The season began dramatically for LSG after a loss to PBKS led to a startling remark from Zaheer Khan. They won the second game after switching from a red to a black soil pitch, though maybe not with the kind of control they had in mind. Their victories in Hyderabad and Kolkata have allowed them to stay in the top four, despite the fact that they are now outside the playoff picture.
Regardless of their position on the points table, life at home has not been ideal for clubs not called the Delhi Capitals in the 2025 Indian Premier League. For some, it has been tainted by their attempts to comprehend what is available in the 22 yards in front of them and whether it can match their skill set. It hasn’t been easy to control home conditions, but the Lucknow Super Giants will try again on Saturday.
LSG’s bowling prowess may be put to the test as the competition goes on and more teams compete to move up the ladder. In two of their three victories, their costlyly put together Indian assault has performed only adequate, but in both of their losses, they were unimpressive. The majority of the work is currently being done by the batting, but there is always a chance that a lopsided effort like that will eventually be penalised.
Moving on to heavy lifting, the Gujarat Titans have also relied heavily on impact substitute Sherfane Rutherford and their top three players to score runs in their victories up till the last game. After a rare top-order failure to score a winning total, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan came through to save GT from becoming victims of their own success. In addition, GT boasts a potent speed assault that has combined well in its four wins, even without Kagiso Rabada.
Teams with more extensive histories and intricate storylines have dominated the spotlight, but GT has quietly risen to the top of the table, much like they did in 2022. Regarding LSG, their start to the season is similar to their forgettable 2024 campaign, in which they got off to a shaky start and continued to be inconsistent throughout. In order to separate GT from the pursuing pack, Ashish Nehra may wish to put them on the same trajectory as they were three seasons ago, when they selected 16 of the first 20 points available. But starting with another victory on Saturday afternoon, LSG will want to take a totally different approach than they did the previous season.
When: April 12 @ 3:30 PM IST, Lucknow Super Giants vs. Gujarat Titans
Where: Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, home of Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari
What to anticipate: More conditions to contend with and a scorching day? Two of the venue’s nine pitches—one with a black earth surface and the other with a mixed one—were used by the ground crew to run the roller on the night before the game. This may have been done in anticipation of the venue’s upcoming matchup (against CSK), which is scheduled for Monday, April 14, with only a day off.
The ground crew appeared to concentrate a bit more on getting the black soil pitch, which is next to the centre wicket (mixed soil), ready as the evening wore on. For the record, however, by the end of the night, both strips were covered in the same way.
Head to head: GT LSG 1–4. The only time Lucknow has defeated this resistance was when they successfully defended 163/5 at this location last year.
Team Observation:
The Lucknow Super Giants
Mayank Yadav is still not available due to an injury.
Strategies & Matchups: Against two of GT’s top three, Avesh Khan might be essential up front. Since 2022, Avesh has given up just 64 runs in 51 deliveries, dismissing Shubman Gill thrice. In the same time frame, he has removed Jos Buttler three times while also being a little costly against him (43 off 23 balls). Shahrukh Khan, GT’s number four, has also failed to defeat Avesh, falling twice in just seven deliveries.
Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, and Rishabh Pant (c & wk) are the likely XII.
The Gujarat Titans
Injury/Availability: For personal reasons, Kagso Rabada has not returned since departing for South Africa last week.
Strategies & Matchups: Despite having a mediocre season debut, Rashid Khan might be GT’s man to handle Nicholas Pooran’s six-hitting threat. This season, LSG’s swashbuckler has hit 24 sixes, nine more than the next greatest player, Mitchell Marsh. Pooran’s six-hitting arc is Rashid’s stock leg spinner, but the Afghan has done well against him in T20s since 2022, dismissing him twice while giving for just 77 off 66 deliveries.
Most likely XII: Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan, Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, and Shubman Gill (c). Prasidh Krishna, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, and Kulwant Khejroliya/Washington Sundar
Did You Know?
In 363 innings, Nicholas Pooran’s T20 strike rate is 150.08. It falls to 132.52 at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium (273 runs in 16 innings). Ayush Badoni’s career T20 strike rate is 135.43 (65 innings), however at the Lucknow venue, it rises to 142.07 (287 runs in 18 innings). This is the opposite effect of the venue.
Shubman Gill has amassed 176 runs at a strike rate of 139.68 in 5 innings against LSG. In three innings against GT, Rishabh Pant, who has had a terrible start to the season, has scored 147 runs at a strike rate of 177.1.
Their Statements:
“It is good to see the combination of both Ashish Nehra and Shubman, they work very well, it is like hand in glove, so it is good for the players around to see how things unfold.” Shahrukh Khan discusses the relationship between the coach and captain at GT
“My personal game is going great. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, albeit I’m clearly batting behind the top four or five batters who have been dominating the tournament. I’m just trying to do my job as best I can, wherever I can.” David Miller
India
