Gujarat Titans, under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, are prepared to face Sunrisers Hyderabad with the aim towards earning a playoff spot. With another victory, the defending champions should be guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, therefore it would be reasonable to anticipate the reliable GT to put in a strong performance against Hyderabad.
The Sunrisers, on the other hand, have only four victories in their last 11 games and are all but eliminated from contention. If they lose, their chances of making the playoffs will be gone, and it will be the third straight time they have missed the bus. Sunrisers will be barely surviving and relying on other outcomes for their own fortunes, even if they happen to generate an uproar.
After an underwhelming performance with the bat, GT needed more batting depth and hence the management has handed a debut to Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Shanaka makes his debut
After their first IPL 2023 game, the Gujarat Titans‘ injured Kane Williamson was replaced by Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka. In recent months, Shanaka has been a notable performer in T20 cricket. With game-changing innings, the Sri Lankan captain has distinguished himself in the middle order. Shanaka has an extensive background as a captain. He helped Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup last year in the United Arab Emirates.
The captain of Sri Lanka’s white-ball team, Shanaka, is a powerful middle-order batsman who also bowls with his right arm. In the most recent T20I series in India, Shanaka was unstoppable, scoring 124 runs in three innings at an S/R of 187 and averaging 62.00. In the ensuing ODI series, he again scored 121 runs in three innings, ranking first for Sri Lanka.
This will be Shanaka’s first season in the IPL after being signed for his base price of INR 50 lakh.
What did the captains say at the toss?
Hardik Pandya: Yeah, it is a special initiative to support cancer patients. This is just our way of showing our support. We have played really good cricket. The standing in the table doesn’t matter that much, you have to play good cricket. When we started, we knew it would be a tricky year for us. The players have put up their hands in tough situations and put their hands up. It is a fresh wicket, we would have liked to field as well. We have a couple of forced changes. Shankar got hit by a ball in the net yesterday, Sai comes in. Shanaka makes his debut and also Yash Dayal is back.
Aiden Markram: We are gonna bowl first, looks like there is moisture on this wicket. something for the pacers to utilise. If things are meant to work out, it will work out. Guys have the permission to express themselves. We look forward to doing that. Trying to play really good cricket, up to our potential and abilities. We have been playing really good cricket but not getting over the line. Would like to pack a punch tonight. Marco Jansen comes in for Glenn Phillips.
Playing XI
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Dasun Shanaka, Rahul Tewatia, Mohit Sharma, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Sanvir Singh, Mayank Markande, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, T Natarajan
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