One of the two new IPL teams for this year’s IPL, the Gujarat Lions squad will be led by the ever-dependable Suresh Raina will be all set to rub shoulders against the other teams competing in the cash-rich league.
Although acting only as a substitute team for the next two years, the Gujarat Lions have already made a name for themselves, with the likes of Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and a few other stars set to don the Lions colours.
The team has a wonderful mix of youth, experience and has a commendable mix of talented foreigners and local Indian players. The player draft saw the side settle for the major part of their core containing ex-CSK players.
The Initial core bought saw Raina, McCullum, Bravo, Jadeja and Faulkner go to the Lions. With Suresh Raina being appointed as captain, for the first time in the IPL, it will be interesting to see what he has learnt under the able wings of his CSK captain MS Dhoni and how he goes about business on the field, with the able guidance of coach Brad Hodge.
How did the auctions go for them?
With a very strong core group, the Lions concentrated on filling up their squad with handy local talent. The foreigners bought though were amongst the best names in the game with Aussie opener Aaron Finch, speedster Dale Steyn, Dwayne Smith and Andrew Tye featuring in the list.
Indian talent included prominent names such as Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, veteran Pravin Tambe etc.
Strengths:
As with almost all the teams in the league, the Gujarat Lions squad have an explosive batting line-up with McCullum, Finch, Raina and Bravo leading the charge. Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja provide stability to the side.
The bowling also looks well settled with quite a lot of handy all-rounders in the mix. Bravo, Jadeja, Faulkner to name a few. Dale Steyn is amongst the most feared in the game although he has not been in form. Pradeep Sangwan has been tried and tested in the IPL while Praveen Kumar and Pravin Tambe provide a wealth of experience in the squad.
Weaknesses:
The Lions will have a headache in trying to pick the four foreigners to make the cut. Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Bravo are certainties while James Faulkner’s ability with both bat and ball makes him a great pick.
Dale Steyn’s dismal form in the World Cup might just put his selection in doubt although a fast-bowler’s presence like that of Steyn’s will be useful. However, the major problem will be to decide the constituency of the middle order.
With the top four decided and Dinesh Karthik in the mix, it will be interesting to see which uncapped player is entrusted with the role of stabilising the middle order.
Franchise details:
Owner: Intex Technologies
Captain: Suresh Raina
Home: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
History: Debutants
Gujarat Lions squad for IPL 9:
Foreigners: Aaron Finch, Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Dale Steyn, Andrew Tye.
Indians: Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Pravin Tambe, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Paras Dogra, Umang Sharma, Jaydev Shah, Akshdeep Nath, Eklavya Dwivedi, Ishan Kishan, Sarabjit Ladda, Shadab Jakati, Amit Mishra, Shivil Kaushik.
Gujarat Lions schedule for IPL 9:
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time |
| 11th April 2016 | Kings XI Punjab | PCA Cricket Stadium, Mohali | 20:00 |
| 14th April 2016 | Rising Pune Super Giants | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot | 20:00 |
| 16th April 2016 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 20:00 |
| 21st April 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot | 20:00 |
| 24th April 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot | 16:00 |
| 27th April 2016 | Delhi Daredevils | Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi | 20:00 |
| 29th May 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants | MCA, Pune | 20:00 |
| 1st May 2016 | Kings XI Punjab | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot | 20:00 |
| 3rd May 2016 | Delhi Dardevils | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot | 20:00 |
| 6th May 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad | 20:00 |
| 8th May 2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 14th May 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore | 16:00 |
| 19th May 2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Unavailable | - |
| 21st May 2016 | Mumbai Indians | Unavailable | - |
