IPL 2017| Match 39 Preview: Rising Pune Supergiants Vs Gujarat Lions

James Faulkner

Rising Pune Supergiants will look to carry their winning momentum into today's match after their 61-run victory over RCB. The Pune bowlers spearheaded the victory with Lockie Ferguson and Imran Tahir doing the most damage. The other bowlers were very economical and amongst wickets to say the least. The only worry about the Smith-led side would be their inconsistent batting performance which has not clicked throughout the tournament. The Pune side would definitely want both their departments to fire in unison to secure their sixth win.

The Gujarat side lost narrowly in the superover to Mumbai Indians in a nail-biting clash on Friday. The Orange army was brilliant in the outfield and shifted the momentum of the match towards their side solely due to their efforts in the field. The batting line-up has not performed up to its potential and is yet to fire. The bowling department has done a decent job but Ravindra Jadeja has lacked the wicket taking ability this season. The Gujarat Lions need to step up their game in both the departments as they need to win all the matches from here on to make it to the playoffs. 

Head to Head:

The Gujarat Lions have never been defeated by the RPS side in the 3 matches they have played so far.

Last Meeting:

In their previous encounter earlier this season, Gujarat successfully chased the target of 172 riding on the brilliant performances by Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum.

Fan Predictions:

As part of the preview, we bring to you fan predictions for the talking points of the game. The predictions are sourced from the newest fantasy game on the block – Nostragamus. If you want to make your predictions and win prizes, click here.

Who will win?

GL holds a 3-0 advantage in the 3 matches in which they have played against each other. However in the 9 matches played so far in IPL 2017, RPS have won 5 matches and lost 4 whereas, GL have only won 3 matches and lost 6. In the 6 matches RPS have played at home they have lost only 2 and for GL, 2 out of 3 wins have come in their away fixtures.With Andrew Tye, GL's consistent performer joining the injury list and RPS coming from an impressive win against RCB looks like the momentum is on the side of RPS. Hence we predict a victory for RPS as they also have the home advantage factor.

Fans verdict: The fans agree, with 60% predicting a Pune victory.

Which captain will score more?

A. Smith   B. Raina

 In IPL 2017, Smith has scored 320 runs at an average. of 53.33 whereas Raina has scored 310 runs at an average. of 51.33. In the 3 Head to head matches, Smith has scored 149 runs, while Raina has scored 93. Also, Smith's score in the previous 2 matches are 51* and 45 whereas Raina's score in the previous 2 matches are 34* and 1. Hence considering their recent form, we predict Smith to outscore Raina.

Fans verdict: The fans agree, with 58% predicting Smith will outscore Raina.

Predicted XI:

Rising Pune Supergiants: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith (C), Lockie Ferguson, MS Dhoni (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Daniel Christian, Imran Tahir, Ankit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Rahul Chahar.

Gujarat Lions : Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (C), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Aaron Finch, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Shivil Kaushik, Basil Thampi.

Key Players:

Lockie Ferguson(RPS): The Kiwi who was replacing Ben Stokes welcomed the opportunity with open arms and ended the innings with splendid figures of 2/7 from his course of 4 overs. The RPS side would be banking on him for early breakthroughs and economic bowling.

Ishan Kishan(GL): The youngster was the maximum run-getter for the Gujarat side and scored a gritty 48 to help his side reach the modest total of 153. He opened the innings for the orange army and played some scintillating shots. After his last innings, the Gujarat side might choose him again to start the proceedings with the bat. 

Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Time: 8 pm

TV Listings: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Set Max, Sony ESPN