🏏IPL 2025 - Match 64 GT vs LSG on 22nd May 2025 at Ahmedabad 🏏 - Page 3

The playoff-bound teams in IPL 2025 are locked and loaded, and the final seven matches of the group stage simply come down to deciding what the order of that top four will be. Finishing in the top two will be the goal for each of these teams, and it is Gujarat Titans who are probably in the strongest position to do so. They prepare to host Lucknow Super Giants at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with a position in the top two and the first qualifier almost secure if they can continue their winning form tonight.

Does Rishabh Pant have anything in store?

: Look away if you're Rishabh Pant. 135 runs in 12 matches, averaging 12, striking at run-a-ball. There hasn't been a player of his calibre who has had this bad a season with the bat in the IPL, and if he has any intentions of rescuing it, you feel he needs a pair of half-centuries to close out the season, and cross that 200-mark for the season. GT have a dangerous bowling attack, one that isn't easy to face off against. But Pant does well in adversity. With no stakes and only pride to play for, can the real Pant show up for his fans?

RCB and PBKS watching with interest

Amongst their fellows in the top 4, anybody could finish in the top spot. It's a long shot for MI, but the other two teams have considerably strong chances. Both teams will be hoping GT suffer a hiccup, which will not only take away that crucial top two but also arrest all the momentum they have generated thus far this season.

No Digvesh Rathi as he sees out suspension

Big miss for LSG will be the sbence of spinner Digvesh Rathi, who has been their best bowler thus far this season. With 5 demerit points already racked up in his debut IPL season, it is something the team management will need to take seriously next year — but in the here and now, it means more will be demanded of the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan in the bowling unit to have an impact.

Do GT need to start planning for Buttler-less playoffs?

The one concern for GT will be if they can maintain the quaity of their batting with a big part of its core triumvirate set to miss the playoffs due to international duty. While he wasn't called upon in Delhi, having the banker of an elite international player's experience behind Gill and Sudharsan's obvious talent has made GT a team from hell to play against. Do they have the solutions in place to keep that methodology going when an inevitable downgrade needs to take place?

LSG try to take advantage of batting-friendly conditions in Ahmedabad

Throughout this season, the Narendra Modi Stadium has proven to be a bat-first kind of track, with teams putting on 200+ totals and then successfully defending it in 3 out of 5 matches thus far. A fourth saw GT defend 196, while the only successful chase saw DC haul down 204 in the last over against DC.

With runs on offer, LSG will want their powerful top order to go punch for punch with GT's, and rely on a quicker scoring rate to see through the win. With a gulf in bowling quality, it will come down to LSG playing to their strengths.

LSG look to take inspiration from win vs GT earlier this season

When they faced off at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow earlier this season, things looked very different in the IPL. Their win by 6 wickets in the day game saw them pull themselves to identical records with GT, at 4 wins from 6 games. Since then, GT have won 5 more times; LSG have won once.

But what it did show is that LSG have the ability and the firepower to compete with this GT unit. A repeat of that to put the cat amongst the pigeons in GT's top two aspirations?

Thanks for the tag! Hopefully aaj top and mid order thik se khele, GT ftw!!

GT fresh from 10-wicket romp vs DC

If you're in the GT camp, confidence is probably sky-high. They might have conceded 199 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, but that proved to be nowhere close to enough as a Sai Sudharsan century and unbeaten 93 from Shubman Gill guided them home with an over to spare. This late in the tournament, against a fairly strong team, such a strong result is a signal of intent. GT mean business, and have all the chips in place to go for a second title.

LSG look to end four-game losing skid

After a pretty strong start to the season that had them in position to fight for the playoffs, it has somewhat come crumbling down for LSG. Inconsistent to start with but just unable to find wins since, LSG are only on 10 points after 12 games: despite the holes in their team, there is far too much quality for them to be struggling in such a way. They will be hoping for a positive note to end the season, with a finish on the cusp of the playoffs likely to give the a lot more confidence for next season.

Originally posted by: SoniRita

Team Watch

Gujarat Titans

Injuries/Unavailability: There are no injuries or availability issues reported from the GT camp for this game.

Tactics and matchups: LSG's downfall this season has coincided with the dip in form for Pooran. The moment he arrives at the crease on Thursday, Gill might want to unleash Rashid Khan or Kagiso Rabada at him. Against the Afghanistan leg spinner, he has scored 87 off 72, getting out thrice. Rabada has dismissed the left-hander four times in 42 deliveries, conceding 55 runs.

Probable XII: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.

Lucknow Super Giants

Injuries/Unavailability: Digvesh Rathi is unavailable for this fixture after copping a one-match ban following yet another Code of Conduct breach in the previous fixture.

Tactics and Matchups: Aiden Markram has been a reveation for LSG this season. He might be the team's trump card against majority of GT's bowling attack. He has scored runs briskly against Mohammed Siraj (34 off 23), Kagiso Rabada (35 off 24, 1 dismissal) and Prasidh Krishna (24 off 12, 1 dismissal).

Probable XII: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(c&wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, William ORourke

Is Jos Butler in the playing XI ?

18:29 Local Time, 12:59 GMT, 18:29 IST: With seven league games to go, the playoff teams have already been decided this season in the IPL. Now all that is left to play for is the final positions that these teams are going to finish in, with a top two finish being a big advantage as it allows teams a chance to play two qualifiers. Gujarat Titans sit atop the table as of now, and it is their fearsome top three that they have to thank for that. Last game against Delhi Capitals, they needed just two of those three as Sai Sudharsan scored a hundred and Gill got a fifty as GT chased down 200 with ten wickets intact. Their bowling has been coming up trumps as well, with Prasidh Krishna and Sai Kishore are having a memorable year, while Rishad Khan and Mo Siraj are back to their consistent best.

Opponents Lucknow Super Giants were dumped out of the competition after they suffered a defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous game. They would now hope to atleast end the tournament on a high with wins in their last two league games. Their skipper Rishabh Pant has had a season to forget, averaging 12.27 in IPL 2025. Their openers Mitch Marsh and Aiden Markram have been amongst the runs, but they haven't performed consistently enough. Nicholas Pooran had a great start to the season but has fizzled out since then. On the bowling front, it has been Digvesh Rathi who was been a revelation this season, but he is suspended for this game. Matches in Ahmedabad have been great for batting so far, let's see how today pans out.

Gujarat Titans are wearing a lavender kit today, in support of their cancer awareness program.