IPL 2016, GL vs DD Playing 11:Probable XI for Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils (Confirmed 11)

*Update

Confirmed Playing 11s

Gujarat Lions (Playing XI): Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Kaushik

Delhi Daredevils (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Jean-Paul Duminy, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sam Billings, Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan(c)

The Gujarat Lions and the Delhi Daredevils will face off in the 31st match of the VIVO IPL 2016 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. While the Lions have made a sensational start to their IPL journey, the Daredevils have put on a highly improved performance compared to the previous edition. GL have won 6 out of their 8 matches so far and are perched right on top of the points table. DD, on the other hand, have played 6 matches and won 4 out of them to occupy the third spot on the table. Gujarat will be looking to add another win to their tally to move themselves a step closer to a playoff berth whereas Delhi will want to continue with their impressive run in the tournament. Here is the the predicted probable playing XI for both the teams

Batting

The batting line-up has done a brilliant job for the Gujarat side till now with skipper Suresh Raina leading from the front having scored 228 runs in 8 innings. The other GL batsman to have scored more than 200 runs in this year's IPL is opener Brendon McCullum, who has 219 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 157.55.

Aaron Finch had been their top batsman in the initial stages of the tournament as he had scored 191 runs from just 4 innings. However, he was dropped from the side to make way for Dwayne Smith, who has also been going great guns at the top of the order with 163 runs in 4 matches.

In the middle order, Dinesh Karthik has also made a good contribution till now with 162 runs at an average of slightly over 32. The only problem area for the Lions has been the lower order batsmen who have not played a big role for them so far.

All-rounders

None of the top all-rounders who represent the Gujarat Lions have been up to the mark for them this season. While Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja have been good with the ball but quite poor with the bat, James Faulkner has been decent with the bat but has struggled with his bowling. The IPL newcomers will need their all-rounders to excel in both departments if they want to continue with their impressive performance.

Bowling

Bravo has been Gujarat's leading wicket-taker in the 2016 IPL as he has claimed 10 wickets in 8 games. Pacer Dhawal Kulkarni has also made an impact for the Lions with 7 wickets in the 6 matches he has played so far. Among the pacers, Praveen Kumar and Faulkner are the ones who have struggled to take wickets with only 2 each.

Jadeja has been the most successful spinner for his team with 5 wickets followed by Pravin Tambe who also has the same number of wickets. A newbie in the IPL, Shivil Kaushik, has been the most talked about bowler in the tournament due to his strange action. However, he has also bowled pretty well, recording figures of 3 for 19 in the match against KXIP.

The bowling has been very good from the Gujarat Lions bowlers so far and they must carry on in the same vein to help their team progress further.

Probable Playing XI

Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Suresh Raina (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar, Shivil Kaushik, Dhawal Kulkarni.

Click Next to continue reading probable XI for Delhi Daredevils

Delhi is among the most improved teams of this year’s IPL

Another high-octane encounter in the VIVO IPL 2016 awaits us as the Delhi Daredevils take on the Gujarat Lions at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday. The Daredevils seem to have recovered from their poor form from the past few seasons and have won 4 out of their 6 matches this year. The Lions, on the other hand, have taken the IPL by storm in their very first season with 6 wins already in their 8 games and currently occupy the top spot in the points table. Both teams have a lot to play for when they compete against each other in the 31st match of the 2016 IPL and a win could bolster the campaign for either side.

Here's a look at the possible line-up for the Delhi Daredevils for their match against GL:

Batting

While the Delhi batsmen haven't exactly set the tournament on fire, they have done a pretty good job to help their team's cause so far. Quinton de Kock is the leading run-scorer for the Delhi Daredevils with 199 runs in 6 innings; however, he has been struggling for runs in the past few games. Youngster Karun Nair is their 2nd highest run-getter with 139 runs, which includes two half-centuries.

Sanju Samson has also scored 133 runs but he has not performed too well in the last couple of games. England's Sam Billings made a fantastic debut in the IPL with a blistering 54 off 34 balls against KKR and looks to be a great prospect for the Daredevils. The DD batsmen seem to be doing quite well but need to play even better to ensure a spot in the playoffs fo their team.

All-rounders

The all-rounders have begun to come good for the Delhi team in the previous few encounters. Chris Morris has clearly been the standout performer with 5 wickets from 6 games at an economy of 6.52 and 93 runs at a strike of well over 200. Carlos Brathwaite played a cameo towards the end against KKR to give momentum to the Delhi Daredevils innings and has also picked up 4 wickets. DD will require a fairly more consistent performance from the all-rounders to continue with their current form.

Bowling

The Delhi bowling has improved drastically as the tournament has progressed and has given the team a real boost. Amit Mishra has been the most successful bowler for the Daredevils with 8 wickets from 6 matches. Skipper Zaheer Khan has also managed to recover from an average start to claim 6 wickets in the tournament.

Morris has been very impressive with the ball as he has 5 wickets and has conceded his runs at an economy of just over 6. Leggie Imran Tahir has also done well in the few chances he has got with 3 wickets in his kitty. Mohammed Shami, however, has not been at his best since his return to the team but Delhi will be hoping that he can recover quickly.

The Delhi Daredevils will want their bowlers to continue with their impressive run so that they have a realistic chance of making it to the playoffs this time.

Probable Playing XI

Quinton de Kock (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Sam Billings, Chris Morris, Carlos Brathwaite, Pawan Negi, Zaheer Khan (c), Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra.