Suresh Raina-led Gujarat Lions (GL) will fight against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. Gujarat looks fresh after their last win against the RCB team in an effortless manner. They bundled out strong RCB for just 134 runs before outwitting them completely at 13.5 overs with seven wickets in hand.
IPL 2017 Live Score: Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians #IPL
Captain Raina owed the credit for this fantastic win to entire team that acted as a unit while boosting the morale of the squad. With three wins from eight matches, Gujarat Lions are currently standing at 6th position. They can still make it to the play-off if they win the next five out of the six games. GL need to play outstandingly well if they are seriously aiming to reach knock out round.
Also Read: IPL 2017: Complete fixtures, schedule and time in IST with venue details
In the last match against RCB, Raina played a sensible knock of 30-ball 34 to steer his team to a comfortable win. Aaron Finch’s blitzkrieg 34-ball 72 also helped GL to clinch the match in a one-sided manner. This win has certainly instilled a whiff of confidence and self belief in the squad. But beating MI at won’t be a cakewalk. Ironically, if Mumbai win against Gujarat, then they can secure their spot at play-off with 14 points in their kitty.
Team News for Gujarat Lions
Gujarat’s right-arm-fast Andrew Tye will be a key in Saturday’s match. He has chipped in 12 wickets in five matches including match-winning 3 for 12 against RCB. Mumbai Indians will have to stay cautious from him.
After a lot of trials and errors, Gujarat Lions have now got their best overseas combinations in Andrew Tye, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum. Caribbean all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of IPL 10 due to an injury, so there is no reason for Lions to perturb this combination.
Then they have good batsmen like Raina, Karthik and Basil Thampi in middle order apart from McCullum and Finch at opening combination. In bowling department, lots will be expected from Praveen Kumar, Faulkner, Nathu Singh and Andrew Tye. Ace spinner Ravindra Jadeja also has to reinvent his spin-wizardry to tame MI’s formidable batting combination.
Team News for Mumbai Indians
In the last match between MI and GL in Mumbai earlier this month, the men-in-blue won by six wickets with useful contributions from Nitish Rana (53), Rohit Sharma (40) and Pollard (39) under pressure. While batting first, Gujarat’s Brendon McCullum smashed 64 off just 44 balls to help his team score 176 for 4 batting first. But Mumbai Indians successfully chased down the total at the last over of the match.
For Mumbai Indians, Jos Buttler and Parthiv Patel’s opening stand will be crucial. Then Rohit Sharma, Pollard and Pandya brothers to play some lofted shots down the ground to accelerate the scorecard.
In bowling department, a lot will be expected from the fast bowling troika of Mitchell Johnson, McClenaghan and Bumrah while Harbhajan will lead the spin department. Bhajji has bowled wonderfully this season with an economy of 5.82 RPO in 26 overs with five wickets to his credit. Malinga will be kept out against Lions’ match.
Predicted Playing XI (Both Teams)
Gujarat Lions (GL): Suresh Raina (Captain), Basil Thampi, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik (Wicket-Keeper), Praveen Kumar, Brendon McCullum, Nathu Singh and Andrew Tye.
Mumbai Indians (MI): Rohit Sharma (Captain), Mitchel Johnsohn, Mitchell McClenghan, Nitish Rana, Parthiv Patel (Wicket-keeper), Krunal Pandya, Keiron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Jaspreet Bumrah and Jos Buttler.
Head-to-Head: Gujarat Lions (GL) have 2-1 win-loss record against Mumbai Indians (MI).
Match Result Prediction: Gujarat Lions (GL) will win.
Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium at Rajkot. Match will telecast live at 8 PM on SONY ESPN.
Tags: #IPL, GL, Gujarat Lions, Indian Premier League, IPL 10, IPL 2017, KKR, Live Score, MI, Mumbai Indians, VIVO IPL
