IPL 2017: Gujarat Lions v Mumbai Indians, Game 35– Match Result Predictions

Mumbai Indians will be a tad disappointed at losing out the previous encounter against the Rising Pune Supergiant but given their position in the points table they shouldn’t worry so much once they meet Gujarat Lions tomorrow at Saurashtra Cricket Stadium. They will be the outright favourites without a doubt but after winning their previous encounter against the Riyal Challengers Bangalore, GL will be high on confidence and will look to upstage a strong Mumbai side.

Their batting line-up has looked pretty organised and has provided them with exceptional starts on many occasions. Jos Buttler and Parthiv Patel has been a good combination up the order but it is strange to see the best opener in the team Rohit Sharma coming out to bat in the middle order. He is the man who can make full use of the powerplay but given MI’s good run he will reluctant to make a change.

The youngsters have put their hands up and performed for them on a consistent basis. Nitish Rana was the holder of the orange cap some matches ago while the Pandya brothers have been sensational too with their all-round displays. Both has been an integral part of their franchise and it won’t be a surprise if we see them don the India colours together in some time.

On the other hand, Gujarat Lions will be bolstered with their win against Bangalore in the previous match. They were thoroughly professional in all 3 departments. After restricting RCB to a meagre 134, they chased the total down with 37 balls to spare courtesy a blinder of an innings from the blade of Aaron Finch. He looked like toying with the RCB bowlers and deposited them all around the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Andrew Tye has been the pick of the Gujarat bowlers and has executed his slower balls to perfection. He has been a master at his art and bagged a five-wicket haul and a hat-trick in his debut IPL match against the Rising Pune Supergiant. He was also in line to bag a 2nd hat-trick the last day but missed out narrowly.

Here is what Crictracker predicts for the game:                   

Scenario 1: MI will win the toss

Toss Prediction: MI choose to bowl

First innings prediction: 160-170

2nd innings Prediction: MI will win by 6 wickets (with 2 overs to spare)

Scenario 2: GL will win the toss

Toss Prediction: GL choose to bowl

First innings Prediction: 190-200

2nd innings Prediction: MI will win by 13-17 runs

Head to Head Record

Overall: Total Matches –3, MI Won – 1, GL Won – 2

Mumbai defeated Gujarat in the earlier match of the tournament while GL defeated them both times in the previous edition. Given Mumbai’s current form they are the overwhelming favourites to win tomorrow’s match but you cannot rule out the prospect of an upset.

Team Combinations

Gujarat Lions

Irfan Pathan who was included in the squad ahead of their previous encounter wasn’t included in the playing XI. He might be coming in for Ankit Soni, the leg spinner who was smashed by Pawan for a couple of sixes and a four in the same over. He looked a little wayward so GL might be opting for experience in tomorrow’s clash, The rest of the team is expected to remain the same

Predicted XI: Ishan Kishan, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik, James Faulkner, Ravindra Jadeja, Irfan Pathan, Nathu Singh, Basil Thampi, Andrew Tye

Mumbai Indians

Despite their loss, Mumbai Indians is unlikely to tinker with their combination which has given them rich dividends in the past. They have been a brilliant side so far and a solitary loss cannot undermine the impressive effort they have put up in this tournament so far. Lasith Malinga might be overlooked in favour of Aussie pacer Mitchell Johnson which has been the case for the last few games.

Predicted XI: Parthiv Patel, Jos Buttler, Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell McClenghan, Jasprit Bumrah

The odds are heavily tilted in favour of the visitors but after their win in the previous match, GL will be high on confidence and we might have an upset on the cards.

Do let us know your predictions in the comments section below.