Formidable Lions set for KKR clash
Last season’s group leaders will be keen to extend their domination over Gautam Gambhir’s team
RAJKOT: Hosts Gujarat Lions will want to continue their dominance over Kolkata Knight Riders as they gear up for their inaugural match of the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League, here on Friday.
The group leaders last season, Lions had defeated the Knights in both the fixtures before crashing out, having lost both their qualifier matches. They did manage to surprise everyone by topping the table, but couldn’t make the grade.
However, having roped in 11 players in the auction this time around, the Lions will hope that they have finally addressed the existing problems.
With a formidable side that has the likes of Brendon McCullum, Jason Roy and captain Suresh Raina, Gujarat Lions should be able to start the season on a positive note once again before India’s go-to man Ravindra Jadeja joins the squad to fit in the role of a handy spin bowling all-rounder.
On the other hand, the Knights would not just want to turn the statistics around; they would want to ensure that Andre Russell’s absence doesn’t hurt the team structure too badly. The Caribbean all-rounder was a vital cog in captain Gautam Gambhir’s scheme of things and will be difficult to substitute.
However, the fans will be relieved as Colin de Grandhomme, brought in as a replacement for Russell, has a T20 strike rate of 171.04.
The Knights are also set to miss the services of Umesh Yadav early on in the tournament with Chris Woakes or Nat- han Coulter-Nile likely to spearhead the pace attack.
The Knights’ batting strength lies in the experience of their domestic cricketers. Having retained their core team for quite a while now, the likes of Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey are all capable of piling up enough runs on the board for the wily Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Shakib Al Hasan to defend along with their pace battery.
It should be an interesting contest between the uncapped Ishan Kishan and Ishank Jaggi as well, who were instrumental to East Zone’s success in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and will be eager to continue their form. Both are capable of hitting big and providing the platform higher in the order for others to follow.
However, for the Lions, it should be an irresistible move to pair Roy with McCullum in the opening slot with Kishan to come lower down the order.
They also have Aaron Finch and James Faulkner, both of whom can turn a match on its head on their own.
Thus, while Raina’s men will bank on their home advantage and past glory over the Knights, it shouldn’t be a walk in the park against the two-time champions.