IPL 2022: Battle of the newbies, brothers on opposite sides

Both teams will be looking to have an impressive star, matching the standards of all the existing franchises that have been a part of this league for quite a long time. 

Lucknow Super Giant’s Superteam

Though KL Rahul’s captaincy record has not been much favorable with former franchise Punjab Kings, he has a strong team with him this time. Gautam Gambhir’s mentored Lucknow Super Giants have been able to draft a strong team and look to have a slight edge already with their playing XI compared to its opposition. They made a steal deal in wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock who will likely be opening the innings with a captain or Manish Pandey along with taking on the glove’s duty. They have young and experienced all-rounders in the form of Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda, and Jason Holder to take care of the middle-order. They have built bowling muscle with the bowlers like Andrew Tye (replacement for Mark Wood), Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, and Dushmantha Chameera, who can be hugely destructive with the ball. Despite having drafted a strong team, they might face challenges in initial games due to the absence of stunning all-rounders like Jason Holder and Marcus Stoinis.

A lot on Hardik Pandya’s shoulder

Hardik Pandya captained Gujarat Titan, though it doesn’t look as strong and trouble-causing as compared to their opposition team. But they have got a few match-winning players in their squad. The team recently appointed Rashid Khan as deputy to Hardik Pandya. The team’s strength lies in their lethal bowling line-up. They have real threats in the form of pacers like Lockie Ferguson, Dominic Drakes, Mohammad Shami supported by spinners like Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed. The batting order for the team looks a bit handicapped, especially after their major buy Jason Roy pulling out. Shubhman Gill will be opening along with Wriddhiman Saha or Matthew Wade. Middle-order will be expected to be cushioned by all-rounders Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, and Vijay Shankar. One of the most important things to be looked out for in today’s match would be whether skipper Hardik Pandya will be seen with the ball in his hands or he will be seen purely as a batter.

Pitch and conditions

The inaugural match at the pitch made it evident that the wicket provides assistance for the pacers. Dew will be playing a crucial role today as well. The team winning the toss will prefer to bowl first.

Probable Playing XI

Predicted XI Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Matthew Wade, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Hardik Pandya (C), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, R Sai Kishore

Predicted XI Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan

Some interesting stats for the venue

In the T-20 since 2020,14 out of 20 matches have been won by the team batting second at the Wankhede Stadium.

The first inning shows an average of 194 runs.

Highest Total achieved in T20I: 240/3 (Ind vs WI)

Lowest Total earned in T20I: 172/10 (Afg vs SA)

Fans today have no idea which team to support for this season. This game will be a significant first impression for both the new franchise and The major question will be whether the new team will be able to create a space and position as all the other teams have. It is a competition between classy KL Rahul and attacking Hardik Pandya, and maybe the best one wins.