MI vs LSG: Justin Langer names the best venue of IPL 2024

Lucknow Super Giants' Australian head coach Justin Langer feels that the team's home surface laid out at the Ekana stadium is the best wicket in IPL 2024 by far.

Justin Langer is on his debut coaching season at the Indian Premier League as he replaced Andy Flower from the LSG head coaching role. In his very first instance of featuring in the tournament, Langer has experienced a topsy-turvy season. His LSG team hasn't been clinical enough and hasn't been as good as they were in the previous two seasons where they had finished in the top four each time.

Last night's loss prevented LSG from having the chance to finish the league stages with 16 points.

Why Justin Langer feels the Ekana surface is the best in IPL 2024?

Justin Langer made this statement after the Lucknow Super Giants suffered a 19-run defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals last night. While speaking in the post-match press conference at the Arun Jaitley stadium, Langer claimed that the surface in Ekana has been the best because it's been even.

The former Australia head coach said that in the context of IPL 2024, several batting units regularly score gigantic totals. This season we have seen more than five 200+ totals, and Pat Cummins' Sunrisers Hyderabad kicked off the trend. The Orange army, in fact, broke the record of the highest-ever total in the history of the Indian Premier League.

Hyderabad had smashed 277 runs thanks to the unbelievable knocks from the bat of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, and Heinrich Klaasen. In IPL 2024, we have also seen the Punjab Kings complete the biggest-ever run-chase when they triumphed over the Kolkata Knight Riders by chasing down 262 runs within 18.2 overs.

In that regard, Justin Langer stated that Ekana has been a venue where there's been an even contest between the batters and the bowlers.

"I think the Lucknow wicket is probably the best cricket wicket in the competition because it's been a real contest between bat and ball whereas a lot of, this tournament, has been very one-sided towards the bat so that's certainly we haven't capitalized in our powerplays and like some of the other teams have but I'd probably argue that Lucknow wicket has been more competitive." - Justin Langer told press reporters in New Delhi.

Justin Langer says T20 cricket has been transformed

Justin Langer went on to further add that the powerplay carnages in IPL 2024 have been amazing to witness and that it has transformed the game. Langer also expressed his eagerness to see whether teams can replicate the same in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, a trophy he won as Australia's head coach during the 2021 edition.

"But overall it's been absolutely amazing watching some of these powerplays. It's almost transformed the game and whether people can continue to do this and whether they can do it during the World Cup - time will tell but it's certainly been ultra-aggressive cricket." - Langer concluded.