Gujarat vs Lucknow player battles: Rashid Khan looks to get the better of KL Rahul

Debutants Gujarat and Lucknow will lock horns in another enthralling Indian T20 League 2022 encounter at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, March 28. 

Gujarat and Lucknow are the two new franchises who joined the high-profile T20 League, making it a 10-team affair for the first time since 2011.

While India all-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead Gujarat, Lucknow will be captained by KL Rahul.

The two sides will play their first match in the Indian T20 League on Monday. 

Ahead of the first meeting between newcomers Gujarat and Lucknow, we look at a few key battles between the players from the two sides, which could decide the outcome of the Indian T20 League match.

Gujarat vs Lucknow key player battles

Rashid Khan vs KL Rahul 

While KL Rahul has been in impressive form in the previous few editions of the Indian T20 League, he has somewhat struggled against Rashid Khan. The Afghanistan leg-spinner has dismissed KL Rahul thrice in five innings in the Indian T20 League.

Interestingly, Rahul has been dominant against pacers but has found it challenging when facing spinners on the spin-friendly Indian pitches. Apart from being dismissed three times, Rahul has scored just 18 runs in 30 balls that he has faced against Rashid.  

Hardik Pandya vs Andrew Tye

Swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya has struggled against Australia fast bowler Andrew Tye in the Indian T20 League. Pandya, who usually likes pace on the ball, has failed to pick the slower deliveries of Andrew Tye in the death overs. The Australia pacer has dismissed Hardik twice in four innings in the Indian T20 League. The India all-rounder has managed 27 runs in 22 balls at a strike rate of 122.72.

David Miller vs Avesh Khan

South Africa batter David Miller has dominated India pacer Avesh Khan in the Indian T20 League. Miller has smashed 37 runs off just 20 balls against Avesh at an impressive strike rate of 185 while being dismissed once. The Proteas batter has amassed 1974 runs in 88 Indian T20 League matches, including a century against Bangalore.

On the other hand, Avesh finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Indian T20 League 2021, picking 24 wickets in 16 matches at an economy of 7.38. We can certainly expect an intriguing battle between the two on Monday. 

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Featured photo: NOAH SEELAM / AFP