LSG vs GT: The 57th fixture of the TATA IPL 2022 will feature the two best teams of the ongoing season. This is a clash between Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, who are almost through to the playoffs. Two high-profile teams, playing the best cricket, will face off against each other. The match will start at 7:30 pm at the Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune.
Both teams have won eight matches each so far and, with 16 points, are sitting at the top. But the last time, these two teams met, the Gujarat Titans came out victorious. So that will be there in the minds of both teams. But two best friends will be up against each other. So let’s check out the complete match details and possible XI for both teams.
LSG vs GT: Match Preview and Prediction
Lucknow Super Giants
KL Rahul and his team began their IPL journey with a defeat, this time at the hands of Gujarat Titans. But since then, there has been no looking back for the team. They have beaten almost all the opposition they have played against. And they have made a strong XI that can win the match from any position. The captain is leading the team from the front, and the other players are also contributing.
They are coming off four consecutive wins, and would like to beat GT to make it 1-1. LSG thrashed KKR by 75 runs in the last match, without any runs from their best batter, KL Rahul. That will be a confidence booster for the team. As other players stepped up to the occasion, the playing XI will be the same. There might not be any change in the winning combination.
Probably XI: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (Wk), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat became the first team this season to get to 16 points. But after that, they faced two back-to-back losses at the hands of PBKS and MI. That will be a big worry for them, as the team doesn’t want to lose momentum going into the playoffs, because that can hurt them badly. All the hard work can be over with one loss in the playoffs. As a result, GT must reconsider their strategy and focus on one game at a time.
However, losing a close game against MI was strange. Needing 9 runs from the final over, that too with David Miller and Rahul Tewatia at the crease, was unacceptable. However, both openers showed good form and scored a half-century each. But Hardik looked a bit rusty since he came back after that one match and he is also not bowling now. But they must feel confident that they have already beaten LSG previously and can do it this time as well.
Probably XI: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (Wk), Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (C), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Pradeep Sangwan/Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami
LSG vs GT Match, Pitch and Toss Update
The pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association is good for pace bowling as it offers swing and bounce at the start. As a result, the pacers from both teams will enjoy bowling on this track. Batsmen can use the bounce to good effect. The average score here is 170. However, in the last match between LSG and KKR, the first innings score was 176. But in an evening game, dew might come into play in the second innings, and it will always be a challenge for the bowlers to hold the grip. Bowling first will be ideal on this pitch. The team winning the toss will go to the field first. However, seven of the ten matches played here have been won by batting first and three by batting second.
LSG vs GT Head to Head
Both teams started their IPL journey with a match against each other in the fourth match of TATA IPL 2022. And it was Gujarat Titans who won that match by 5 wickets. LSG batted first and set a target of 159 runs, and GT chased down that target on the fourth ball of the final over. Mohammed Shami was the “Man of the Match” for his figures of 3/25.
IPL 2022: LSG vs GT: Players to watch out for
KL Rahul is coming off a golden duck against KKR in their last match. Nonetheless, he will be chosen as the best batter on the Lucknow team. Having got out three times on zero, he is still the second highest scorer this season. Rahul has scored 451 runs, including two centuries and two half-centuries.
Avesh Khan is coming off a “Man of the Match” performance against KKR. He took two crucial wickets to help his team register a big win. Avesh has taken 14 wickets so far at an average and economy of 19.00 and 8.14, respectively.
Wriddhiman Saha has been in great form since he got a chance to open the innings. The veteran wicket-keeper batsman is coming off a half-century in the last match and almost won the game for his team. Saha has scored 209 runs so far at a good strike rate of 130.62.
Mohammed Shami has delivered for GT more often than not. Even in the last two defeats, he has done a good job with the ball. He was the “Man of the Match” the last time both teams met, and would like to replicate the same performance one more time. Shami has taken 15 wickets so far at a good economy of 8.29.
IPL 2022: Predicted 11 team of the match Prediction
Wicket-keeper: Wriddhiman Saha (GT), Quinton De Kock (LSG), KL Rahul (LSG)
Batsmen: Marcus Stoinis (LSG), Deepak Hooda (LSG), Shubman Gill (GT)
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (GT), Krunal Pandya (LSG)
Bowlers: Pradeep Sangwan (GT), Avesh Khan (LSG), Rashid Khan (GT)
Tips: KL Rahul will be the captain of the team. Wriddhiman Saha will be the vice-captain. LSG is the better team as per the current performance. But GT will remember the last time they defeated LSG. So we will back the Gujarat Titans to win the match. However, the team winning the toss might win the game as well.