Big picture: How will LSG use their home advantage?

Wood missed Super Giants' last game with illness, and his availability may also determine the kind of track they prepare against a team that they lost to twice last season - including the first ever game both the franchises played in the IPL.

Lucknow Super Giants WLWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Titans LWLWW

Team news: Is Wood good to go?

Lucknow Super Giants: While batting first, Super Giants have started with Ayush Badoni and subbed either him or Kyle Mayers out for Mishra. But when they have suffered a collapse, K Gowtham has been used as the Impact Player to shore up the batting. While bowling first, Mishra starts and Badoni comes in as the substitute when they bat.

Probable XII: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers/Quinton de Kock, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Yudhvir Singh, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq/Mark Wood, 12 Amit Mishra

Gujarat Titans: Titans have been happy to start with three overseas players while batting first, with one of Josh Little or Noor coming in as the Impact Player in the second innings. They have, however, stuck to starting with four overseas players while chasing, with Vijay Shankar likely to be subbed in.

Probable XII: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Vijay Shankar, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 Josh Little/Noor Ahmad

"Vijay, who battled last season a little bit, he wanted to come back and prove that he is a player to be reckoned with. He got himself in great physical condition and his training and work ethic at the nets has been second to none."
Gary Kirsten on Vijay Shankar's improved form in IPL 2023