Table toppers Gujarat Titans take on third-placed Lucknow Super Giants at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday Afternoon. Both the teams will be playing their 11th match of the season respectively. Titans’ have won 7, while Lucknow could win only 5 in their first 10 matches.
Lucknow Super Giants: Just when the table looks tight, Lucknow have lost their skipper KL Rahul who suffered a thigh injury during the RCB game and has been ruled out of IPL 2023. This could be the big blow for Lucknow as he was their leader and second highest run-getter too. Karnataka’s Karun Nair has been named as his replacement. Meanwhile, In the absence of KL Rahul, it is Krunal Pandya who is leading the team as a stand-in captain. “As the team captain, it pains me deeply not to be able to be there during this crucial period. But I am confident that the boys will rise to the occasion and give their best performance as always. I’ll be cheering for them from the sidelines with all of you watching every game”, said KL Rahul after realizing the fact that he can’t be part of the tournament any further. They are heading into this game with no result in their previous game which could have gone either way had rain not taken the place. In fact Gambhir & Co would be happy to have 1 point added to their tally. Manan Vohra who was brought into the side for KL Rahul couldn’t really make the most of his opportunity as he scored only 10 off 11. Similarly, Karan Sharma too had a nightmare debut as he failed to grab the opportunity. It might be the case that the Super Giants will want to bring back Hooda as it is going to be a very important game for them. It will be interesting to see if they give him another go. While Ayush Badoni’s belligerent knock (second IPL fifty) would surely boost Giants’ confidence, his first IPL fifty also came against Gujarat last year. Lucknow will want their guy to step up and do the same that he did against CSK. The batters haven't been consistent in terms of scoring runs, their top-order will have a huge role to play against mighty Titans who probably have the best bowling attack in this tournament.
Probable Playing 11: Kyle Mayers, Manan Vohra, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Krunal Pandya (C), Krishanppa Gowtham, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishoni, Mohsin Khan.
(Impact players: Yash Thakur, Karan Sharma)
Gujarat Titans: The home side are heading into this game with an easy victory over Rajasthan Royals the other night. Gujarat have a very well settled playing combination. Mohammad Shami and Rashid Khan topping the purple cap chart as they are not only the highest wicket takers but also in the toppers’ list of bowling the most dot balls. Shami has bowled 132 (1st) dot balls so far, while Rashid has bowled 92 (3rd to bowl most). The likes of Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar and David Miller have been exceptionally good throughout the tournament. On the other hand, ever since Titan’s brought Noor Ahmad into the squad, he has been more lethal with the ball. Not only does he bowl the tidy overs, but also gives the break-throughs time and time again. The Noor-Khan duo have been a threatening one and their fans will expect this duo to do their magic yet again. Hardik & Co will be brimming with confidence as each player has risen to the different occasion. They will look to keep the winning momentum going.
Probable Playing 11: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Hardik Pandya (C), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Shami, Alzarri Joseph.
(Impact Players: Shubman Gill, Sai Kishore)
Key players to watch out for:
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami
Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi.
Injuries and updates:
- KL Rahul won’t be available for the remainder of the season.
- Joshua little has traveled back to home for national duty
- Jaydev Unadkat has suffered a shoulder injury and has been ruled out of IPL 2023.
Interesting stats and facts:
- Ravi Bishnoi needs 1 wicket to complete 50 IPL wickets.
- Gujarat Titans have won the most number of matches after the first 26 games with 20 wins.
- Gujarat Titans are heading into this game with 5 away win matches on the trot.
- This will be the first time in the history of IPL where both brothers will be clashing as captains.
- Mohammad Shami will be playing his 150th T20 match overall.
- Rashid Khan is 4 wickets away from 550 T20 wickets.
Weather and Pitch report: It will be humid as the temperature will be 33 degrees Celsius. Team winning the toss will prefer to bat first, the pitch will be expected to be dry, and it may slow down as the game progresses. We believe that the team batting first will have an advantage and it should be around 165 to 180 on the board as it can be the par score to defend for either team.
Date & Time: 7 May 2023, 3.30 PM (IST)
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Live Streaming: Star Sports network and JioCinema.
Dream 11 Team:
