Why are Wriddhiman Saha and Azmatullah Omarzai not playing today's LSG vs GT match in IPL 2024?

Gujarat Titans (GT) have made a couple of forced changes to their playing 11 for their visit to the Ekana Stadium to meet the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday. Top-order batter and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and in-form all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai are both out with injuries.

GT skipper Shubman Gill at the toss said Saha was suffering from "back spasms" and Omarzai had a "side strain". The changes come after a narrow loss to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the previous game for the IPL 2023 runners-up.

Saha had been giving GT quick starts at the top of the order, which is his role, without converting any of them. Omarzai, meanwhile, had four wickets in as many games. GT would certainly miss his shrewdness with the new ball in hand.

Who has replaced Wriddhiman Saha and Azmatullah Omarzai in GT's playing 11?

27-year-old Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter BR Sharath has come in for Saha which is an interesting choice. He played a couple of good knocks in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali but his overall domestic numbers are poor: 28 T20s, 328 runs and an average of 15.61 and a strike rate of 118.84 with just one fifty.

He came into the GT lineup as a replacement for Robin Minz who was ruled out after suffering a bike accident a couple of months ago.

Meanwhile, Australian left-arm quick Spencer Johnson has come in for Omarzai. Johnson started the first couple of games for GT in IPL 2024, delivering spells of 2/25 and 1/35. He was dropped for Noor Ahmad when GT came back home from Chennai.

And now, with David Miller absent due to injury, GT have three overseas players (Noor, Johnson and Rashid Khan) in their bowling line-up. Only Kane Williamson, who replaced Miller, is representing batters from the overseas contingent.

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