IPL 2025: Here’s why Gujarat Titans wearing lavender jersey in today’s match against Lucknow Super Giants

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Gujarat Titans are donning the lavender jersey for their penultimate league-stage match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

This marked the third consecutive season that the Titans swapped their traditional dark blue kit for the symbolic lavender attire, representing awareness for all forms of cancer. The initiative, first introduced by the franchise in IPL 2023, has since become a staple of their final home fixture, aimed at spreading awareness about the critical importance of early cancer detection and prevention. The lavender jersey serves not only as a tribute to those battling the disease but also as a reminder to the larger community about the value of timely medical intervention.

Although the Titans did not wear the lavender jersey in their debut IPL season in 2022, when all league-stage matches were played in Mumbai and Pune due to pandemic-related logistics, the seeds of the initiative were sown in the following year. In IPL 2023, Titans chose to wear the lavender kit for the first time in their home match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The gesture was widely appreciated across the cricketing world, as it elevated the league beyond entertainment to a platform for societal influence.

In 2024, the Titans continued the initiative during their fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders, once again using the home game to amplify the message of cancer awareness. This season, they’ve extended that tradition into their clash with Lucknow Super Giants, signaling a long-term commitment to this cause.

On the field, Titans entered the game as clear favorites, having already secured a berth in the playoffs with 18 points from 12 matches. A win in this fixture would all but ensure them a top-two finish, granting them the advantage of an extra opportunity to reach the final. Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, GT fielded an unchanged XI, signaling their confidence and consistency. Lucknow Super Giants, on the other hand, made a few changes, with Akash Deep included in the lineup along with Himmat Singh and Shahbaz Ahmed.

Unfortunately for LSG, their campaign has faltered drastically. The team was officially knocked out of playoff contention following a six-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier in the week, a result that not only ended their mathematical chances but also exposed the shortcomings in their squad depth and strategy.

While several players across teams have lit up the IPL 2025 season, LSG’s Rishabh Pant has found himself under the scanner for all the wrong reasons. Brought in for a whopping INR 27 crore, Pant was expected to lead from the front and infuse the team with his explosive batting and leadership. However, the season has proven to be a personal and collective disappointment. Pant has struggled for consistency with the bat, and his form has mirrored LSG’s campaign, flashes of promise drowned under the weight of misfires and missed opportunities.