Team news: The Lions have four changes. And here’s the playing XI — Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina (C), Dwayne Smith, Ishan Kishan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Andrew Tye, Shadab Bashir Jakati, Praveen Kumar, Basil Thampi
#IPL Match 13 – Here are the Playing XIs for @TheGujaratLions vs. @RPSupergiants #GLvRPS pic.twitter.com/Qw5YoDlUDY
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2017
TOSS: Gujarat Lions won the toss and choose to bowl against Rising Pune Supergiant
Minutes into the toss. Meanwhile, here are our four players to watch out for
New Delhi: In the clash of two bottom teams, the Gujarat Lions will hope to register their first win of the season when they take on visiting Rising Pune Supergiant at Rajkot.
Suresh Raina’s outfit has endured two humiliating defeats and there is nothing to write about. But all can change today. Skipper Raina contributed with the bat in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders, but his knock was a lucky one.
Yes, wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik was good in both the matches. But a team which has the likes of Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch and Dwayne Smith needs to score heavily to mask any obvious fallacy from their bowlers.
But all that can change today.
First, the hosts will have mercurial Ravindra Jadeja playing his first game of the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL), and his availability will give the side much needed boost.
For the record, Jadeja is a match winner, and we have seen his exploits in the past. If we may, his recent performance against the Aussies was a living proof. Yes, formats are different, but he has a proven T20 pedigree too.
His four overs will hold the key. For a side which has conceded 324 runs in little over 30 overs will need the services of someone like Jadeja, who thrives on challenge. Besides, the 28-year-old can bat too, and quick.
But the Lions are not all about Jadeja. They still have one of the best T20 sides, but unluckily, none of the stars so far managed to prove their worth.
The above-mentioned stars will not lie idle for much long. And expect at least a couple of them to go berserk, T20 style. When that happens, there will be some casualties in opponent bowling line-up.
Speaking of their opponents, the visitors from Pune are also dealing with their own bowling concerns. They have conceded 553 run in 59 overs. They managed to score 458 in three games so far, but that’s a deficit of more than 100 runs. Any champion side will not have such figures.
Like the Lions, the Supergiant too have a strong side with few superstars thrown in the midst. But a having an ensemble of stars doesn’t always mean having a winning team. It seems, this Pune-based side is the perfect example of it.
They have got the costliest man from the 2017 auction, Ben Stokes. They have got a living legend in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and probably the best batsman in Steve Smith, who is also leading the side. Besides, they also have the highest ranked T20 bowler in Imran Tahir.
But they have been pummeled in the last two matches by Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils. And by the look of things, it will continue to be the case in this match too.
One thing that augurs well for the visiting side is the return of Smith. He was brilliant – both as captain and as batsman. He was sorely missed in their last match.
All in all, it’s a golden chance for the Gujarat Lions to open their account.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match:
Possible playing XIs:
Gujarat Lions: Jason Roy, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (C), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Basil Thampi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Kaushik
Rising Pune Supergiant: Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Steven Smith (C), Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Rajat Bhatia, Adam Zampa, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur
When and where to watch the match:
Date & Time: April 14 (Friday) at 20:00 IST
Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
TV Listing: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD and SET MAX.
Online Streaming: Sony LIV, Hotstar
Source: Zee News