LSG vs GT Preview: Lucknow look to break Gujarat hoodoo with Shubman, Mayank in focus
Lucknow will be looking to break their hoodoo against Gujarat in the Indian Premier League when the two sides clash at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, April 7.
It will the clash of the IPL new boys with GT and LSG joining the competition just two seasons back. However, in the space of those two seasons, Gujarat has established a dominance over the Lucknow-based franchise, beating them in all four of their meetings. KL Rahul’s side will be looking to change that when the two sides lock horns in Lucknow, and will be counting on fast-bowling sensation Mayank Yadav to continue his blistering form against the 2022 champions.
Mayank has become the talk of the town with his searing pace in IPL 2024. The 21-year-old registered the fastest delivery in IPL 2024 in his debut match against Punjab, only to break his own record in LSG’s next match against Bengaluru. Mayank clocked in at 156.7 km/h while consistently bowling 150-plus rockets against PBKS and RCB. He will be up against the ‘Prince’ of Indian cricket and GT’s newly-appointed captain, Shubman Gill, who roared back in form with a half-century against PBKS.
Despite Gill’s stylish 48-ball 89, GT could not manage to beat Punjab at their home ground in Ahmedabad and will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in Lucknow. Meanwhile, LSG have been riding on the Mayank Yadav wave, having registered back-to-back wins with the fiery racer taking home the ‘Player of the Match’ award on both occasions, becoming the first to win the award in his first two IPL matches.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
The two sides have played just four matches against each other with Gujarat winning all four. Their previous encounter was a low-scoring affair at the Kana Stadium with GT edging the home side by a margin of just 7 runs.
TEAM NEWS
KL Rahul coming back to full fitness will be a huge boost for the home side. The wicket-keeping batter played as an Impact Substitute against Punjab but played the entire match while also keeping wickets in their win over RCB earlier this week. The 31-year-old has made a slow start to IPL 2024, scoring 93 runs in their first three matches.
LSG could also finally give the much-touted West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph his IPL debut against GT. The 24-year-old was roped in by LSG as Mark Wood’s replacement but hasn’t played a single match yet. A consistent 140-plus pacer, Joseph could form a deadly partnership with Mayank for LSG.
There has been no word on David Miller’s fitness from the GT camp prior to their clash against LSG. The hard-hitting South African was replaced by New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in their previous match. He could continue to feature in Miller’s absence in Lucknow.
Last year’s finalists have not used Shahrukh Khan this season after shelling out Rs 7.40 crore at the mini-auction held in Dubai. The towering batter played the role of the finisher for PBKS last season and could be brought in for GT’s match against Lucknow, either as a starter or an Impact Substitute.
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
The Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow has two kinds of pitches – a red soil one and a black soil one. LSG’s previous home match against Punjab was played on the red soil pitch which saw the home side scoring 199 runs. The weather conditions in Lucknow are expected to be hot, with temperatures fluctuating between 26 and 33 degrees Celsius.
PREDICTED XIs
LSG: KL Rahul (C/WK), Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav.
Impact Player: M Siddharth
GT: Shubman Gill (C), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), B Sai Sudharsan, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Darshan Nalkande.
Impact Player: Mohit Sharma/Shahrukh Khan.