The new franchises face off against each other for the second time this season with the Gujarat Lions beating the Rising Pune Supergiants by 7 wickets at Rajkot. The Lions are coming off a thrilling victory against the Delhi Daredevils, beaten by just 1 run due to the heroics of Chris Morris. The Lions bowling barring Pravin Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni got mauled by Morris and they seemed absolutely clueless. The Match 25 of VIVO IPL 2016 will take place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The Supergiants have failed to register a single victory at home this season and the game against the Lions will be a good time to do just that. The Supergiants got their second win of this season when they beat the in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets in a dominant performance. The Pune wicket has assisted the slower bowlers well and the wicket doesn’t show any signs of changing. The likes of M Ashwin and Rajat Bhatia performing extremely well in the game against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Match Date and Time: 29 April 2016, 2000 hrs ISTMatch Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
Weather:
Temperature: Max 34°c, Min 26°cHumidity: Max 45%Wind: 19 km per hour
Pitch Report: Par-score 165. Batting will take some getting used to the wicket. Slowers bowlers will be the key.
In-Depth Analysis:
Steve Smith has finally been able to flourish in Pune colors and looks to have settled down in the number 3 position previously occupied by the injured Kevin Pietersen. Suddenly Pune has found some spark in the team with the inclusion of fast bowler Ashok Dinda and the Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. Dinda picked up a total of 3 wickets in his debut match for the Supergiants conceding only 22 runs in the process.
Mitchell Marsh has been superb with the new ball this season. Picking up the all important wicket of Eoin Morgan and Moises Henriques, Marsh has shown his worth for the Supergiants with the ability to whack a few out of the park. He will only improve from here on for the Supergiants and will be the key for them against the in-form Gujarat Lions.
Ravichandran Ashwin performed admirably against the Sunrisers Hyderabad where he picked up a wicket and giving away just 14 runs in his 4 overs. MSD has always backed the off-spinner and he has come good for his team. Now Ashwin has to make sure that he continues his good form against the Lions.
The Gujarat Lions had a blazing start to their innings credit to Dwyane Smith and Brendon McCullum. 110 runs from their 10 overs against the Daredevils and then followed an unnecessary collapse in their batting. Skipper Suresh Raina has just a single fifty to his credit this season and will be hoping to change that against the Supergiants.
The Caribbean all-rounder Dwyane Bravo held his nerve and earned a victory for his side against the Daredevils. He has varied his pace brilliantly this season and has been hard to be hit by the opponents. Pravin Kumar bowled remarkably well alongside Dhawal Kulkarni as they restricted the Daredevils to just 51 runs in the opening 10 overs. Consistently hitting the right line and length, they have developed a good chemistry between them for the Lions.
With Dwyane Smith and Brendon McCullum firing at the top, Lions must make sure that they support the start by finishing well and not like how they faltered to take advantage against the Daredevils.
The stage is set for this epic encounter between the ex-CSK players and definitely will be a treat for the fans.
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