Armed with hard-hitting all-rounders, new entrants Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants would aim to start their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign on a winning note when they square off at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
All eyes will be on Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya as the Indian all-rounder will be playing his first competitive game since the T20 World Cup last year in the UAE. It will also be Hardik Pandya’s first experience as a leader of a team at the top level.
Pandya's fitness has been a hot topic for quite some time. He has not bowled for long and wants to keep that as "surprise." But GT will be happy to see him perform both roles for which he is known.
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It will be a different challenge for Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul with a whole set of new faces to lead.
With LSG fully packed with match-winners, it will be interesting to see how KL Rahul brings the winning formula out of the pack.
LIVE STREAMING - WHERE TO SEE LIVE
The Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans encounter can be seen live on Star Sports 1,Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD. Viewers will also able to catch the RCB vs PBKS live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar on their android and apple mobiles and tablets. Time: 7:30 PM IST
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TEAM NEWS
Gujarat Titans: Following Jason Roy’s withdrawal citing bubble fatigue, Gujarat Titans have roped in young Afghanistan wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is also a wicketkeeper. But he might miss out against experienced Australian Matthew Wade.
Hardik Pandya will have to take more responsibility and also bat higher up the order. And ditto for Rahul Tewatia, who will need to shed his one-match IPL wonder tag.
A lot will depend on all-rounder Vijay Shankar and his four overs with his medium pace could prove decisive.
Mohammed Shami will lead the bowling attack that also includes Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who could relish bowling on the Wankhede track that will have bounce.
Lucknow Super Giants: Unlike GT, Lucknow will be missing several stars in their IPL opener. West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder is on national duty against England while Marcus Stoinis is with the Australian team for the limited-overs series against Pakistan.
LSG have already lost England pacer Mark Wood due to injury and his replacement Andrew Tye is yet to arrive. For Lucknow, a lot rests on their skipper KL Rahul, who could open the batting with South African Quinton De Kock.
Lucknow Super Giants also boast an array of all-rounders in Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya while Manish Pandey will play a crucial role in the middle order. Avesh Khan will lead the bowling and also have young Ravi Bishnoi in their ranks, who can deceive the batters with his googlies.
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HEAD-TO-HEAD
Both Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans are making their IPL debuts.
KEY STATS
David Miller who scored 1974 runs in 89 matches is just 26 runs short of becoming the 43rd batter to score 2000 runs in the IPL. Hardik Pandya is two big hits away from tallying 100 sixes in the Indian Premier League. He smashed 98 sixes in 85 innings of 92 matches so far.
VENUE AND PITCH
The Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 28 from 7:30 PM IST. Since the IPL 2022 opener between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue turned out to be a low-scoring affair, team winning the toss may like to bat first.
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LIKELY PLAYING XIs
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Wriddiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (C), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Lockie Ferguson, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, Rahul Tewatia, Varun Aaron,
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Dushmantha Chameera and Ankit Rajpoot.
