IPL 9, Match 15 Preview: Gujarat Lions aim to keep the fire burning

The Gujarat Lions are yet to drop points in the current edition of the IPL. While a win will certainly witness them leapfrog the Knight Riders into the first position, a rejuvenated Sunrisers Hyderabad side stand in their way. Riding on a wonderful half-century by David Warner, the Sunrisers seemingly breathed life into their stuttering season. While their side still looks frugal on paper, the impressive win against the Mumbai Indians may well be the shot in the arm the Hyderabad-based franchise would be looking for. These two sides with contrasting fortunes will face off at Rajkot with all the cards on the table.

Team News

Gujarat Lions:

The Gujarat Lions cannot seem to put a foot wrong. Aaron Finch has been smacking the ball much better than he has done for the most part of his career but he might well not be available for this game since he pulled up his hamstring during the chase against Mumbai. And in case, he doesn’t make it Dwayne Smith will get his first game and partner Brendon McCullum. With the ball, Dwayne Bravo has been extremely tight with his slower bouncers. The Suresh Raina led side has been lethal, flawless and most importantly, getting the one-percenters right.

While they seem invincible at the moment, the inconsistent form of Brendon McCullum will certainly be a concern. The former Kiwi skipper has played aggressive cricket all his life, but the inconsistencies in his conversions remain. Although it is highly unlikely that he will be replaced, the Lions will be hoping that Baz does indeed find the meat of the bat more consistently. With two allrounders featuring in the form of Bravo and James Faulkner, the Gujarat Lions boast of astounding balance.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

A mighty impressive win over the Mumbai Indians saw the Sunrisers Hyderabad breathe life into their season. The win has propelled them up the table to fifth place in the standings. Their skipper, David Warner has been in simply unbelievable form with two half-centuries to his name. The bowling attack, however, may receive a boost should Ashish Nehra be deemed fit to play.

The spotlight, however, as far as the SRH fans and the management are concerned, will be on the out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan. The latter’s failure to launch after an extended bad patch has become a cause for concern for the team. He may be replaced by starlet Ricky Bhui. Kane Williamson will once again miss out with an untimely injury.

Probable XI-

Gujarat Lions:

Suresh Raina (C), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Akshdeep Nath, Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Pravin Tambe, Shadab Jakati, Dhawal Kulkarni

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

David Warner (C), Naman Ojha (wk), Ricky Bhui/ Shikhar Dhawan, Bipul Sharma, Moises Henriques/ Ben Cutting, Eoin Morgan, Deepak Hooda, Karn Sharma, Barinder Saran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman

StAttack

1. David Warner and Eoin Morgan have accounted for 52% of the runs scored by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The duo has amassed 245 runs of the 469 runs in the tournament thus far.

2. Aaron Finch has amassed 191 runs in the three matches he has played for the Gujarat Lions.