RPS vs GL Live Ball by ball commentary | IPL 2016 Full coverage |
VIVO IPL 2016’s two debutant teams face off for the second time in the 25th match of the season. The previous encounter which had Gujarat Lions serving as hosts, saw the home team picking up an easy win courtesy some clinical batting from Lions’ openers Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum. That started a run of four consecutive defeats for Rising Pune Supergiants which came to an end in their last match when some disciplined bowling saw them see off Sunrisers Hyderabad via the DLS method. They now are sixth in the standings with four points and need a winning streak to consolidate a playoff position by the end of the league phase. On the other hand, Gujarat has only gone from strength to strength, with only one defeat from six matches played so far. Ironically, that defeat was against Hyderabad. However small, that little bit of irony will give Pune a spring in their step coming into this one.
The Match will be live from 20:00 IST, 2:30 GMT. Watch live streaming of KKR vs MI onwww.starsports.com and www.hotstar.com. Mobile users can watch live streaming of KKR vs MI on the Hotstar App. You can also watch the live telecast of RPS vs GL on Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD, Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony Max. The match will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
However, the home team is a weakened squad, as Proteas batting ace Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of cricketing action for the next six months at least, after nursing a broken finger. This is a big blow, as with Kevin Pietersen also ruled out after a calf injury. Hence, Australian Usman Khwaja has been drafted in, and he is a proper match winner. He most probably will be partnering Ajinkya Rahane who would want to brush aside last match’s setback of getting out for a duck and be back amongst the runs.
Aussie captain Steve Smith played an important 36-ball-46 against Hyderabad and was much looking like his usual self. He would want to continue that form. Captain MS Dhoni’s poor run with the bat continued in the last match and this being one of the sore spots in the Pune batting, he would want to pick up some good amount of runs with a decent strike rate.
Aussie all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was phenomenal during his spell in the last match with figures of 4-0-14-2 and with the Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera also in fine touch, it gives both the middle-order and the seam bowling department a formidable look. Saurabh Tiwary did not face a ball against Hyderabad, but he is more than capable of providing the lower-middle order with a flourish.
Rajat Bhatia has been economical with the ball throughout and is a useful batsman before the tail comes in. The spinners Murugan Ashwin and Ravichandran Ashwin gave away just 20 runs in 5 overs between them in the last match and off-spinner Ravichandran got rid of Deepak Hooda off his first ball. They will look for the usual variations from either end.
The talking point of the last match was the red-hot form of Bengal speedster Ashok Dinda, in his very first match, got rid of Warner, Tare and Ojha, bowling a maiden and giving away just 23 runs. Pune will definitely look up to this unlikely hero to perform some more heroics.
Visitors Gujarat Lions survived a late Chris Morris onslaught in the last match against Delhi to eke out a win in a battle that could have gone either way. While Aaron Finch is still doubtful, Dwayne Smith has been in sublime touch and after a 30-ball- 53 in the last outing, should be high on confidence. His opening partner Brendon McCullum has come of age at long last, and they will form a formidable opening pair.
Captain Suresh Raina’s poor form has been a worry for Gujarat and after last match’s failure where he managed just 2, has to find his feet sooner rather than later. Dinesh Karthik has got back some form, although he will be looking to do better than his 17-ball-19 against Delhi.
Among the two all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner, the Aussie has been in better touch with the bat, and while both their bowling have leaked a lot of runs, Bravo has disappointed with the bat as well. They form an important part of the core of Pune’s team and have to pull up their socks and perform.
Indian U-19 captain, Ishan Kishan missed out last time and will be desperate to impress in his first professional tournament. Ravindra Jadeja got out cheaply last time out and did precious little with the ball and is yet to perform by his standards.
Both the pacers Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni were fantastic with the ball against Delhi. While Kumar was wicketless, he had an unbelievable economy of 3.25 in his four overs. Kulkarni picked up three wickets in his amazing spell of 4-1-19-3. They would again want to do some damage to the Gujarat batting line-up while keeping the run rate in check.
If the all-rounders stick to their task along with them, Gujarat could be unbeatable today. Veteran Pravin Tambe’s only over against Delhi went for 17 runs, and while he would want more overs to bowl, he has to work on constraining the batsmen.
The match will be broadcasted live SuperSport in Africa, Geo Super in Pakistan, Maasranga in Bangladesh, Set Max and Sony Six in Bhutan, ESPN in the US, and Sky Sports in the UK. The live streaming of the match can also be watched on CricketGateway.com in Australia.
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