Contrary to the popular perception that he has been paid 18 crores, Nicholas Pooran, the West Indies white-ball specialist who was in Kolkata yesterday to meet Dr Sanjiv Goenka, is being paid over 20 crores by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise as their top retention. A source confirmed that it was a unanimous call from the coaching staff to choose Pooran whose astounding IPL strike-rate of 162.29 put him well above KL Rahul, the other option for LSG as a top retention.
Pooran, to his credit, has been a stellar performer in T20 leagues across the world and, in a match against RCB in 2024, had scored at a strike-rate of over 300. Overall, he struck 499 runs last season, as a strike-rate of 178.21.
That’s what modern T20 cricket is all about, and in terms of impact, Pooran has the ability to change games within overs, something the cricket think tank of LSG – Justin Langer and Zaheer Khan – were hugely impressed with.
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Rahul, on the other hand, has often been guilty of scoring at a lesser strike-rate, which hasn’t really worked for the franchise.
The other players retained by LSG are Mayank Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi. Among uncapped players, LSG have opted for Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan.
It is now to be seen how Pooran justifies this high price tag and delivers for the franchise.
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