, Gambhir highlighted Pooran's impact as a player and thus justified his hefty price tag, saying:
"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 two to three 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.
"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."
Pooran, who was part of the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad last year, scored 306 runs in 14 games, including a couple of half-centuries. However, his contribution wasn't enough for SRH to make it to the playoffs as they finished eighth in the points table.
"Finisher" - Gautam Gambhir on Nicholas Pooran's role in the side
Gambhir, who was part of India's 2011 World Cup-winning side, confirmed that Pooran will play as a finisher for the Lucknow side.
He also mentioned that with the Impact Player rule in place, they will build their playing XI in a way so that they can reap the maximum benefit. Gambhir added:
“Finisher. I can’t tell you the XI. But we have Marcus Stoinis, Pooran, and Quinton de Kock. Moreover, we will now be having the impact player rule as well. We will make our XI in such a way that if we have to bring in a replacement, we can pick any of these players to bring into the match."
Lucknow, who crashed out of the knockouts in the 2022 edition, will look to go all the way this year and lift their maiden IPL title.
LSG squad for IPL 2023: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Jaydev Unadkat, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Swapnil Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Krishnappa Gowtham, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Avesh Khan, and Yudhvir Singh Charak.
