Top of the points table and already qualified for the playoffs, Gujarat Titans will get a chance to extend their lead further when they take on Lucknow Super Giants at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Gujarat Titans (18) points along with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (17), Punjab Kings (17), and Mumbai Indians have qualified for the playoffs. Now they get into a race to finish the league phase in the top two positions. Ending 1-2 will get the teams to play each other in Qualifier 1. The team losing this match will get a second shot at reaching the final via a match against the winner of the match between the third and fourth placed teams.
So, finishing in the top two is a big advantage, and that is what the current top three will be aiming for as they will each play their final two games of the league.
Gujarat Titans will have the first shot at that when they face LSG, who are already out of contention and have been struggling for form in their last few matches. Gujarat Titans will finish in the top position if they win against LSG on Thursday and their next game against Chennai Super Kings.
Gujarat Titans have thrived on the brilliant batting by their top order of B. Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler. But with Buttler set to leave for national duty soon, it will be an opportunity for their middle order to spend some time in the middle ahead of the knockout phase. GT would try to give the middle-order some match practice.
The positive thing is the middle order, Sherfane [Rutherford] and Shahrukh [Khan], guys like that, [Rahul] Tewatia, they've had a good impact in games when they've got the opportunity. They just haven't got a lot of game time over the last few weeks, so we're trying to give that to them as much as we can through training.
Wade said getting to bat in the middle will be a real opportunity for their largely untested middle-order.
It's very hard to simulate a match, but giving them opportunities to bat out on the B ground with no nets up and to feel like it's a little bit more match intensity at training is something that we'll try and do over the next week or so.
LSG, on the other hand, will be playing for pride and trying to win their last two matches to boost their morale and test some young players for the next season.
With no pressure, it will be an opportunity for Rishabh Pant to score a big one and get his form back. Pant has struggled throughout the campaign, weighed down by the hefty price tag of Rs 27 crore that he got in the auction. A big score will put him in the right frame of mind for the upcoming international cricket season.
LSG will be going into the match without Digvesh Rathi, their find of the season, who has done well with the ball, as he has been suspended for one match because of a breach of BCCI's Code of Conduct.
GT are coming into the match with four wins and a loss in their last five matches, while LSG has been at the opposite end of the spectrum. They have lost four of their last five matches. Overall, in six matches that they have figured in so far, GT have won four while LSG have triumphed in two.
Probable playing XIs:
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (capt), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, M. Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Shahbaz Ahmed, Will O'Rourke.
