IPL 2025 auction: 3 players Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) might target through RTM card

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) released their captain KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.

All 10 teams have submitted their list of retained players ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, and it came with some big surprises. Some franchises released their captains and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are one of them: LSG have let go of their captain of the last three seasons, KL Rahul, while retaining five other players.

Nicholas Pooran was their top retention for INR 21 crores, followed by Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 crores) Mayank Yadav (INR 11 crores), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 crores) and Ayush Badoni (INR 4 crores).

Having retained five players, LSG will go into the auction with one Right-To-Match card. The question is who will be the player on whom Lucknow use their RTM option? It is unlikely to be Rahul since they have parted ways for reasons not publically known yet.

In this article, we will discuss the three possible names that the Super Giants can target to utilise their RTM card on at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Three players Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) might target through RTM card at the IPL 2025 mega auction:

3. Kyle Mayers

West Indian all-rounder Kyle Mayers is one of the most destructive batsmen in this format. He joined Lucknow in IPL 2023 and played 13 games, scoring 379 runs at an average of 29.15 and a healthy strike rate of 144.11.

LSG have not retained any opener among their five retentions and will be looking for a few in this category at the mega auction. They can think of using their one RTM card to get back Mayers.

Mayers is a match-winner with the bat, someone who can rip the opposition apart single-handedly. He is also a handy contributor with the ball with his medium pace; Mayers can swing the new ball significantly and make early dents.

2. Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis was among the first-choice players for Lucknow in the three IPL seasons they have played. His exclusion certainly came as a bit of a surprise to the fans because he had a pretty good run with the franchise.

In three seasons, he has played 40 games and scored the second-most runs for them. Stoinis scored 952 runs at an average of 28.84 and a strike rate of 148.51. In 2024, he played a couple of match-winning knocks.m Adding to that, he has also taken 13 wickets with the ball.

His all-round ability makes him a valuable asset for any team. This is why LSG might decide to get him back by using the RTM option on him at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

1. Krunal Pandya

An Indian all-rounder generally fetches a good amount at the auction and Krunal Pandya could go for a handsome amount in the upcoming mega auction. Krunal is a regular feature in the IPL.

He didn’t have a great IPL 2024 season, which may be one of the reasons for his release, but his overall numbers for LSG are good. Krunal played 43 games for them, in which he scored 504 runs and took 25 wickets.

He even led them in the absence of the injured Rahul in IPL 2023. Krunal comes with loads of experience in the IPL. His all-round skillset and his experience may tempt LSG to use their RTM card on the Baroda all-rounder.

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