IPL 2023: “Both KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock are Orange Cap contenders”- Aakash Chopra

Lucknow Super Giants opening batters KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock are key pillars of their batting lineup. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reckons both KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock are big contenders to win the Orange Cap in IPL 2023 while the LSG skipper has a point to prove too.

The LSG franchise did pretty well in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League as they qualified for the playoffs and eventually finished in the fourth position. They have a decent squad on paper and will certainly aim to reach playoffs this season too. Quinton de Kock will remain unavailable for the first couple of games as he’s part of the South African squad for the ODI series against the Netherlands. However, he will straightaway look to use his current form for his franchise once he gets available for them.

“This team’s runaway strength is their top order because both are Orange Cap contenders – whether it is KL Rahul or Quinton de Kock. The form Quinton de Kock is in, he scores his own century in 10 to 12 overs,” Aakash Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

Critics will become silent if KL Rahul has a good season: Aakash Chopra

“KL Rahul has a point to prove. In a way, he does not have a point to prove because he remains close to the Orange Cap every year. If scoring 600 runs was that easy, anyone would do it but he does that. But there are many naysayers, so the critics become slightly silent if he has a good season,” Aakash Chopra elaborated.

Lucknow Super Giants will rely on KL Rahul to anchor their innings in IPL 2023. While they have got multiple match-winners in their batting lineup, KL Rahul is the man who can hold all of them together. KL Rahul had scored 616 runs in 15 innings for LSG in their first season. He had an exceptional average of 51.33 and a pretty good strike rate of 135.38 in IPL 2022.

With a few guys like Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya in their lineup, who can swing their bats right from the first delivery, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock can actually take time and look to give a solid start to Lucknow Super Giants.