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KL Rahul has not been in his best form in international cricket recently but the wicketkeeper-batter will hope to use the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL ) 2023 season to begin prepping himself for a busy international schedule which will culminate with the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The opener is the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who finished third in IPL 2022, and Rahul will be keen on going one up heading into the 16th edition of the cash-rich tournament and under the tutelage of the renowned Gautam Gambhir.
One of the marquee signings that the side made during the mini-auction in December was the signing of West Indian power hitter Nicholas Pooran, who was brought into the side for a massive Rs 16 Crores. Formerly with the Punjab Kings and the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the powerful hitter has not found his place in the IPL yet but one former Indian cricketer is of the opinion that the 27-year-old cannot be pushed beyond a limit.
"I feel Gautam Gambhir and KL Rahul should give Pooran a free hand to play because a player like this cannot be pushed beyond a limit. You also cannot expect them to win you every match", Kaif told Star Sports.
"You can set proper expectations with him, like if he is here to play 14-15 league matches, and if he makes Lucknow win 4-5 games, it's sufficient. Every time a player like Pooran loses his wicket, we think he didn't do well. But a power-hitter like Pooran requires mentoring, be supportive with gestures like an arm around the shoulder and motivate them to bring their natural game to the next match", he added.
KL Rahul combined well with South African opener Quinton de Kock in IPL 2022, with the duo finishing second and third position in the Orange Cap race. Rahul went on to score 616 runs in 15 matches while De Kock managed 508 in 15 games. Pooran will need to cement his place in the playing XI early on in order to help LSG replicate their performance from 2022, or do even better.
The side from Lucknow start their campaign against the Delhi Capitals on April 1.
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