IPL 2024: Why has Nicholas Pooran replaced KL Rahul as LSG captain against Punjab Kings

Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul was replaced by Nicholas Pooran as skipper for the IPL 2024 clash against Punjab Kings at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.

Pooran, who walked out for the toss, said that Rahul would feature as an Impact Player after Lucknow opted to bat. The West Indies batter said Rahul was being eased into his return, following an injury that put him out of action for two months.

Rahul subsequently walked out to open the batting with Quinton de Kock.

Rahul, returning from a quadriceps injury that ruled him out of the India-England Test series before the IPL season, made his comeback with a 44-ball 58 against Rajasthan Royals last Sunday, albeit in a losing cause.

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“KL is coming back from injury and we’re looking to give him a break in such a long tournament, but he’ll play as an impact player today,” Pooran said at the toss.

Rahul had also missed the second leg of the IPL 2023 due to a hamstring injury before Lucknow fell in the Eliminator of the Playoffs to Mumbai Indians.

The 31-year-old had since made a strong return for India, forging a crucial part of the middle-order in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Rahul was also one of India’s leading batters in the Test tour to South Africa before making 89 runs against England in the first of the five-Test series at home in Hyderabad in January.

While the Karnataka batter regained fitness in time for the IPL, the medical team of the BCCI had advised Rahul not to keep wicket in the initial stages of the tournament, and play as a specialist batsman. However, Rahul was the designated keeper and opening batter for Lucknwow in their tournament opener.

Rahul last featured in a T20I for India during the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal defeat to England in Adelaide.

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