When KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya will enter the field on Monday (March 28) leading their respective sides – Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, they will keep their bromance aside and will do everything to get better of each other and help their side start its Indian Premier League journey on a positive note. The clash at Wankhede Stadium will be the first match for the two new entrants and it is expected to be a close contest as both the teams have some of the best names in the T20 circuit in their ranks.
LSG skipper KL Rahul, who is the highest paid player in the history of the league after he was signed for Rs 17 crore by the Lucknow franchise, is one of the most consistent players in the league and, during his four-year association with Punjab Kings, the right-hand batter scored over 2500 runs. The 29-year-old will hope to continue that purple patch in this year’s edition as well, but one thing that will be interesting to see is how he leads the side, which is a much improved one than that of PBKS, which Rahul used to lead in the past.
Rahul’s performance as a skipper will be closely monitored because he is one of the leading contenders to succeed Rohit Sharma in the Indian team. At his disposal this year, KL will have Quinton de Kock, who has won two titles with Mumbai Indians in the past and seasoned campaigners in Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder and Marcus Stoinis. However, the overseas duo won’t be available for the first few matches because of international commitments.
As for the Gujarat Titans, it is going to be the first time that Hardik will don the captaincy hat, and it will be interesting to watch how he performs. The all-rounder had a forgetful last season with Mumbai and another poor outing in the T20 World Cup, which followed the world’s richest cricket league, kicked him out of the Indian scheme of things as well. But now back at full fitness, he would be eager to make a case for himself. The Ahmedabad-based franchise took a big risk by promoting him to the top job, but with players like Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Mohammad Shami, and Lockie Ferguson, it won’t be a surprise if the Titans rule the roost and go on to achieve big things.
Lucknow Super Giants likely XI: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Andrew Tye, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan.
Gujarat Titans likely XI: Shubman Gill, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (C), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Jayant Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Shami, Varun Aaron.
