LSG's batting revamp gathers pace with Jayakumar set to join as coach

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) appear to be setting the pace in the IPL off-season. Having pulled off a surprise trade involving Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav - a deal that was officially confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday - the franchise is now looking for a power-hitter.

While the search for a batter of that specific skill continues, the LSG management is also looking to develop such talent from within. In that context, the franchise is roping in G Jayakumar, the former Kerala cricketer, as a batting coach. The move is part of the larger plans to strengthen the team's batting depth.

Multiple sources close to the franchise and Jayakumar confirmed the development. He is expected to join the franchise soon and work closely with its domestic players, and is set to become part of a coaching group led by Tom Moody (director of cricket), Justin Langer (head coach) and Bharat Arun (bowling coach), among others. With Jayakumar's appointment on the horizon, it appears unlikely that Lance Klusener will be part of the setup.

The franchise is planning to send a group of Indian batters - including Himmat Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni and Arshin Kulkarni - to Perth, where they will train under head coach Justin Langer. Most, if not all, should fly to Australia next week. The players will then travel to Chennai to link up with Jayakumar and work under him.

Jayakumar is known to enjoy a strong reputation as a batting coach in Chennai, even though his domain expertise as a player was bowling. A former Kerala pacer, he opened the bowling for the state and represented it in 25 matches. He is credited to have contributed to the development of Sai Sudharsan, who has established himself as a promising batter across both white-ball and red-ball formats.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Pant-Kuldeep trade had actually been finalised quite some time ago. Cricbuzz understands that Shashwat Goenka of LSG and Parth Jindal of JSW, which currently manages Delhi Capitals, spoke more than two weeks ago to work out the details of the deal, with both players kept in the loop. The move represents a homecoming of sorts for both players, particularly Pant, who was seemingly feeling the weight of his record INR 27 crore league salary.

With the trade now completed, LSG now have approximately INR 23 crore reserves in their purse, including surplus from the trade, the annual INR 5 crore increase in the salary cap and last year's balance. With a few releases also expected, the franchise will head into next year's auction with a fat purse.

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