The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have had a rather disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) season this year, where they were unable to execute their plans. There have been some talented match-winners in the LSG side who could not find a place in the team combinations, which also includes David Miller.
David Miller has proven himself as a game-changer in the IPL, where he has won some big games for his team. However, in the IPL 2025 season, the destructive South African batter looked completely out of place. In the 11 games Miller has played, he has scored only 153 runs at an average of 30.60 and a strike rate of just 127.49. Miller also failed to cross the 30-run mark this tournament, which is poor for a player of his calibre.
This season has also seen the 2024 T20 World Cup finalist bat in unusual positions. This could also be one of the reasons behind his poor run with the bat. The 35-year-old veteran has typically played most of his games at number five or six, but has surprisingly been moved down the order on some occasions, batting at number seven and eight. It is time to discuss why Miller was not playing in his usual position this year.
Here are possible reasons behind LSG underutilizing David Miller:
3. Top order in good form
The biggest strength of LSG has been their batting, and there have been players at the top who have been performing well for the franchise. Apart from the top order, including the likes of Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant, youngsters like Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad have also impressed, leading to Miller being pushed lower down the order.
2. Heavy reliance on Pant
One of the biggest failures for LSG has been their skipper, Rishabh Pant, who has had an abysmal tournament this season. There could have been opportunities for Miller to come up in the batting order in Pant’s place and play impactful, explosive knocks he is known for. However, due to the management’s continued backing of Pant, Miller was not given that chance.
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1. Team backing Miller as out-and-out finisher
David Miller is known for his ability to hit big sixes, and although he has finished games on many occasions, he is generally not a player who can start hitting from the first ball. Miller needs some time at the crease to get into his hitting stride, and this was difficult for him, considering the positions he batted in throughout the tournament.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Miller is among the most dangerous batters in modern-day cricket, especially in the T20 format, but his failures in the tournament have been a combination of poor performances and terrible utilisation by the franchise, which has struggled to execute their plans.
