Gujarat Titans Vs Lucknow Super Giants Overview

The Carnival of India has already started. This time, it has gotten even bigger and better with the addition of two new teams Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans. Both the teams are set to make their IPL debut against each other tonight. Both teams will want to begin their IPL stint on a higher note, while Lucknow on paper looks a more balanced and star studded side, Gujarat might see some areas of concern while choosing the right combination.

TEAMS OVERVIEW:-

Lucknow Super Giants

Lucknow before the Mega Auction drafted KL Rahul , Ravi Bishnoi and the Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis with KL set to lead the team. They went all guns blazing at the Auction and spent every single rupee from their purse to make a squad which can definitely make it to the top 4 . Gautam Gambhir the former 2 time IPL winning Captain was appointed as their Mentor and he played a very important part in making of the team. The team went for a lot of multi faceted players which has been a mantra for successful IPL teams. Players Like Jason Holder , Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda bring a lot of balance to the team. At the top they have got KL Rahul and Quinton De Cock who is also to be the 1^st choice wicket keeper to make Rahul’s job easier. They have got options like Manish Pandey and Manan Vohra in the middle order with Manish likely to begin.

 

Area of Concern

With Mark Wood being ruled out of the league due to an injury Lucknow’s  bowling is the only area that would be bothering them. They have got two good Indian bowlers in Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan who also forced their way into the Indian side this year but apart from them the death bowling looks a bit iffy. Andrew tye  the latest inclusion in the team replacing Wood and Dushmanta chameera are the overseas pacers who are probably not the best of death bowling prospects. Also Players including Holder and stoinis missing the first few matches as they are on international duties can shake the combination of the team.

Key player

Kl Rahul who is going to lead the team will also be the player to watch out for. For Lucknow to have a Block Buster season, a lot will come around their captain's role. KL Rahul the captain has not established himself yet but that should not worry them because captaining a team is the most difficult job at this level and not everyone takes to it very easily but this time he has got a very Good staff with Gautam Gambhir and Andy Flower who are very highly rated cricket minds. Kl Rahul the Batsman can make the life and the Job of him as Captain a lot easier because he is one serious batsman. While a lot of talking has been done on his strike rate, it is also a fact that he did not get support fromother players while playing for Punjab but this time he has got the fire power at the end and a good looking middle order so we can expect the best version of KL RAHUL the batsman this year.

 

KL Rahul as Captain

MATCHES	27
WINS	11
LOSSES	14
WIN%	44.44%

 

KL Rahul as Batsman

YEAR	INNS	RUNS	AVG	SR	100s/50s
2018	14	659	54.92	158.41	0/6
2019	14	593	53.91	135.38	1/6
2020	14	670	55.83	129.34	1/5
2021	13	626	62.60	138.80	0/6

Probable XI

KL Rahul©, Quniton de Kock(wk), Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, K.Gowtham, Chameera, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Andrew Tye.

Gujarat Titans:-

Gujarat drafted the likes of their skipper Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Shubhman Gill before the Auction. The team didn’t have the best of buys at the Auction but they managed to get some key Players like Lockie Ferguson , Mohammad Shami , David Miller and Matthew wade who played a key role in Australia lifting the t20WC last year. They have also got a quick bowler in Alzarri Joseph who had an incredible outing against India recently with the bowl and can also hit those big boundaries. The team has not got the best batting line-up but they have gun pace bowling and with Rashid Khan being included their bowling looks to be one of the best in this tournament.

 

Area of concern

With Jason Roy opting out of the league due to the Bubble fatigue ,the top order of Gujarat looks like a concern. With Roy gone Subhman Gill is most likey to open with Matthew Wade. Till now Gill has been an average performer at the IPL contrary to the immense potential he has and with wade and him opening the innings does not look a very dangerous pair but things at IPL can change anytime. Apart from their top-order their middle-order also looks very fragile which lacks experienced and proven players and will largely depend on Captain Hardik.

 

Key player

Like LSG’s captain, Gujarat’s Captain Hardik Pandya will also be under the microscope. On paper, Gujarat does not look like it will make it to the top 4 but for changing their fortune a lot will depend on skipper Hardik Pandya. Ever since the World Cup last year he has been out of the Indian team due to fitness issues and has not played any competitive cricket and will return to cricket today with an unfamiliar added responsibility of Captaining a team which is not going to be easy for him but might as well bring the best out of him. Hardik’s performance will not only help Gujarat but will also help him re-cement his place as a seam-bowling all-rounder in the National side and for that, he has a lot to prove.

Hardik as Batsman

YEAR	MATCHES	RUNS	AVG	SR	100s/50s
2018	13	260	28.88	133.33	0/1
2019	16	402	44.66	191.42	0/1
2020	14	281	35.12	178.98	0/1
2021	12	127	14.11	113.39	0/0

 

Hardik as Bowler 

YEAR	MATCHES	WICKETS	ECONOMY	AVG	4W
2018	13	18	8.92	21.16	0
2019	16	14	9.17	27.85	0
2020	14	0	-	-	0
2021	12	0	-	-	0

 

Probable XI

Subhman Gill, Matthew Wade(wk), Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Hardik Pandya©, Rahul tewatia, Rashid Khan, Md.Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Arron

Conclusion:-

Both Captains will have due factor in their mind as the second half of the match will be extremely important and the teams chasing have been successful so far this season, but after all is said and done, the toss is not the decision; what you do on the field is and we can expect another high scoring match on this belter wankhede wicket.