Lucknow Super Giants head coach Andy Flower opened up on Mohsin Khan’s injury and said it will be a bonus if the left-arm pacer becomes available at some stage of the IPL 2023.
Mohsin is currently practising with the LSG team in Lucknow, hoping to make an appearance this season but Flower is not very hopeful of it. The left-arm pacer made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut last season but is set to miss the majority of the 2023 season after picking up a shoulder injury.
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The LSG head coach admitted that Mohsin’s absence is a “body blow" for the franchise and said he is not expecting him to get fit and make a return at any stage of the tournament.
“It is a blow not having him, there is no doubt about that. We are hoping that he might come good towards the end of the tournament. But, quite frankly, I had pretty much written him off as a selection option, and if he becomes fit at some stage during the tournament, I see that very much as a bonus. But I am certainly not expecting that," Flower said during an interaction.
Flower heaped praises on Mohsin for his performances last year but suggested that despite his absence LSG are not weak in death or middle overs.
“So, whether we are weak at the death or in the middle overs, we shall soon see. I don’t think that’s accurate. Our job is not to worry about some of those opinions, our job is to play well on the field. He (Mohsin) was a brilliant performer last season and he showed how quickly (one) can one move up in a matter of weeks. That’s really exciting for any young cricketer to witness."
The left-arm seamer featured in nine matches last season, claiming 14 wickets.
The last international match at the Ekana International Stadium, LSG’s home base, did not produce enough runs, and Flower admitted the pitch used in that game wasn’t ideal for T20 cricket.
“Last international match… it wasn’t an ideal T20 pitch. But let the curators do their job, they know what they are doing. We are quite flexible about whatever conditions we play in." Having reached the playoffs in their first IPL season, KL Rahul’s LSG will be looking to win their maiden title in 2023.
They will look to find out how the pitch at Ekana is going to play out in the coming days. They play their opening game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
“To be quite frank, we are not sure exactly what to expect from the pitch at the moment. We had a day off yesterday, we weren’t at the stadium, so we didn’t see how it’s panning out, the preparation of the playing pitch, which is strip number four.
“When we get to the stadium tonight, we will be able to make a better judgment of what we think of what the pitch is going to play like. But even now it’s quite a long way off from Saturday."
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Flower further said that they will not judge the pitch too early and will rely on their instincts in the initial stage of the tournament to get the job done.
“We don’t want to judge the pitch too early. That would be silly for us to do. We don’t want to have any preconceived ideas about how it’s going to pan out. But, of course, we can use our cricketing judgments and experiences on the day, looking at it.
“We have plenty of selection options available to us. And now, with the ‘Impact Player’ rule, you have got a little more flexibility about how you exploit those conditions well in real time. So, we will wait and see how that pitch pans out."
Flower also responded to former Australia skipper Aaron Finch’s remark that LSG are not going to make the playoffs this time. The LSG head coach said that it was the same case last season but they finished third after the group stage.
“Last year, we might not have been expected to qualify but we played some outstanding cricket to be third on the table at the end of the round games and made the playoffs quite comfortably, and just missed out on the top two spots which was quite important," he added.
The LSG coach said that they have covered a lot of bases and also have good options for the impact player’s slot.
“I don’t really mind what other people predict. We are very confident in the players that we have in our squad. I think we do have a lot of bases covered and whatever conditions we find over 14 games I think we can select good XIs from it and have good impact players who can come in and make a difference.
“When you hear international cricket or franchise cricket, you hear a lot of opinions. Everyone is entitled to their opinion."
Flower, the legendary former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batter, said his team’s first target is to get its campaign off to a good start.
“Our goal is obviously to win this competition. I suppose the first big step in that direction is getting through to the playoffs.
“But any sporting teams, in any series, would always chunk those goals down, what is more achievable in the shorter team, and our focus right now is the Delhi game on Sunday."
Flower also suggested that LSG have some individual plans ready for Delhi Capitals players.
“We are at our home venue for the very first time which is super exciting for us, the first game is our first goal.
“We will have individual plans for them (Delhi Capitals). They are a quality side, every IPL team has match-winners in their XI, and we will have individual plans for them."
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