GL vs RPS Prediction: Gujarat Lions vs Rising Pune Supergiants Match Predictions, Playing Squad, Who will win IPL 2016 Match 6

In the context of the battle, both the teams appear to have equal strength on paper. While Pune have a rock solid batting line-up, Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina has the luxury of four to five world class all-rounders at his disposal, including himself if need be.

While Gujarat is all set to play their first match in home conditions, they will be upbeat after managing to script a 4 wicket victory against the KXIP without massive contributions from Raina and McCullum, perhaps their two best batsmen in the team. Brendon McCullum will be looking to cash in after getting stumped for nought in the previous encounter, and if he combines forces with the in-form Finch, it can well be a case of major fireworks during the initial stages of the Gujarat innings, something that Pune will have at the back of their minds.

Pune will be banking upon the fact that they have one of the best top orders in the tournament. A squad comprising of three current international captains in Smith, Faf Du Plessis and MS Dhoni added to the expertise of Kevin Pietersen with the brute force in Mitchell Marsh, it will be interesting to see how Praveen Kumar is tackled early on. Possessing the ability to torment the batsmen early with his movement both ways, Praveen will have to play a major role to play if the Lions are to restrict Pune from freeing their arms early on and later in the slog overs with his perfectly- timed yorkers. Carribean all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will yet again be looked upon to stifle batsman with his variations and contribute with the bat as well.

However, beating Pune will be far from easy with the quality of match-winners they have in their side. Add local bowlers Ishant Sharma, RP Singh and Ravi Ashwin into the picture and the Pune Giants are probably the most experienced T20 team in this season’s IPL. Having the amount of experience in the team added to the calmness of skipper Dhoni will ensure that the Supergiants are prepared for any sort of situation that comes in their way. Considering these facts, Pune might just be entering the match with the ‘favourites’ tag.

Here we try to take a look at how the match can turn out to be :

With the SCA being played on for the first time in the Indian Premier League, win the toss and bowl first might just be the mantra for both the sides, considering the power packed line-ups and the possible dew factor later on in the evening.

If RPSG bat first :

With both the openers having a good look-in against Mumbai, Rahane and Du Plessis will be yet again looking to lay a strong foundation for accumulating a big score on the board. Rahane and Faf get them off to a good start, but Faf falls to Praveen while trying to up the ante. Pietersen walks in to face the seamers and takes a while to settle in. Dwayne Bravo is introduced into the attack early on and bowls a couple of good balls upfront. At the end of 10 overs, RPSG could be 75-1. Jadeja is brought into the attack and immediately snaps up Rahane. Smith and Pietersen hang around for a while and score well off Sarabjit Ladda, who has an off-day. Trying to go on the aggressive, KP is lured in by Bravo, while new man MS Dhoni struggles to find his feet. The slog overs are good for Pune however and they end up scoring around 175-180.

If GL bat first :

Brendon McCullum sets the stage on fire in the initial overs, scoring at over 10 an over. Finch is happy to play second fiddle, but not for long as Ashwin is introduced into the attack and snares Finch in his first over. Raina walks in and takes a few balls to settle, but then scores at a fast pace. Rajat Bhatia then comes on, and snaps Brendon McCullum. By the end of 12 overs, GL is 105-2. Raina looks to go on the attack, ably supported by Dinesh Karthik. However, Ashwin proves too much for him and falls to Ashwin after making a patient 15. Dwayne Bravo is promoted up the order and provides some late fireworks alongside a lower-order batsman to take the team score to 195.

Conclusion:

We are predicting Rising Pune Supergiants to win this one.