Former India opener and mentor of Lucknow Indian Premier League franchise, Gautam Gambhir has said that appointing KL Rahul as their captain was a "no-brainer", and added that the young cricketer is "a phenomenal white-ball batter".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On Friday, the Lucknow franchise, owned by RPSG Group announced KL Rahul as their captain, signing the India star for Rs 17 crore. The former Punjab Kin's' captain has been a prolific run-getter in the IPL, scoring 3273 runs in 94 matches at a staggering average of over 47.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"No brainer when it comes to KL Rahul, not just as a batter but as a leader as well. Obviously, it's a work in progress, but he gives you three things -- he opens the batting, he can keep wickets and he is a phenomenal white-ball batter, his consistency and his run-scoring has been phenomenal when he has played for Punjab and other franchises and what better than having someone who gives you 3 things," Gambhir told Star Sports IPL Selection Day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lucknow also paid Rs 9.2 crore to get Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and Rs 4 crore for India's uncapped leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Marcus Stoinis is a beautiful finisher. We were not 100 percent sure whether Ben Stokes was going to be in the auction or not, so there were not too many quality all-rounders. Plus, Stoinis can bat in the middle order and can finish off the game as well," Gambhir added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n