Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that Gautam Gambhir and KL Rahul should give Nicholas Pooran free hand while playing for Lucknow Super Giants during IPL 2023. Pooran has been in the limelight in the IPL ever since he started playing in the tournament. While the hard-hitting batter has shown his skill already, he hasn’t been able to come all gun blazing in the IPL.

In 47 matches, Pooran has scored 912 runs which came at an average of 26.06 and has only got four fifties as well. Last season, the West Indies batter played for Sunrisers Hyderabad but they decided to release him before the IPL 2023 auction. At the auction, LSG decided to spend the cash on Pooran and bought him for a whopping 16 crore rupees as well.

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Speaking on Star Sports, as quoted by Hindustan Times, Mohammad Kaif said that the LSG management should put less pressure on Nicholas Pooran and give him a free hand to play during IPL 2023 as well. He again stated that a big-hitter like Pooran requires mentoring and supportive gestures so that he can play his natural game.

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“I feel Gautam Gambhir and KL Rahul should give Pooran a free hand to play because a player like this cannot be pushed beyond a limit. You also cannot expect them to win you every match. You can set proper expectations with him, like if he is here to play 14-15 league matches, and if he makes Lucknow win 4-5 games, it’s sufficient. Every time a player like Pooran loses his wicket, we think he didn’t do well. But a power-hitter like Pooran requires mentoring, be supportive with gestures like an arm around the shoulder and motivate them to bring their natural game to the next match,” concluded Mohammad Kaif.