Gujarat Titans eye top-two finish as struggling LSG look to salvage pride

AHMEDABAD: Former champions Gujarat Titans will aim to extend their winning streak to solidify a top-two finish when they face a struggling Lucknow Super Giants in their Indian Premier League clash here on Thursday.

With 18 points from 12 matches, table-toppers Titans have already booked their place in the playoffs. However, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings close behind on 17 points, the race for a top-two spot is still very much alive.

For Gujarat, everything seems to have fallen into place. Their top-order trio of Orange Cap holder B Sai Sudharsan (617 runs), skipper Shubman Gill (601), and Jos Buttler (500), has been in prolific form, laying the foundation for most of the team's victories.

Together, they have racked up 16 half-centuries and a century, dominating the tournament's batting attacks with clinical consistency.

Such top-order dominance, however, has left the middle order largely untested.

Gujarat's bowling unit has been equally formidable. Their Indian pace battery has led the charge, with Prasidh Krishna being the leading wicket-taker this season after snaring 21 wickets. Mohammed Siraj and lanky left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore have chipped in with 15 wickets each.

Adding further firepower to the attack is the return of South African pace ace Kagiso Rabada, who missed most of the season following a suspension for recreational drug use.

On the other hand, Lucknow Super Giants saw their playoff hopes dashed after a comprehensive defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday. The Rishabh Pant-led side, now on a four-match losing streak, has endured a campaign riddled with inconsistency and injuries.

LSG have leaned heavily on their overseas recruits -- Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran -- for runs.

The lack of noteworthy contributions from Pant, who has endured a woeful season, and the middle order has compounded their problems.

Injuries to key bowlers further derailed their campaign.

Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan missed the entire season, while express quick Mayank Yadav, who was retained with high hopes, spent most of it on the sidelines.

Avesh Khan and Akash Deep also struggled with fitness, leaving LSG's bowling attack depleted. Pant acknowledged the devastating impact these absences have had on the team.

"Definitely, it could have been one of our best seasons but coming into the tournament we had a lot of gaps, injuries and as a team we decided to not talk about that, but it became difficult to fill those gaps for us," he said after their previous game.

To make matters worse, LSG will be without their most successful bowler this season -- spinner Digvesh Rathi, who has claimed 14 wickets at an economy of 8.18.

He has been handed a one-match suspension for his on-field altercation with Abhishek Sharma in the previous game, further denting their faltering campaign.

Squads:

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Anuj Rawat (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Nishant Sidhu, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Arshad Khan, R Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Karim Janat, B Sai Sudharsan, Dasun Shanaka, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan.

Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (wk/captain), Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, David Miller, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Shamar Joseph, Manimaran Siddharth, Aryan Juyal, RS Hangargekar, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Maharaj Singh, Arshin Kulkarni.

Match starts at 7:30pm IST.