Here's why Rashid Khan is leading GT vs KKR in place of Hardik Pandya

The first match of the double header on Sunday will be between the defending champion Gujarat Titans and the two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders, which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The 13th game of the 16th edition is a big contest between two teams with some big names in it.

It will also feature the match-up between two brilliant spinners, Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine, who are considered to be the greatest in the world in the shorter format. On the other hand, it will also have two of the greatest finishers in the game: David Miller and Andre Russell.

All in all, it will be a blockbuster of a contest between the two good sides. GT is on a roll and has won both games. They beat Chennai Super Kings in the season opener and then followed it up with a win against Delhi Capitals in their second game.

On the other hand, KKR lost their first game of the season to Punjab Kings by 7 runs, which was a rain-affected game, but followed it up with a brilliant win over Royal Challengers Bangalore by 81 runs at Eden Gardens.

Meanwhile, GT won the toss and elected to bat first, but it was not Hardik Pandya who came for the toss. In fact, Rashid Khan, who is the stand-in skipper for today's match, came for a toss, and Hardik missed it. No Hardik in the team might surprise many.

However, Rashid confirmed at the toss that the all-rounder is not feeling well and doesn't want to take any risks, which is why he decided to miss the game, and it was Vijay Shankar who replaced him in the team. 

If GT wins this match, they will become the first team in this season to win three out of three games. But beating KKR will not be easy as they will be high on confidence after a big win over RCB in their previous match.