Who has a better squad for their debut IPL season?
Gujarat Titans squad review
Gujarat Titans are one of the two new teams to start their Indian Premier League (IPL) journey in the upcoming 2022 season. They were bought by the CVC Capital Partners and initially drafted in Hardik Pandya as the captain and Shubman Gill and Rashid Khan as the other key stars ahead of the auction. They purchased 20 more players in the auction. So, here let’s review the squad that Gujarat Titans have built for the upcoming 15th edition of the IPL.
Strong areas
Gujarat Titans have a decent set of all-rounders. The likes of skipper Hardik Pandya, Dominic Drakes and Rahul Tewatia will be the key ones as they are likely to form the core of the side in the middle and lower middle-order.
Meanwhile, Gujarat also boast of a good bowling attack. Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Shami are quality fast bowlers while Rashid Khan is arguably the best T20 spinner in the world. Alzarri Joseph and Noor Ahmad are other good quality bowling options while the likes of R Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron and Yash Dayal are pretty good Indian choices to have as well.
Weak spots to consider
Sadly, the batting for Gujarat Titans looks on the weaker side. Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha are the only capped Indian options. David Miller will be the key in the middle-order while Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s addition adds some firepower. The domestic recruits like Abhinav Sadarangani and Sai Sudarshan will have to step up.
Gujarat Titans key players
- Hardik Pandya is going to be absolutely vital for Gujarat Titans, especially with the bat. They don’t boast of big Indian batters and it means that there is a possibility that he could bat higher up in the line-up. Moreover, he will be handy with the ball too, if he is fully fit to bowl.
- Rashid Khan is a no-brainer and he is going to be crucial. He will lead the spin attack and is going to be the chief wicket-taker.
- A lot may also depend on Mohammed Shami’s performance too. He is the premier Indian fast bowler and with Lockie Ferguson injury prone, Shami’s role will be critical.
Are Gujarat Titans good bets?
Not many experts are giving Gujarat Titans a chance going into the IPL 2022… They are not favorites to reach the top four.
TIP Gujarat’s batting looks pretty thin and there are a few injury-prone cricketers.
They will depend heavily on their Indian stars alongside Rashid Khan. Thus, they are not outright favourites for a top-four finish and they will need to punch above their weight if they need to make it to the playoffs. Their chances to be the IPL 2022’s winner stand at 10.00.
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Lucknow Super Giants Squad Review
Lucknow Super Giants are the other new team to enter the IPL. They were bought by RPSG Group of Sanjiv Goenka who owned Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) back in 2016 and 2017. This time around, they drafted in KL Rahul who will be the captain. They also added the likes Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi in the draft ahead of the auctions for the upcoming 2022 season. In the auction, Lucknow built a squad of 21 players and here is a review on their squad.
Strong areas
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have a fiery batting line-up. Skipper KL Rahul will be one of the premier batters alongside Quinton de Kock who is likely to open with Rahul. Evin Lewis is an excellent backup option. Manish Pandey is a decent option in the middle-order while the all-rounders like Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder add firepower in the middle-order.
Lucknow’s bowling looks pretty sorted as well with Avesh Khan being the lead Indian fast bowler. Ankit Rajpoot is the other renowned domestic Indian bowler in Lucknow’s rank. Mark Wood and Dushmantha Chameera alongside Holder are quality overseas options in the pace department. Ravi Bishnoi is a wicket-taking leg-spinner which adds some good variety to the attack.
Weak spots to consider
Ravi Bishnoi is the only quality spinner in the Lucknow line-up… The leg-spinner is joined by the likes of Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham and Shahbaz Nadeem in the spin department for Lucknow. However, most of those options seem like run-containing ones rather than wicket-taking ones.
Lucknow Super Giants key players
- KL Rahul has been bossing the IPL over the last few years. He has piled on big runs consistently and has amassed more than 590 runs in each of the last four seasons.
- Ravi Bishnoi has been very impressive in his short career so far (24 wickets at an economy rate of 5.97 in the IPL). His ability to pick wickets and bowl the tough overs will be vital.
- Jason Holder is going to be the key to the balance of the Lucknow Super Giants side. The tall West Indian fast bowling all-rounder has been in terrific form with both bat and ball and can be the game-changer.
Are Lucknow Super Giants good bets?
Lucknow’s batting looks pretty solid and they seem to have the most bases covered.
TIP Noteworthy, the lack of a quality spinner to complement Ravi Bishnoi might pull them back a touch.
However, Lucknow do look pretty well-settled and it won’t be a surprise if they reach the top four. Back them at 13.00 to take the IPL 2022 trophy home!
