IPL 2023: KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will lock horns against defending champions Gujarat Titans in a battle between two IPL newbies. Titans have the upper hand, winning both their matches last season. But Lucknow has shown great match awareness to beat Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
Kyle Mayers with 51 and Avesh Khan, with three wickets, were the other big contributors to the cause in a team that looks well-balanced.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans has been struggling a little. One of the secrets to their success last year was winning lots of very tight games but two of their last three games were defeats in narrow matches so maybe it’s a sign they won’t have the rub of the green as much as they did last year.
Ahead of the mouth-watering clash, Indian Express brings you the tip-off XI:
Mark Wood to play
Mark Wood’s illness is the only fitness concern for Super Giants. The Titans have no injury worries. Mark Wood picked up a five-wicket haul with his pace against Delhi Capitals in Lucknow. His return will bolster LSG’s bowling unit and will throw a few questions to Titans top order batters Shubman Gill, Wroddhiman Saha and Sai Sudharshan.
Mayers over De Kock
Kyle Mayers has been in fine form with the bat for a while now and it is unlikely that he will make way for experienced Quinton de Kock. The SOuth African will have to wait a bit longer to get his chance in the playing XI. In the six games, Mayers has played, the southpaw has amassed 219 runs at the strike rate of 154.23, including three fifties.
Noor or Little?
Titans have been happy to start with three overseas players while batting first, with one of Josh Little or Noor Ahmad coming in as the Impact Player in the second innings. With Lucknow pitch likely to help spinners, the Titans may stick with Noor Ahmad, who can forge a deadly spin partnership alongwith his fellow Afghan Rashid Khan.
Venue Stats
Punjab chased 160 with two balls to spare at the weekend and before that LSG chased 129 against SRH to suggest it was a tough wicket to bat first on, with an advantage to the chaser. But this is also where LSG set DC 194 to win and won it by 50 runs.
LSG vs GT predicted playing XI
LSG XI: Kyle Mayers, KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, K Gowtham, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan
Impact player – Amit Mishra
GT XI: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma
Impact Player – Vijay Shankar