New Delhi, India

The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was keenly awaited. The excitement for each year's edition knows no boundaries. This time around, it went a level up as the ardent cricket fans welcomed the two debutant teams in the form of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT) in the cash-rich league.

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The BCCI decided to expand the league by adding two more teams with an aim to give more opportunities to youngsters, some big names who often got sidelined and fans plenty more to cheer for. While a nervy start was expected from both Gujarat and Lucknow in IPL 2022, the two teams have taken the 15th season by storm and have announced their arrivals with a bang. Both GT and LSG have been the giant killers of IPL 2022, surpassing some big teams and surprising many without breaking much sweat.

1) Team compositions

Complete squad of Gujarat Titans for IPL 2022:

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Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abhinav Sadarangani, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, Varun Aaron, Rahul Tewatia, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sai Sudarshan

Complete squad of Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2022

KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Quinton de Kock (wk), Manish Pandey, Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, K Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ankit Rajpoot, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav

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Looking at both squads, it is safe to say that the newbies didn't get bogged down in the two-day mega auction, held in mid-February. They came with a clear plan: to fill their squads with multi-dimensional players, seasoned bowlers, a mix of domestic talents and foreign players. Their smart team composition is helping them reap rewards in the IPL 2022 edition so far.

2) Newness, fresh minds, new captains

Starting from scratch often helps, especially if it is going the distance in a big-ticket T20 tournament like the IPL. Both Gujarat and Lucknow have benefitted from a fresh and positive dressing room environment created since the beginning of the 15th season. With the leadership group being expanded in Team India, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have also put their best foot forward to showcase their credentials as GT and LSG skippers, respectively.

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Meanwhile, the inclusions of Ashish Nehra, Gary Kirsten (for Gujarat) and Gautam Gambhir, Andy Bichel, Andy Flower (for Lucknow) in the coaching setup have led to role clarity for players, keeping things simple, sticking to basics, resorting to smart and tactical matchups. The presence of such stalwarts have given enough cushion to both the young captains and their respective players.

3) Playing fearlessly, without any past baggage

Both Lucknow and Gujarat have expressed themselves freely on the field, having no past baggage. While it helped both sides to settle their nerves by locking horns with each other on debut, they have only grown from strength to strength from thereon. In addition, the two teams have gained immensely with the repeated failures of two of the most successful IPL teams; i.e. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

GT and LSG in IPL 2022 (after match 31):

Gujarat playing like 'Titans'

Played - 6

Won - 5

Lost - 1

NRR - 0.395    

Position - Table-toppers 

'Super Giants' Lucknow

Played - 7

Won - 4

Lost - 3

NRR - +0.124

Position - 4th

Both sides have beaten defending champions CSK (once so far) whereas Lucknow have also beaten MI. Gujarat are yet to face MI.

ALSO READ | IPL 2022: Former India opener names two franchises who have 'lit up' the competition this year

In IPL 2016, the then debutant and now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) had topped the points table and reached Qualifiers 2. In IPL 2017, Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), in their second season, had qualified for the final and lost the coveted title by a run (to MI). While Gujarat (under a totally different owner) and Lucknow both have started well in their first-ever IPL season, the duo are here for the long run and not just to fill in for a few seasons. Thus, they will hope to go the distance courtesy the strong foundation laid down and build something special for themselves in the IPL, where the eight original franchises have already carved out their own space and identity. 

For now, it is just the start. But the start surely has been promising. Let's see what else is in store for the two newbies as they strive hard to gain prominence, value and recognition in the cash-rich league.