Why is Josh Little not playing in today's GT vs LSG IPL 2023 match?

Gujarat Titans (GT) left-arm-pacer Josh Little isn't playing in the team's face-off against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 7.

The franchise announced that the 23-year-old will return home to join the Ireland side for their three-match ODI series against Bangladesh at Chelmsford in England, starting on Tuesday, May 9.

Little will rejoin the franchise after the series against Bangladesh ends on May 14.

The Gujarat Titans director of cricket, Vikram Solanki, released a statement regarding Little's unavailability for the next week by saying:

"We wish Josh the best as he heads back to represent Ireland in the ODIs. He has had a good run in his first Tata Indian Premier League and we look forward to welcoming him once he finishes the ODI series."

Josh Little became the first Irishman to be picked at the IPL when the Titans signed him for ₹4.4 crores at the mini-auction last year.

In his debut season, Little has impressed with his ability to bowl at any stage of the innings, picking up six wickets at an economy rate of 8.21 in eight games. Little has played a vital role in GT being atop the points table with seven wins from 10 games.

He has also impressed in his young career at the International level, picking up 62 wickets at an average of 23.75 in 53 T20Is, and was one of the emerging stars in last year's T20 World Cup in Australia.

Little has been replaced with West Indian Alzari Joseph in the playing XI for the LSG encounter.

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Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya face off as captains in the GT-LSG encounter

The Pandya brothers were out at toss as their respective team captains. (Credit: Twitter)

The all-important clash between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will have Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya face off as captains against each other at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 7.

The Pandya brothers were part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) setup till 2021 and played key roles in their title runs in 2017, 2019, and 2020. While Hardik was appointed as the captain of GT last year, Krunal has been named as the stand-in skipper for LSG due to the injury to regular skippe31r KL Rahul.

Speaking at the toss, Hardik Pandya was overjoyed about the proud moment for the family and said:

"It's an emotional day, our father would have been proud. This is something happening for the first time, so our family is proud. One Pandya will definitely win today."

Krunal Pandya also echoed his younger brother's thoughts of a dream coming true for the family, with both leading their respective sides.

LSG won the toss and elected to field first in this must-win encounter as they strive for playoff qualification with 11 points from 10 games.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans are sitting pretty on top of the points table with seven wins from as many games and will look to inch closer to a playoff spot with a victory.