The fourth match of the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between the two new teams of this season, Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). This is the maiden season for both of the franchises and they would be hoping to make a big impact with their performances in their very first season. Both the teams have managed to put up decent squads, with highly impactful captains. KL Rahul will be leading LSG while Hardik Pandya will lead GT.
Apart from KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Even Lewis, and Manish Pandey are some of the other stalwarts in terms of the batting department of LSG. Ravi Bishnoi, Krunal Pandya, and Krishnappa Gowtham will handle their spin-bowling department. Dushmantha, Avesh, and Andrew Tye will form the fast bowling attack. However, only 2 overseas (Dushmantha Chameera and Evin Lewis) are available for the first game and the team will have to bank on their Indian player to form the XI.
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With Hardik Pandya leading the squad, Gujarat Titans will be hoping to bring the same energy into the squad. Shubman Gill, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and David Miller are some prolific batters in their squad. Apart from Hardik, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan will be among the all-rounders. Lockie Ferguson, Varun Aaron, and Mohammad Shami will form the bowling attack. Overall, they look quite a complete side, and will only miss Alzarri Joseph in their initial matches.
Gujarat Titans (GT)
With Jason Roy opting out of IPL, Gujarat Titans will have to choose between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Matthew Wade to open alongside Shubman Gill. However, if they choose Wade, they may not need to play Wriddhiman Saha as the keeper. The second selection doubt would be whether to play Saha or Vijay Shankar at 3. The answer to this question lies in whether Hardik Pandya bowls or not. If he bowls, Shankar may not be needed as Saha seems a better batter at 3.
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Number 4 and 5 should see David Miller and Hardik holding the fort. Abhinav Manohar will be expected to play the finisher role alongside Rahul Tewatia. With the lower order being thin, a lot of responsibility shall lie on the shoulders of Miller and Hardik. Coming to the bowling, Gujarat Titans have three solid bowlers in the form of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, and Lockie Ferguson. Howver, they will need apt support from Jayant Yadav, Varun Aaron, and Darshan Nalkande.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade (WK), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Hardik Pandya (C), Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami & Varun Aaron
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Lucknow Super Giants face huge section headaches ahead of the opening game. Three of their top 3 first-choice overseas players are not available as Jason Holder and Marcus Stoinis are busy on national duty. In addition, Kyle Mayers isn’t available for the first two matches. KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock shall continue to play as openers for LSG. With batting slightly thin, Evin Lewis can be expected to bat at number 3.
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Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, and Krishnappa Gowtham shall form the rest of the batting line-up. Coming to the bowling, Andrew Tye and Dushmantha Chameera will be expected to shoulder a lot of responsibilities. Supporting these two shall be Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan. The Indian bowling options including Krunal Pandya, K Gowtham, and Deepak Hooda provide for a good balance. However, the team would still need Stoinis and Holder back soon.
Probable XI: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Andrew Tye, Dushmanta Chameera & Avesh Khan
Fantasy Suggestion #1:
KL Rahul (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (vc), Krunal Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Rashid Khan and Ravi Bishnoi.
Fantasy Suggestion #2:
KL Rahul (vc), David Miller, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shubman Gill (c), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Lockie Ferguson, Avesh Khan, Rashid Khan and Ravi Bishnoi.
