Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants bring in the magic of newness this season

The ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 has been quite a journey for experts and fans of the game. T20 cricket has often been narrated as a format that involves luck and revolves around probabilities.

In the IPL, too, franchises are evaluated on the number of titles won, the amount of money they spend, the assembly of stars they procure, and the support they earn. Heading into this year's competition were two brand new teams - the Gujarat Titans (GT) from Ahmedabad and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) from the City of Nawabs, making this edition a 10-team tourney.

As we near the end of the league stage, reputed and renowned teams such as - Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - have faltered and been reduced to dust. In contrast, both money-spinning new franchises have qualified for the playoffs.

The Titans, led by Hardik Pandya, occupy the top position in the table with 20 points, closely followed by KL Rahul marshalled Super Giants, who are at number 3, just below the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Let's sneak-peek into why these two teams have eclipse sides that have history attached to them

Both sides have no added weight on their shoulders to perform as per fans' expectations. Being their first season as a unit, every player, coach, and support staff member's choice would be to sync everyone together and create a new team culture.

Players had more freedom with fewer eyes hovering over them as opposed to their much-established counterparts. It was well displayed in crunch moments, as they did not give in to pressure.

Many key players were not retained by their franchises ahead of the mega auctions and were not brought back into the bidding. Shubman Gill, Quinton de Kock, Rashid Khan, KL Rahul, and Hardik are a few of the players who would have desired to prove many people in top positions wrong.

Lucknow have as many as five players winning man-of-the-match awards, while some went on to win multiple times as well ( QDK, Avesh, and Rahul -2 times each). However, Gujarat have had the most; 8 different players have won man-of-the-match awards for them, and only Gill has won on two occasions.

Both teams have an expansive coaching setup. The CVC Capital Partners-owned club has Ashish Nehra, Vikram Solanki, and Ashish Kapoor sitting in the dug-out, while the Sanjiv Goenka-owned side sees Andy Flower, Gautam Gambhir, and Andy Bichel within the think-tank.

Gujarat has played cricket with more liberation given Nehra's ideology since his playing days, keeping everything simple and linear. However, with the Super Giants, a more well thought out and no-nonsense approach has been witnessed, with Gambhir and Flower joining hands.

Eventually, it is up to the player's artistry with the bat and ball that will take their franchise to new heights and give them the glory they yearn for.

The league stage has been a magical ride, but the final few hurdles will pose the most difficulty, with momentum shifting in the blink of an eye. The two sides still have to withstand opponents and utilising every available resource in the bag to win the IPL trophy, which is just a fingernail away from their clutches.