IPL-2024: Lucknow Super Giants to take on Gujarat Titans in Lucknow: LSG opt to bat
In IPL, The second match on Sunday (7th April 2024), Lucknow Super Giants will take on Gujarat Titans at Lucknow. The match will start at 07:30PM. Lucknow Super Giants have won the toss and have opted to bat.
While Hardik Pandya and his return to Mumbai Indians was understandably the centre of attraction, Shubman Gill’s promotion to Gujarat Titans’ captaincy went under the radar a bit. The 24-year-old had the enviable job of taking forward a franchise that had won a title and finished runners-up in its two editions thus far. Early results indicate a mixed bag for Gill and GT – two wins and as many losses from four games. There has also been a pattern to the games with wins and losses coming alternatively.
Still smarting under their shock defeat to Punjab Kings, the Titans will want to create a winning momentum sooner rather than later. And the challenge begins with facing Lucknow Super Giants at the latter’s den. GT do have a balanced side with all bases covered but whether they are making full use of their resources is debatable. Particularly in the batting department. The bowling also has been a touch patchy with only Mohit Sharma and Noor Ahmad really turning it on with the ball. The Titans will want all departments to click at the earliest.
LSG are brimming with confidence after registering two wins on the trot. They were downed in their tournament opener at Jaipur but the home climes of Lucknow gave KL Rahul’s men just the tonic they needed to bounce back, following which they took down RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Unassumingly, LSG are brimming with confidence, with Mayank Yadav’s electric pace adding an extra dimension to what was already a potentially dangerous side.
Lucknow’s strength comes from their constructional brilliance when it comes to their squad. They have solid and powerful batters while the bowling department is extremely potent. Even before Mayank stormed into the spotlight, LSG’s bowling was razor-sharp and their stellar record batting first is a fair reflection of this. With Mayank into the mix, LSG’s stocks have risen and in home conditions, it will give Rahul’s side a strong buffer when they take on the fanciest of oppositions. Still early days but both sides will be desperate to get across the line for different reasons.
Squads:
Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Shamar Joseph, Deepak Hooda, Amit Mishra, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ashton Turner, Prerak Mankad, Kyle Mayers, Matt Henry, Mohsin Khan, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshad Khan, Arshin Kulkarni
Gujarat Titans Squad: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill(c), Kane Williamson, Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Darshan Nalkande, Mohit Sharma, Sharath BR, Sandeep Warrier, Abhinav Manohar, Manav Suthar, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Matthew Wade, David Miller, Jayant Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Joshua Little, Kartik Tyagi, Spencer Johnson, Sushant Mishra
