Gujarat Titans (GT) lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 7.
These two sides met exactly two weeks ago at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, where GT defeated LSG by seven runs in a low-scoring thriller.
The hosts come into this game on the back of a comprehensive win over Rajasthan Royals (RR). Defending champions GT dismissed RR for 118 before cruising to a 9-wicket victory to extend the lead at the top of the table.
LSG, meanwhile, saw their last game getting washed out. They shared the spoils with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and have 11 points from 10 games.
TSN takes a look at the most crucial battles, the best batsmen, the best bowlers, and predicted lineups for this encounter.
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Predicted lineups for GT vs LSG
GT: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Hardik Pandya (C), David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Joshua Little
LSG: Karun Nair, Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, AyuHsh Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Krunal Pandya (C), Naveen ul-Haq, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Amit Mishra
Best batsmen from GT vs LSG
Shubman Gill (GT): The flamboyant opener has been in incredible form this year. Gill has scored 375 in 10 innings at a strike rate of 135.87 and is the highest run-scorer for his team this campaign.
Hardik Pandya (GT): The captain is shouldering more responsibility and trying to lead from the front with both bat and ball. He has scored 252 runs in nine innings at an average of 36 and an uncharacteristically low strike rate 127.92, which is a far cry from his overall IPL strike rate of 145.06.
Kyle Mayers (LSG): The big-hitting West Indies opener is in sublime touch for the Lucknow-based outfit, scoring 311 runs in 10 innings at a fantastic strike rate of 152.45. Mayers is LSG's highest scorer so far and his side will hope that he provides the fireworks at the top of the order.
Best bowlers from GT vs LSG
Mohammed Shami (GT): The right-arm seamer has created all sorts of problems for the rival batsmen, whether it's inside the powerplay or at the death. Shami has scalped 18 wickets in 10 games so far at an economy of 7.02 runs per over and sits in second place on the Purple Cap list.
Rashid Khan (GT): The Afghan continues to be among the best spin bowlers in the competition. This year, Rashid has taken 18 wickets, more than any other spinner in the competition, and will be looking to rattle the LSG middle order.
Ravi Bishnoi (LSG): The 22-year-old is showing maturity beyond his years and he will once again be the key to dismantling GT's incredibly flexible middle order. Bishnoi has taken 12 wickets in IPL 2023.
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Key battles from GT vs LSG
Mohammed Shami vs Kyle Mayers: Shami has been almost unstoppable with the new ball and it'll be interesting to see how he fares against the mighty Mayers in the powerplay.
Krunal Pandya vs Shubman Gill: Krunal dismissed Gill for a second-ball duck in their previous encounter in Lucknow two weeks ago. Krunal could once again decide to bowl inside the powerplay, so it will be interesting to see how Gill will choose to approach this matchup.
