Not many T20 units on this planet can boast about having so many batting powerhouses in the time at one point of time like the Gujarat Lions can.
One the basis of batting alone, one should jump to the conclusion that for the upcoming edition of the IPL, the Suresh Raina-led Gujarat Lions outfit is surely one of the strongest and the favourites to lift the title.
The team might just be a season old, but has shown tremendous potential already, as they finished third in IPL 2016. They commenced their journey, though, on a dream note having won their first three games and it was Aaron Finch, who stood out in all of them. They could have well made it to the finals, but an outstanding display of batting from Sunrisers’ skipper David Warner ended their hopes in the second qualifier at Delhi.
This season too promises to be a thrilling one for the Lions. Their owners were smart and efficient at the auction table and have calmly acquired the services of some sought after names. Having said that, it will ultimately count on the field if those individuals can replicate that form in the IPL.
Thereby, we conduct a thorough SWOT analysis of the Gujarat Lions:
Full strength XI assuming all are fit:
- B. McCullum 2. A. Finch 3. S. Raina (c) 4. D. Karthik 5. I. Kishan 6. J. Faulkner 7. R. Jadeja 8. D. Bravo 9. D. Kulkarni 10. P. Kumar 11. S. Kaushik