Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans: Will LSG be able to defeat GT in their second clash?

The two teams have occupied the top two spots in the points table, with Lucknow being on the top due to a better run rate.

KL Rahul led Lucknow Super Giants have turned the contest to be on the top by winning four consecutive matches on the trot. All of their players look in great form and will be eyeing their fifth win. The biggest takeaway from their previous clash was despite their key scorer, KL Rahul, getting dismissed at a duck, the team managed to put a decent score on board and defend it. Mohsin Khan, along with Avesh Khan, has been a great addition to the team. Overall, they have a strong batting and bowling unit to give a tough fight to any other team.

On the other hand, Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans were having a great season; however, they started getting derailed and are now coming after suffering two consecutive losses in a row for the first time in the contest. The prime reason for the loss is that their main batters got out cheaply via run-out. The team has excellent batters who can help them overcome this short downfall. 

Players to watch out for

Batters: Deepak Hooda and Shubman Gill

Deepak Hooda is one of the key players for LSG in the middle order. He has scored three 30-plus scores in the last three matches, including a half-century. He would be an essential player to fetch runs in middle overs against GT pacers. Shubman Gill has been providing a fiery start to his team in the last few matches and would be expected to play a similar role in today's game. 

Bowlers: Rashid Khan and Avesh Khan

Rashid Khan is one of the critical bowlers of Gujarat Titans. Though he hasn't scalped as many wickets this season as he did in the previous few, he's terrific in controlling the flow of runs and building pressure on batters. Avesh Khan, on the flip side, won players of the match for his team in the previous game, having taken three wickets for 19 runs in 3 overs. He's still their leading wicket-taker despite missing a few matches for LSG.

Stats to keep an eye on

• Dushmantha Chameera is two wickets away from completing 100 wickets in the T20s.
• Lockie Ferguson's economy has jumped to 10 in the last six matches after conceding 7.7 runs an over in the first five matches.
• Wriddhiman Saha is having an average of 51.7 against pacers this season.

With the two best teams clashing, this game would be no less of a cracker. The teams clashed last time in their opening fixture of this edition, in which Gujarat Titans emerged winners. It will be interesting to see if Gujarat can get back to winning ways or will Lucknow snatch two crucial points.