The intensity of the 2023 Indian Premier League has taken a steep curve with ample last-over finishes. Well, it’s time for another weekend and weekends are synonyms with doubleheader IPL games at this time of the calendar.
Lucknow Super Giants will square off against Gujarat Titans in Match 30 of the Glitterati league on Saturday afternoon The Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow will be staging this high-octane clash.
The KL Rahul-led franchise is positioned at the second position in the points table currently. They have bucketed eight points from six matches so far in the tournament, winning four and losing two games.
Despite kickstarting the luxurious league with a 50 runs comprehensive win against the Delhi Capitals, the Lucknow-based franchise suffered a jolt in their next assignment against the Chennai Super Kings.
Furthermore, two successive victories meant a strong turn of the boat, and in their fifth encounter of the season Punjab Kings edged past a nerve-wrecker, shadowing the Gautam Gambhir-mentored side. A turnaround in the following contest against last year’s finalist Rajasthan Royals helped LSG retain their position in second place.
On the other side of the spectrum, Gujarat Titans have played just five games thus far and are located at the fourth position in the points table. They have managed to win three games and lost two encounters against Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.
After initiating the season opener with a bang, steamrolling the four-time champions, Chennai Super Kings by five wickets and four balls to spare, the Titans equalize the wins and losses in their following set of matches.
While they were high on back-to-back wins, KKR gave shellshocked the defending champions after Rinku Singh went berserk in the final over, whacking five consecutive maximums and stealing the limelight.
The Hardik Pandya-led side did bounce back from the humdinger and thrashed Punjab Kings in their next mission. But only if they knew that the Royals would be enforcing an act of revenge for the main event of IPL 2022. They fell prey to Shimron Hetmyer’s calypso power and Sanju Samson’s charisma in their latest encounter and will be looking to turn the tables now.
What have they done so far?
Lucknow Super Giants defeat table toppers Rajasthan Royals in their last match
LSG has been winning matches more on individual brilliance. KL Rahul has been scoring some runs but with a very poor strike rate while Kyle Mayers has been one of the most positive things for the franchise this year.
While the middle order seems very fragile, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis have played some blistering knocks that will force the skipper to sit out Quinton de Kock. From the bowling point of view, Mark Wood has been used effectively with proper workload management. Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi have been decent and extracted wickets at times.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans have been playing with a perfect combination as Sai Sudharsan has filled the shoes tremendously well after the absence of Kane Williamson due to an injury. Wriddhiman Saha has been giving them flying starts while Shubman Gill was successful in grafting the innings for most matches.
Although Hardik Pandya is yet to fire with the bat, he has proved his mettle with the ball, dishing out some economical spells. The duo of Mohammed Shami and Alzarri Joseph have been nothing short of a cream and the addition of Mohit Sharma has only bolstered the pace attack. Not to forget, Rashid Khan has been fantastic in doing his job and also extracted a hat-trick this season against KKR.
Head-to-Head Record
Both franchises have met each other two times and it has been the defending champions who edged past LSG on both occasions. The Lucknow-based franchise is yet to win against the Titans.
Key Players
Marcus Stoinis (Lucknow Super Giants): The Hulk has been fantastic so far for the Lucknow Super Giants with both bat and ball in hand. He is someone who can be effective with the new ball as well and has gelled some blissful knocks with the willow in hand. Stoinis had hit 65 off 30 balls against RCB this season.
Shubman Gill is the fifth-highest runscorer in IPL 2023
Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans): Having piled up 228 runs from 5 innings, Gill is the fifth-highest run-scorer of the ongoing IPL season. He has been a mainstay at the top of the order playing some elegant strokes and anchoring the innings from one end. Without an iota of doubt, Gill is one of the key assets of the Titans’ squad.
Predicted XI
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul ©, Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Amit Mishra
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya ©, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Mohit Sharma
Prediction
It’s the clash of the two newly formed franchises in match no. 30 of the Indian Premier League. Both sides have a number of match-winners but on paper, Gujarat Titans look like a more formidable group under the leadership of Hardik Pandya.