Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, Pune
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 173
Win percentage while batting first: 72.73%
Pitch conditions:
- Both Lucknow and Gujarat will look to bat first since teams have recorded big victories by doing so in the last two matches played at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
- The pitch has not only remained conducive for batting but it also supports bowlers in the second half of the match which has kept matters interesting for all parties involved.
- Fast bowlers should be expected to dominate the proceedings at the DY Patil stadium on Tuesday night since they have a wicket share percentage of 72.18% compared to 27.82% for the spin bowlers.
Weather prediction:
The top teams in the tournament, Lucknow and Gujarat will take the field in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday night, under cloudy conditions with the temperature hovering around 30°C. The humidity levels will linger between 75-80%.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: 1
Lucknow won: -
Gujarat won: 1
No result: -
Top 3 players from Lucknow: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Mohsin Khan
Top 3 players from Gujarat: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, David Miller
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Lucknow: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Mohsin Khan, Deepak Hooda, Jason Holder
Top 5 players from Gujarat: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, David Miller, Rashid Khan, Hardik Pandya
Q & A:
Fantasy tips and tricks: Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
It is a top-drawer clash between the two best teams in the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 tournament. Both Lucknow and Gujarat have been extremely impressive in their maiden outings in the tournament, proving that the decision of the Indian cricket board to expand the league from 8 to 10 teams was a right one as it has only made the league more competitive and intense. There is absolutely no room for error in the case of former champions Mumbai and Chennai to some extent. For this clash between Lucknow and Gujarat, the teams that occupy the top two spots in the points table, having a long batting line-up and fast bowlers who can control the run-making will be the right approach.
Fantasy tips: From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
For what it is worth, it will be unfair to judge a better team between Gujarat and Lucknow at this stage in the Indian T20 Cricket League simply given the way they have played their cricket and approached the tournament with utmost alacrity, professionalism and sound planning and execution. Both the teams are occupying the top two spots in the points table, they have played 11 matches each, lost three each and 18 each and it is only the net run rate which differs them — Lucknow have their noses ahead on this front. Gujarat Titans, however, will be under a certain amount of pressure given that they have lost the last 2 matches that has hampered their momentum and form in the competition, whereas Lucknow have been on a four-match winning spree.
MORE INFORMATION: These two teams had faced off in the first match of the competition in which Gujarat had held on to their nerves to snatch a narrow victory. However, the matters could be entirely different on Tuesday night when they meet again at the DY Patil stadium, having better information about each other and more trust and knowledge of their skills and capabilities. Gujarat have been dealing with the problem of a thin batting line-up for far too long, but they have had multiple match-winners stepping up along the way but the current form of their captain Hardik Pandya will be a concern given that he has not scored as many runs for anyone's liking.
PLAYERS’ FORM: For Lucknow, their captain KL Rahul will be vital once again and his opening partnership with Quinton de Kock at the top of the order should set the tone in favour of his side. The presence of Deepak Hooda, Jason Holder and Mohsin Khan in the Lucknow camp is going to give them a massive advantage given that these three players have been really successful in recent matches. On the other hand, Gujarat will be leaning on their opening batsman Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill, whereas the likes of David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan in the lower-order makes their batting look long and intimidating.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
LUCKNOW: Quinton de Kock (wk), KL Rahul (c), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Jason Holder, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi
GUJARAT: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), B Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Pradeep Sangwan
FANTASY XI: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Mohsin Khan (vc), Mohammad Shami, Rashid Khan.
Devarchit Varma is a cricket writer and journalist with an experience of more than a decade, having worked at Hindustan Times (newspaper) and CricketCountry (website). Along with covering international and domestic cricket, he has also interviewed several current and former top players such as Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, Dale Steyn, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Lasith Malinga and many more. He has also worked in other beats as a journalist in Bollywood (Reliance BigOye) and IT (SiliconIndia) industries.
Read All Articles >
