The spectacular Narendra Modi Stadium will once again host its team, the Gujarat Titans (GT), who are set to lock horns with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 51 of the TATA IPL 2023 on May 7, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. IST.
GT is at the top with a total of 12 points, followed by LSG with 11 points. A single point was given to LSG and CSK each after the previous match was washed out due to the weather conditions. Either team could have equaled GT had the weather been in their favor.
LSG now leaves its home to venture out for a victory that carries the potential of taking them to the top spot on the leaderboard. A loss is less likely to affect GT, for they have a better NRR so far of +0.532 and sufficient points to their name.
Analyzing GT’s Squad
Gujarat Titans have their opener, Shubham Gill, on the list of Orange Cap. He can be spotted at the 6th position with 339 runs scored across 9 innings. Notably, no other GT batter features on the list of the top 15 players who are in the race for the Orange Cap.
Their bowling unit has broader options. Shami has picked up 17 wickets in the tournament, taking him to the top of the race for the Purple Cap. Rashid Khan can be seen struggling a bit despite having 15 wickets to his name.
A weakness lies in other batters lacking consistency and bowlers taking their time to pick crucial wickets. Narendra Modi Stadium would require them to step up and restrict Rahul-led LSG to a lower score.
Analyzing LSG’s Squad
KL Rahul missed the previous match against CSK. The skipper, in the meantime, has transferred the crown to Krunal Pandya. He has not been phenomenal with his bat, but things are different when it comes to fielding and bowling. He comes as a surprise.
Mark Wood and Ravi Bishnoi have carried the responsibility of picking wickets, with 11 and 12 wickets to their names, respectively. Wood plays with speed, while Ravi does wonders with spin. Both feature on the list for Purple Cap in TATA IPL 2023.
Quinton de Kock has been benched until now. Not utilizing him even as an Impact Player is a strategy that experts are trying to decrypt. Nonetheless, that has worked for LSG, and it looks like that’s all that matters for them. Victory by a larger margin will be on their agenda to improve the NRR and gain 2 points in Ahmedabad.
Team Strategies
Hardik led GT, allowing Gill and Wriddhiman Saha to set up a high score. Saha has a lower score in the previous two matches, having scored 10 against KKR and 0 against DC. Gill will have a larger role to fulfill in the power play. Hardi could once again promote him to the top order. He remained unbeaten versus DC to put up a fight of 59 runs off 53 balls while chasing a low target of 131.
LSG, on the other hand, has a task to accomplish. They must find a way to circumvent the aggressiveness of Shami and the witful spin of Rashid. Rahul’s following test-format gameplay will only do harm to their momentum instead of taking things up a notch on the batting pitch.
Ultimately, it will be all about how high the target goes. Narendra Modi Stadium recorded an average score of 192 in the first inning. Spin bowlers will have little impact, and hence, heavy reliance on fast bowlers from both sides can be expected. The pitch remained dry throughout the match.
Potential Outcome
All hail GT, for the side has a record of 3 out of 3 wins against LSG. The most recent example is Match 30, where GT put up a total of 135 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. LSG had a near-win target on Eden Sports City but fell short by 7 runs despite Rahul’s match-winning knock of 68 runs off 61 balls. Some of the best cricket betting sites are likely to side with GT, giving them two major advantages.
They are hosting the Giants in their hometown and have a better record against the visitors. Plus, the blowing unit of GT fetches better deliveries than the bowling unit of LSG.
Conclusion
Hardik Pandya is looking to defend the title in the TATA IPL 2023 after winning it in their debut edition last year. Shubham Gill will continue to lead the top order, while Shami and Rashid may deliver a breakthrough with their bowling spells. LSG needs Rahul to accelerate his strike rate and Ravi Bishnoi to quickly send opponents back to the pavilion.
The only problem is that spinners don’t get to drive the play their way at Narendra Modi Stadium.
