“One Pandya will definitely win today” – Hardik Pandya gets emotional as he walks out to toss with LSG captain Krunal Pandya in IPL 2023

Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya got emotional as he walked out to toss with Lucknow Super Giants' stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 7.

For the uninitiated, it was the first time that two brothers are leading against each other in the history of IPL. The 29-year-old remembered his late father on the special occasion, saying the family is proud of them.

Speaking at the toss, Hardik Pandya said:

“It's an emotional day. Our father would have been very proud. He used to dream of this. This is something happening for the first time. This is something happening for the first time, so our family is very proud. Tonight is the first time when they are not sure which team to support. One Pandya will definitely win today.”

Hardik was excited to bat first despite losing the toss. Joshua Little missed out due to international duties with Ireland. West Indies speedster Alzarri Joseph replaced him in the playing XI.

"We would have batted. I got what I wanted. It's about expressing ourselves and not worry about the result. One forced change, Little is out as he has to play for Ireland, Alzarri comes in for him," he stated.

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“It’s a dream come true for us, leading our respective sides” – Krunal Pandya

Lucknow Super Giants captain Krunal Pandya called it a dream come true moment after winning the toss and opting to bowl first, as the two brothers led against each other in the IPL.

The franchise made a solitary change in the form of Quinton de Kock, replacing Naveen-ul-Haq.

“We will bowl first. It's a dream come true for us, leading our respective sides.Once we go into the field the game face will be on," Krunal said.

He continued:

"Overall the wicket will play the same. We have a good batting side, and we fancy our chance to chase down the total. We have played good cricket, and we stand at a good stage in the points table. de Kock is in, Naveen misses out.”

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GT vs LSG playing XI

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Karan Sharma, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Swapnil Singh, Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, and Avesh Khan.

Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammed Shami.

Follow GT vs LSG live score updates here.