In Match 4, the two new teams — Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) — are set to debut in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. This is going to be a battle between two high-profile cricketers, Hardik Pandya and K.L. Rahul, who are set out to prove their worth as captains for these franchises.
When it comes to team combination, The Titans seem to have an edge over the Super Giants, who are missing some key players. Mark Wood, their premier fast bowler, has been ruled out of the entire season with an elbow injury and has been replaced by Andrew Tye. But even Tye will not be available for selection for this game. They will also miss Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers, who are expected to be available only after the first week of the IPL due to their respective national commitments.
The Titans have a clear edge over Lucknow when it comes to bowling: they boast of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson. However, the Super Giants have a better top three, in Rahul, Quinton de Kock and Manish Pandey. They also have Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda to take care of the middle overs.
The Titans will bank on Shubman Gill to provide them solidity at the top. They have Wriddhiman Saha, who has a good record as an opener, and Matthew Wade, who can bat at the top as well as down the order. In the middle order, David Miller, Hardik and Rahul Tewatia can be destructive despite their inconsistency. There is also Vijay Shankar, who will want to revive his career in this IPL.
The teams batting second have won all three matches in the IPL. The Wankhede is a difficult venue to defend as well, particularly with the dew around. Hence, toss will play a huge role in this match.
Likely XIs
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade (wk), Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Hardik Pandya (c), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami
Lucknow Super Giants: K.L. Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Manish Pandey, Manan Vohra, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, K Gowtham, Ankit Rajpoot, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Avesh Khan
Fantasy tips
- Dew has played a big role in the evening matches of this IPL, especially in the second half of the match. Pick batters of the chasing team in your fantasy XI.
- The Wankhede pitch should assist strokeplayers as it is a fast scoring venue. Both these teams have plenty of them.
- At this venue, you should back the hit the deck kind of bowlers like Ferguson and Avesh to do well.
Where to watch
Live streaming of Match 4 of IPL 2022 between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will start at 7.30 PM IST on March 28. You can watch the match on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar.