The most threatening part about Gujarat Lions is their batting and when we come down to their bowling lineup, they are probably the weakest bowling line-up in IPL 2017.
Nobody would have thought that Gujarat would perform dismally in their two games. Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad thrashed Gujarat, In the first game, Kolkata Knight Riders chased down 184 in just 15 overs. Chris Lynn played a blinder and smacked 93 runs against a weak Gujarat Bowling. And then in next game, their bowling got smacked by Sunrisers captain David Warner. Warner scored 76 runs and won the game for Sunrisers Hyderabad by nine wickets.
Now they will be facing another out of form team Rising Pune Supergiants. The match is scheduled in Rajkot. Pune in their three games have lost tow and won only their opening game against Bangalore. Pune in the last game got thrashed by Delhi Daredevils.
Previous Encounter-
In their previous season, both teams have faced each other twice and both the times Gujarat Lions proved a better side. In their first ever meeting, Gujarat Lions defeated Pune in their own home by six wickets and then in the next game in Pune even a ton from Steven Smith could not save Rising Pune Supergiants from a loss. Faulkner in the last over thriller won that game for Gujarat Lions.
Recent Form In This Season-
Gujarat Lions- L L
Pune Supergiants- W L L
Talking Points-
The problem Gujarat Lions is facing is their bowling attack is weak when we compare that with other teams in the IPL. Gujarat’s batting and bowling can be the prime example of contradictions. Seems they have only spent the amount only in batting. With Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja still recovering from the injury, Gujarat is yet to find a perfect bowling combination. Guys on the bowling front are least experienced compared to what they have in the batting department. I would prefer Gujarat to make one change in their squad, James Faulkner should come in for Dwayne Smith. Dwayne Smith down the order will not be as fruitful as he is at the top so Bringing in James Faulkner will give some strength in their bowling as well as his lower order hitting capabilities are well known to everybody.
Predicted Gujarat Lions XI:
Jason Roy, Brendon Mccullum, Suresh Raina(C), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik(WK), Ishan Kishan/Akshdeep Nath, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shadab Jakati, Basil Thampi.