Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are fortunate to have two quality leg spinners, and the seasoned Amit Mishra and young Ravi Bishnoi can both come into play be it a pitch with bounce or affording turn in IPL.
Mishra, 40, back in the T20 league after a year, has played since the inaugural year in 2008 (154 matches, 166 wickets). The 22-year-old Bishnoi, entering his fourth IPL season, has 37 wickets in the league from 37 matches. He played an important role for debutants LSG last year, his 13 wickets helping the team finish third in the league table (9 wins, 5 losses) before losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eliminator.
LSG will play their seven home matches in the league stage at Lucknow’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket stadium. All nine strips, including five of red soil, have grass and bounce.
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Bishnoi, LSG’s ₹4 crore buy this season, is expected to play Saturday’s opening game against Delhi Capitals at home. Fielding coach Jonty Rhodes said: “He is one of the key members of the team and he knows his job well. His style of bowling has a big role in the team’s success; he was quite successful the last season too.”
The bowler from Jodhpur, who shot to limelight as the highest wicket-taker (17) in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, joined LSG last year after two seasons in Punjab Kings where he took 12 wickets each.
Bishnoi has 16 wickets in 10 T20Is and one from the lone ODI he played last October. In a ODI World Cup year, a solid IPL showing can help stay in discussions of the national selectors.
On Tuesday, Bishnoi spoke about his cricketing journey, how he missed the Class 12 board exams to be a Rajasthan Royals net bowler during the 2018 IPL. “My father asked me to come back, but the coach told me I will have to be here. I decided to skip the boards that year, but finished it next year,” he said on LSG’s podcast.
“At the age of 10, I joined a cricket academy and when I turned 15 I decided to give up my studies. I was not getting time from cricket. It was difficult to convince parents. My coaches then told my father to let me continue with cricket because of my talent.”
Bishnoi recalled a story behind all the altercation with Bangladesh cricketers following the final defeat in South Africa. Bangladesh won by three wickets to lift their maiden U-19 World Cup title. “In that final, they were sledging our batters a lot and they did cross the line, and when our turn came, we returned the favour,” he said.
“After the win, they crossed the line. They started mocking us on our face and in the heat of the moment, I also said a few things that I am not very proud of. After that final, I have never sledged anyone,” he said.
Ravi Bishnoi and Akash Singh, who was his roommate during that tournament, were given five demerit points for the post-match incidents. Bishnoi was handed a further two demerit points for “using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter” after dismissing Avishek Das. “My only concern was whether I would be able to play in IPL or not,” he said.
