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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have announced 20-year-old Suryansh Shedge as replacement for injured Jaydev Unadkat for the remainder of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Unadkat injured his left shoulder when he tripped on a side rope during training session before LSG’s infamous clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) earlier this month.
Shedge's IPL contract
Shegde has been picked by LSG for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. It is not a like-for-like replacement for Unadkat. As a 14-year-old he smashed the fastest triple hundred in Giles Shield tournament.
Unadkat doubtful for WTC final
Unadkat is currently undergoing rehab at National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bengaluru. The left-arm pacer has not been ruled of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final against Australia yet. However, if he fails to regain fitness, reserve player Mukesh Kumar can be included in the squad as his replacement.
Picked for his base price of Rs 50 lakh by LSG, Unadkat made three appearances for the franchise in the ongoing IPL 2023. He conceded runs at an economy rate of 11.50 runs per over.
In the absence of an injured KL Rahul who recently went under successful surgery, Krunal Pandya is leading LSG. In their previous game against Mumbai Indians (MI), Pandya led from the front and scored 49 runs followed by an economical spell. LSG beat MI by just five runs, thanks to Mohsin Khan’s last over heroics to keep their playoffs chances alive.
LSG's playoffs chances
LSG are placed third on the points table with 15 points from 13 games. They need a win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 20 to solidify their spot in the playoffs. However, if they lose to KKR, they will have to depend on the results of other matches.
In their last league game, the franchise owned by RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, will be seen donning Mohun Bagan's fabled green and maroon-coloured jersey against KKR at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
"It is (Mohun Bagan) not an institution, it's actually an emotion. It's legacy represents the city of Kolkata," LSG team owner Shashwat Goenka said.
"It is with this in mind, that we have decided that LSG will don the iconic colours of maroon and green in Saturday's match against KKR at Eden Gardens.
"It is our way of paying respect to the legacy of Mohun Bagan and to the legacy of our city." With this LSG hopes to find themselves at home come Saturday, in a must-win battle for both teams' playoff prospects.
"Not just Mohun Bagan fans, but hope all the residents of Kolkata will support us. For us, Kolkata is our home right. So, as much support as we can get, that's what we would ask for," Goenka added.
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