GT vs LSG Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2022 match?
The two new franchises in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) will be on display on Monday, March 28 as the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) face off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
During the opening game of IPL 2022 against the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai's premier T20 venue threw up an interesting pitch that had something in it for everyone. The two new sides, who will undoubtedly take some time to get used to the IPL and will not be anywhere near full strength, might find it tough going.
The Super Giants will be without key members of their overseas contingent. While Jason Holder, Marcus Stoinis and Kyle Mayers are currently involved in international commitments, Quinton de Kock's availability is uncertain short on the heels of South Africa's white-ball series against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the Titans will look to their well-rounded bowling attack to arrest potential batting faults. Without Jason Roy, who pulled out due to bio-bubble fatigue, captain Hardik Pandya will have to bear the bulk of the batting responsibility.
Both franchises will be happy to start their IPL 2022 schedule against a new outfit, but they will be well aware of the fact that they can't take too much time to find their feet. A cracking encounter that will give us the first real indication of what a 10-team IPL is going to be like is on the cards.
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IPL 2022 Match Prediction: GT vs LSG
The Titans' potential top five of Shubman Gill, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar and Matthew Wade doesn't really inspire confidence. David Miller is another option, with the lower-middle order of Hardik and Rahul Tewatia likely to have a lot of balls to face.
In Tewatia, Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore, GT have a solid, well-rounded spin attack. How Hardik uses the four overs of his vice-captain could well shape the team's season, with Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson adding pace and bite to the attack.
Meanwhile, LSG will look towards Dushmantha Chameera to fill Mark Wood's big shoes. But they're admittedly a bit thin in the pace department, with Avesh Khan having only the likes of Ankit Rajpoot for company. LSG's middle order boasts of a few decent all-rounders but lacks the solidity (without Holder and Stoinis) that would allow the openers to truly go hard in the powerplay.
Despite various shortcomings and their status as IPL newbies, LSG and GT are high-profile franchises who could light up the stage on Monday. While it's impossible to predict a winner, the fickleness of the Wankhede Stadium could play into LSG's hands.
The Super Giants' stronger batting lineup could be better equipped to tackle the conditions, although it must be said that the toss will play a massive role on the outcome of the game. With dew turning up in a big way on the opening day, the IPL team batting second will have a big advantage. On paper, however, LSG have the edge.
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