"Everyone's looking forward to seeing him": LSG coach Langer on KL Rahul's return to IPL

In the 2023 season of the IPL, the LSG skipper sustained an injury in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). While chasing a ball in the outfield in the second over, he clutched it at his thigh and then limped off the field. Following that, Rahul missed the remaining matches of the IPL 2023.

While speaking in a virtual press conference, Langer said that the LSG skipper has worked very hard to make his return in the T20 tournament. Langer added that it will be great to have KL Rahul in the squad.

"Everyone's looking forward to seeing him. We know he has worked very hard to tick off all his return-to-play protocols. He's worked very hard. He's been practicing, he's been hitting lots of balls. He's hopefully ready to go. It's going to be nice to have the captain with us," Langer was quoted by the ICC as saying.

The Australian coach added that a few players will be eyeing the upcoming T20 World Cup spots and they will be rewarded if their team gets success.

"If we have team success, everyone will be rewarded. That'll be the message for all the players, including Bishi (Ravi Bishnoi) and KL (Rahul), and there's a few others who will be vying for T20 World Cup spots. That's all part of the game we play. The more they concentrate on playing well for Lucknow, the more their chances of being selected will increase," he added.

The 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, which will take place from 1 to 29 June, will be the largest-ever ICC event with 55 matches to be played across nine cities - three in the USA and six in the West Indies.

Meanwhile, the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start from March 22, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set to clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at their home arena--MA Chidambaram Stadium. Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants will be starting their campaign at Jaipur on March 24.

The Super Giants will kick off their 2024 campaign against the Rajasthan Royals on March 24 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

LSG squad for IPL 2024: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Shamar Joseph (replacement for Mark Wood), Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, K. Gowtham, Shivam Mavi, Arshin Kulkarni, M. Siddharth, Ashton Turner, David Willey, Mohd. Arshad Khan. (ANI)