Probably, playing their last Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Gujarat Lions (GL) will now certainly try to win the remaining three matches to finish their IPL campaign on a high note. Tonight, GL will face off Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. While GL’s campaign is literally over with a meager 6 points from 11 matches, KXIP are still sniffing a chance to break into top four with four consecutive wins and luck on their side.
IPL 2017 Live Score: Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions #IPL
However, it won’t be that much easier for team Punjab to pit down the Lions easily at Mohali. Top order batsmen like Aaron Finch, Dwayne Smith, Ishan Kishan and Suresh Raina will be crucial to the team.
Also Read: IPL 2017: Complete fixtures, schedule and time in IST with venue details
Team News for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
Maxwell-led KXIP are playing well at the moment with two consecutive victories in their kitty at a home and away match. Key Punjab batsmen Hashim Amla, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Martin Guptil are playing fine and can be a bowler’s nightmare at any time. Lions will try to get an early breakthrough to create more pressure for Punjab.
In bowling department too, Punjab has found new heroes in Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma. Yet, experienced duo of Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron are proving to be expensive.
In the last couple of matches, bowling has been key to Punjab’s side. It was the effort of all-rounder Axar Patel that saw KXIP beat RCB by 19-run at ease. Axar’s 17-ball 38 and 3 for 11 eventually took the game away from RCB. Kohli’s team was bowled out for 119 while chasing Punjab’s 138.
Team News for Gujarat Lions (GL)
If a couple of these batsmen click then a massive run-flow can be expected from Gujarat. Yet, Raina will definitely miss the services of its bowling spearhead Andrew Tye and key batsman Brendon McCullum owing to their respective injuries.
In the absence of Andrew Tye, Suresh Raina must be expecting something special from its pace bowlers Basil Thampi and Pradeep Sangwan. Both seamers need to bowl at the right spot to keep the Punjab top order on their toes. Some Yorker length-deliveries in the death overs could do the trick as well.
Ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also needs to turn the ball to trouble Punjab batsmen more. The likes of Shardul Thakur and James Faulkner will have to bowl cunningly to stop the run flow from Punjab’s bat. Apart from a strong top order, in the middle order, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik are the players to watch out for in tonight’s clash. Unless Punjab get them out early, the match can turn in Lions’ favor any time.
Predicted Playing XI (Both Teams)
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP): Manan Vohra, Hashim Amla, Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell (Captain), Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha (Wicket Keeper), Mohit Sharma, KC Cariappa, Sandeep Sharma and Ishant Sharma.
Gujarat Lions (GL): Suresh Raina (Captain), Basil Thampi, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik (Wicket-Keeper), Praveen Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Nathu Singh and Jason Roy.
Head-to-head: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have 2-1 win-Loss record against Gujarat Lions (GL).
Match Result Prediction: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will win.
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium at Mohali. Match will telecast live on SONY ESPN at 8 PM tonight.
Tags: #IPL, GL, Gujarat Lions, Indian Premier League, IPL 10, IPL 2017, Kings XI Punjab, KXIP, Live Score, Mohali, PCA Stadium, VIVO IPL
