Both Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab have had surprising results till now. After winning its first two games, KXIP couldn’t carry the momentum ahead and haven’t registered even a single win in the next four matches.
On the other hand, Gujarat Lions too have won just two contests out of six. On most of the occasions, it has been their bowling that has let them down.
Analysing and jotting down rough stats, both the teams now need to win six more games out of eight in order to keep the hopes to qualify for the next round alive.
So now each and every game they participate in, is almost a do or die game for them, a fact that the members of the team are well versed off.
Overview:
Gujarat Lions
The home side finally registered a win in their previous encounter by chasing a huge target of 188 against KKR. It was a sweet revenge from them, as earlier in the tournament, KKR dominated Gujarat Lions.
The good news for the team was that Suresh Raina led the team from the front with an example. He kept one end reserved – even though wickets were falling meanwhile.
The team will look to emulate their performance, though still, there are still some glitches which seek redressal.
Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab has always been one of the strongest team right from the inception of the tournament but they are yet to deliver the end result, barring the IPL 7 season, where they played the final against Kolkata Knight Riders and lost.
They have implemented each and every tactic but none have worked in their favour. The team management has used a defensive captain in form of Murali Vijay and an aggressive captain in form of David Miller and now Glen Maxwell, but none worked. Its high time now and they have to get their vehicle on the winning track so as to keep the hopes of playing qualifiers/eliminators this season alive.
View on think tank –
The Punjab-based franchise underwent a big overhaul before the start of the season, as they added likes of J Arun Kumar and Mithun Manhas in their backroom staff but still, the team looks like an untrained set of players. One of the incidence to prove this statement happened in the last game when their bowlers even after watching the tendency of the pitch in the first innings did not learn a lesson and Mumbai Indians chased down a huge target of 199 in 15.3 overs. The main reason for the loss is self-explanatory.
Gujarat Lions think tank probably did not get the bowling combination right this season. They lack a leader in the bowling line up who can lead them from the front. Though they have likes of talented youngster Basil Thampi, Tejas Baroka but they still need someone who can nurture them.
Tracking strength –
Both the teams have one strength in common, the strong and aggressive set of batsmen. They have those players who can turn the game on their head by some aggressive hitting but again, this aggressive hitting is of no worth if bowers spill runs.
Possible lineups –
Gujarat lions might not tinker with the winning combination, whereas, King XI Punjab will look to replace an unimpressive Ishant Shama to give a chance to a youngster like Anureet Singh, who is yet to get a game this season.
Head to Head –
In the last season, both the teams played two games against each other and won a game apiece.
Prediction –
There is a high possibility of the team winning the toss taking the game away with them. So as of now, no team can be rated favourites but there is 90 percent of chances that team winning the toss will bowl first and will emerge as the winner of the contest at the end.