In a clash of top two, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) as Hardik Pandya-led side won the toss and elected to bat first in their IPL tie at MCA stadium on Tuesday (May 10).
"We would have wanted to bowl first. Not sure about how this wicket will play, so want to give our bowlers the best shot at using it first. I do think chasing is the perfect game for us, but we have won well after batting first as well. We are playing a top team, a competitive unit, so we'll have to hold our pressure, assess the conditions quickly and get our tactics and strategies right. One change for us - Ravi Bishnoi misses out, Karan Sharma replaces him," LSG skipper KL Rahul said.
"We will bat first. Want to put up some runs, the wicket looks alright for the entire duration of the game. The wicket has played some role, batting first here - teams have won plenty of games. We want to get a score on the board. We have won some 5 games we were looking like losing, we need to forget the last couple of losses, learn from those things, the tournament isn't over as yet. Three changes for us - Matthew Wade is in for Lockie Ferguson, Sai Kishore replaces Sai Sudharsan and Yash Dayal is in for Pradeep Sangwan," GT captain Hardik Pandya said after winning the toss.
While GT is coming on the back of consecutive losses, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be looking to continue the winning momentum. The two newly-added IPL teams of 2022 currently have 16 points and one win will officially qualify them for the playoffs.
Pitch report
"It's a pleasant and breezy evening in Pune. This is a centre pitch and hence both boundaries are of almost equal sizes. There is not much grass, but it still looks dry. There should be some grip for the surface, but it's firm and hard which will bring the pacers into play. Toss shouldn't prove to be decisive," reckons Deep Das Gupta.
Lucknow Super Giants' Playing XI:
Quinton de Kock(w), KL Rahul(c), Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Karan Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan.
Gujarat Titans' Playing XI:
Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami
