IPL 2023: Aaron Finch selects ‘X Factor’ Lucknow Super Giants for upcoming season

In their first Indian Premier League (IPL) season last year, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Under KL Rahul, the Super Giants impressed one and all with their cricket style and dominated the 15th season of the cash-rich league. They secured a place in the playoffs by winning 9 of 14 league games before their journey ended with a loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the semi-finals.

As the Lucknow-based franchise is set to kick off its IPL 2023 campaign with a high-voltage clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 1, former Australian skipper Aaron Finch has opted for last year’s championship’s X Factor. debutants.

In the Know Your Team show on Star Sports, Finch performed with the versatile Deepak Hooda as the “X Factor” of the Super Giants. Notably, Hooda had an amazing batting campaign as he ended up scoring 451 runs with a hitting ratio of 136.66 and finishing the tournament in the top 10 list.

Finch credits Hooda with finishing third in the fight and creating a good platform for other players with his decent hitting frequency and aggressive playstyle.

“The X factor for me this season for Lucknow that I see is Deepak Hooda. He is the one who took the responsibility of batting at number 3. He is the one who hits with good speed, especially in the first 10 balls. He continues to be aggressive. If he can bat for a longer time while being aggressive, it will tune those middle and lower orders into their destructive abilities,” Finch said.

For the Uninformed: Hooda has been a regular member of Indian limited overs teams and has made notable contributions to various matches. Last June, the Rothak native showed off his batting prowess by breaking the century in a T20I game against Ireland. Later, during the ODI and T20I series against the West Indies, Hooda proved to be a valuable asset due to his accurate and disciplined off-spin bowling.