IPL 10, Match 20, GL v RCB- Gujarat Lions Predicted XI

After their first season in Indian Premier League (IPL), Gujarat Lions were anointed as the favourites to reach the playoffs again. They didn’t have a great start to the tenth edition of IPL as they managed to win only one out their first four matches.

Gujarat Lions won their first game after two thrashing defeat. They had whipped Rising Pune Supergiant in their third game by 7 wickets but couldn’t keep the momentum going as they lost against Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore won their first game at home, against Delhi Daredevils, in a cracker of a game where the match went all the down to the wire and in the end, it was Pawan Negi, who had too much firepower and managed to upstage Delhi.

Both the teams are sailing in the same boat and have occupied the bottom-most slots in the points table. Only net run-rate and an extra match of RCB separates the two sides and it will certainly make a good contest when two evenly match sides face each other on Tuesday.

Gujarat Lions had some good games with the bat but it’s the inconsistent bowling that might worry them going into this game.

With plenty of the league still left, Gujarat Lions wouldn’t want to press the panic button and would look to pick best possible eleven in this match considering the three losses in their first four matches. Very few changes are likely to be made and here is the GL Predicted XI for the GL VS RCB encounter:

Openers (Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum):

It is unlikely that Gujarat Lion will tinker with their opening combination. The duo has opened together on quite a few occasions for Chennai Super Kings in past and has been successful for Gujarat Lions as well.

Dwayne Smith didn’t have a good game against Mumbai Indians but he is surely one of the most dangerous and explosive batsmen at this slot. He has the ability to start the innings with big sixes and provide blistering start to his side. He has played over 80 matches in IPL and scored over 2000 runs. His experience at this number would definitely help Gujarat Lion to be back on winning track.

Brendon McCullum may have retired from International Cricket but he still has the power to hit sixes out of the park. He is as good as he was when leading New Zealand. He played brilliant innings of 64 runs off 44 balls which were laced up with three maximums and six fours. Gujarat Lions would be expecting the same from him in this match as well.

Top Order (Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik):

Raina has been one of the most successful IPL batsmen and has scored over 4000 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 138.01. Raina has been a great striker of the ball and has the ability to play under pressure. He will have the responsibility to set the tone for the coming batsman by building a foundation at the top.

Confident, fearless and oozing with talent, Dinesh Karthik is definitely proving his stature at this level. He came into this IPL with a great domestic season and has played well for Gujarat Lions. He has been the surprise package this season scoring 128 runs at an average of 42.7.

Middle and Lower Order (Dwayne Bravo, Ishan Kishan and Ravindra Jadeja) :

The Caribbean All-Rounder, Dwayne Bravo is expected to make a return to Gujarat Lion’s side after an injury. He has been one of the best overseas players in IPL and will have a responsibility on his shoulders to play a crucial role for his side. He generally bats up the order but due to the permutation and combination of side, he has to bat in the middle order. He has been a consistent player with both bat and ball in past and has the ability to upstage any opposition.

Next in line, Ishan Kishan, who needs to the finishing job for his team. He had a decent domestic season and earlier helped India U-19 to reach the World Cup Finals. He again will have a chance to make an impression in this game.

The star of Indian Cricket, Ravindra Jadeja missed out first few games this season. He has been a part of IPL since its incarnation. He has been the pillar of Gujarat Lions side and arguably, the best all rounder. He has the ability to play handy knocks lower down the order and keep runs down in the middle overs.

Bowlers (Andrew Tye, Praveen Kumar, Basil Thampi and Munaf Patel):

Andrew Tye made a dream debut in IPL by picking 5 wickets for just 17 runs including a hat-trick to record the best figures by an IPL debutant. He has been a part of playing eleven since then. He has the ability to provide breakthroughs at crucial phases of the game.

Praveen Kumar has proved his critics wrong by restricting the run flow at the death overs. He has an experience of over 100 IPL matches. and has the ability to swing the ball both ways. He had a decent outing with the ball in last game.

The right-arm medium pacer, Basil Thampi is bowling exceptionally well in this IPL. Though, the emerging talent has not able to pick a wicket but has been able to restrict the run flow. He has bowled at a decent economy of 8.44.

Munaf Patel made a return to IPL after 1426 days.The tall Baroda fast bowler, famous for his languid style and action like Australian star Glenn McGrath. He carries a good amount of experience at his back and is expected to deliver in this game.