LSG vs GT: Here most teams have struggled to dominate at home, Delhi Capitals stand as a rare exception. For others like Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), figuring out the playing surface has proven as tricky as the opposition. On Saturday afternoon, LSG will look to break that trend when they host Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
LSG’s Bumpy Road So Far
LSG’s 2025 campaign began with turbulence. Their opening loss to Punjab Kings was followed by a sharp critique from Zaheer Khan, pointing fingers at the team’s tactics and pitch selection. They switched from a red soil track to a black soil one for their second home game, which brought them a win — but not with the confidence or control they desired.
Away wins in Hyderabad and Kolkata have helped keep them in contention for the top four, but their inconsistencies, especially at home, are keeping them just outside the playoff bracket. The real issue? A lopsided performance structure. Their Indian bowling core has underwhelmed in defeats, and while the batting — led by Nicholas Pooran — has often delivered, over-reliance on it could backfire as the season progresses.
Gujarat Titans: Quiet But Effective
Gujarat Titans have gone about their business with quiet efficiency. Missing the services of Kagiso Rabada, who returned to South Africa for personal reasons, GT’s all-Indian pace attack has gelled surprisingly well. The top order, powered by Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler, has mostly done the scoring, with Sherfane Rutherford also chipping in.
However, in their last match, GT’s middle order stepped up. Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia helped bail the team out of a rare top-order collapse — showing depth and adaptability. It’s a formula similar to their 2022 title run: no fuss, no flash, just consistent execution.
Clashing Strategies and Key Battles
GT currently lead the head-to-head battle 4-1. LSG’s only win came at this very venue last season, where they defended 163 successfully. For them to level the playing field, they’ll need their bowling unit — especially Avesh Khan — to fire. Avesh has good numbers against some GT batters: he’s dismissed Shubman Gill twice in 51 balls and Shahrukh Khan twice in just seven deliveries.
For Gujarat, Rashid Khan remains a potential game-changer, despite his lukewarm start to the season. Nicholas Pooran has been a six-hitting machine in IPL 2025 (24 sixes so far), and Rashid will likely be key in attempting to contain him. Historically, the Afghan spinner has done reasonably well against Pooran — conceding just 77 runs off 66 balls while dismissing him twice.
Pitch Watch: Black Soil or Mixed?
On the eve of the game, ground staff were seen rolling two pitches — one black soil and one mixed. Both were covered identically by evening, but the black soil strip next to the center pitch received more focused attention, hinting it may be used for this clash. With another fixture coming up at the same venue on Monday (against CSK), pitch rotation could also be a factor.
Hot weather and tricky batting conditions could once again shape the contest — particularly for teams struggling to read the Ekana surface.
Did You Know?
Nicholas Pooran has a T20 career strike rate of 150.08, but at Ekana, it drops to 132.52.
In contrast, Ayush Badoni performs better at the venue, improving from a career strike rate of 135.43 to 142.07 at home.
Shubman Gill averages 139.68 strike rate against LSG, while Rishabh Pant — despite his slow start to 2025 — boasts 177.1 against GT.
Probable XI
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya/Washington Sundar
What They Said
“I’m in a good space, hitting the ball well… just trying to fulfill my role wherever I can,” – David Miller, LSG
“The combination of Shubman and Ashish Nehra works like hand in glove… it brings clarity to the team,” – Shahrukh Khan, GT Source cricbuzz
For more exciting updates, subscribe to Apexadpros and follow us on Instagram for regular insights!
