As the cricketing world eagerly anticipates the dawn of the IPL 2024 season, the landscape of team dynamics is undergoing significant shifts. In a strategic chess game leading up to the auctions in Dubai on December 19, both the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans are making calculated moves to fortify their squads.
In the lead-up to the IPL 2024 season, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have undergone significant changes in their squad. Left-arm fast-bowler Jaydev Unadkat and Australia’s left-arm pace all-rounder Daniel Sams have been released while the team has retained key players such as Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock, and Mark Wood.
Justin Langer, the new head coach of LSG, expressed the franchise's commitment to building on its success in the past two years. The team had made it to the playoffs in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. LSG had earlier traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians and acquired Devdutt Padikkal from Rajasthan Royals, with Avesh Khan moving in the opposite direction.
Sanjiv Goenka, the team owner, acknowledged the difficulty in releasing players but emphasized the importance of retaining a settled and balanced squad. The LSG retained several players, including KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis.
The team will be active in the upcoming auction in Dubai on December 19 to complete its squad for the IPL 2024 season. The released players from LSG include Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Sams, Manan Vohra, and others.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans have retained their captain Hardik Pandya, dispelling speculations about his return to Mumbai Indians. The franchise retained 18 players, including Hardik, and released eight, notable among them being Shivam Mavi and Alzarri Joseph.
Hardik Pandya, who started his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in 2015, was released by them ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auctions. He then captained the Gujarat franchise to the title in their debut season in 2022 and led them to a runners-up finish in 2023.
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Despite the current retention, the IPL trade window remains open until December 12, a week before the auctions in Dubai. Gujarat Titans have released players like KS Bharat, Odean Smith, and Dasun Shanaka.
The retained players for Gujarat Titans include David Miller, Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, and Rashid Khan among others, forming a solid core for the upcoming season. The team will look to make strategic moves in the trade window and the auction to bolster its squad for IPL 2024.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Retained Players
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KL Rahul (c)
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Quinton de Kock
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Nicholas Pooran
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Ayush Badoni
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Kyle Mayers
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Marcus Stoinis
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Deepak Hooda
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Devdutt Padikkal (traded from RR)
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Ravi Bishnoi
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Naveen Ul Haq
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Krunal Pandya
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Yudhvir Singh
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Prerak Mankad
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Yash Thakur
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Amit Mishra
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Mark Wood
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Mayank Yadav
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Mohsin Khan
Released Players
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Jaydev Unadkat
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Daniel Sams
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Manan Vohra
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Swapnil Singh
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Karan Sharma
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Arpit Guleria
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Suryansh Shedge
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Karun Nair
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Romario Shepherd (Traded to MI)
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Avesh Khan (Traded to RR)
Gujarat Titans (GT)
Retained Players
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David Miller
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Shubman Gill
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Matthew Wade
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Wriddhiman Saha
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Kane Williamson
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Hardik Pandya
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Abhinav Manohar
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B Sai Sudharsan
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Darshan Nalkande
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Vijay Shankar
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Jayant Yadav
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Rahul Tewatia
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Mohammed Shami
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Noor Ahmad
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R Sai Kishore
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Rashid Khan
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Josh Little
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Mohit Sharma
Released Players
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Yash Dayal
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KS Bharat
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Shivam Mavi
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Urvil Patel
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Pradeep Sangwan
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Odean Smith
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Alzarri Joseph
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Dasun Shanaka