Indian T20 League 2023

GUJ vs LUC, 51st Match

Preview

Gujarat will clash with Lucknow in the 51st match of the Indian T20 League 2023. The game is scheduled at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 7. 

The defending champions are currently the front-runners to conclude the league stage as the table toppers. The fantastic 9-wicket win over Rajasthan made them seal their place at the top of the points table with 14 points under their belt. The Hardik Padya-led side won 7 out of the 10 games they have played so far. They are now just one win away from qualifying for the playoffs for two consecutive seasons in a row.

Lucknow on the other hand, have confronted a major blow as their captain  KL Rahul has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury. Karun Nair has been the replacement for him. They are presently sitting in second place in the points table with 11 points. They managed to win 5 out of 10 matches. Their previous fixture was against Chennai which ended in a draw due to heavy downpours interrupting the whole game. Both teams would now target a qualification berth for the Playoffs with a win in this game. 

Match Details

Match: GUJ vs LUC, 51st Match, IND T20 League 2023

Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023

Time: 03:30 PM

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Pitch and Weather Report

The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is excellent to bat on and we can expect a high-scoring match between the sides. The team batting first will be peeking on getting close to 200 runs on the scoreboard to put the opponent under pressure in the second innings of the match. The pitch does have some grass on it which will help the fast bowlers in the powerplays. 

The weather is predicted to remain clear with the highest and lowest temperatures between 28-39 degrees Celsius. 

GUJ vs LUC Squads

GUJ: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Shubman Gill, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Jayant Yadav, Dasun Shanaka, Srikar Bharat, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Shivam Mavi, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Dayal

LUC: Nicholas Pooran (wk), Krunal Pandya (c), Kyle Mayers, Manan Vohra, Karan Sharma, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Amit Mishra, Quinton de Kock, Yash Thakur, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Deepak Hooda, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Swapnil Singh, Romario Shepherd, Arpit Guleria, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Karun Nair

GUJ vs LUC Probable Playing XIs

GUJ: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Rashid Khan, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma

LUC: Manan Vohra, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan

Match Prediction

The Lucknow side would face difficulties in breaking their losing streak against the Gujarat side. The Hardik Panya-led side has been performing exceptionally well and is just one step away from qualifying for the playoffs. The Lucknow side is also now without their skipper KL Rahul and weren’t consistent from the beginning of this season. Hence we fancy the Gujarat side to win this match. 

Top Fantasy Picks

Shubman Gill- The 23-year-old opener has been in brilliant form throughout the Indian T20 League 2023 and is one of the brightest prospects who can make Gujarat’s dream of lifting the trophy for the second straight time possible. 

Rashid Khan- The spin wizard from Afghanistan is now the joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition. He is one of those who make cricket a tougher game to play even for the best. 

Kyle Mayers- The Caribbean power hitter has struck four half-centuries this season and seems to have no mercy for any opposing bowler.

Ravi Bishnoi- The right-hand spinner is Lucknows’ leading wicket-taker in the tournament but went wicketless against the Gujarat franchise in the first-half encounter. He would definitely quench his thirst for timber in this fixture. 

Risky Captaincy Choice

Hardik Pandya- The Indian all-rounder and captain of the defending champions found back his rhythm from the very first ball of the match against Rajasthan. He would be looking for replicating his performance in this encounter and post a huge total in front of the opponents. 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket

Team 1

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