Lucknow Super Giants

Biography

A record-breaking prodigy in school cricket, Nicholas Pooran has transformed into a hard-hitting batsman from the Caribbean, with a flair for playing match-winning knocks in the shortest format.

The left-handed batsman from McBean first represented Trinidad and Tobago at various underage and schoolboys tournaments. Aged only 16, Pooran made his national U19 debut in 2012 and has not looked back since.

The Trinidian cricketer debuted for the West Indies U19s in October 2013 and went on to play in the 2014 ICC U19 World Cup. A primary wicketkeeper back then, Pooran amassed 303 runs in six matches in the tournament, including a whirlwind 143 against Australia.

Prior to that, Pooran was the youngest player to feature in the inaugural edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2013. A swashbuckling 54 off just 24 balls set the stage alight on debut.

After a two-year injury layoff, Nicholas Pooran came back strong in CPL 2016, scoring 217 runs in eight matches, earning him the West Indies cap for the T20I series against Pakistan in September that year. However, his major international breakthrough came in 2018 as he smashed an enterprising fifty of just 24 balls against India in Chennai.

The performance skyrocketed his stocks in the team as he was awarded a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 squad for West Indies. In a defeat to Sri Lanka, Pooran made headlines for the right reasons with a mesmerising 118 off 103, helping him emerge as a rising star within the team.

Also known as Nicky P, the Trinidadian has made more than 50 appearances in both white-ball formats for the Caribbean international side. He also served as the West Indies captain after Kieron Pollard’s retirement in May 2022.

Meanwhile, in the Indian T20 League, Pooran came into the limelight after a solid 2020 season, where he made 353 runs while striking at 170. His clean striking was also on display in the 2022 edition, where he scored 306 runs with an average of almost 40.

Now at the Lucknow Super Giants, Nicholas Pooran adds to the firepower of an already power-packed batting order. After a brisk start to the season, IPL 2023 will be a season to look forward to for the West Indian middle-order batter.