IPL 2017 GL vs MI: Gujarat Lions(GL) Probable playing XI against Mumbai Indians (MI)

After an extremely poor start to the season, the Gujarat Lions are finally starting to get some wins under their belt. They have won 2 out of their last 3 encounters but will have their task cut out when they come up against an in-form Mumbai Indians who have lost only 2 matches out of the 7 they have played.

With the match taking place at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium, Gujarat would be hoping to get another 2 points on the board.

Here is their predicted XI for the match:

Brendon Mccullum: The former New Zealand captain who retired from international cricket a few months ago is certainly enjoying his time in this year’s IPL as he has notched up a lot of runs and has been terrorising opposition bowlers since the beginning of the tournament. He has scored 267 runs in 8 matches at an average of 33.37 with 2 half centuries to his name.

Ishan Kishan: The former India U-19 captain had a good domestic season with the bat after his disastrous world cup campaign last year. He was not given a lot of chances this year but showed us his potential when he opened the innings last time around. He got off to a good start and played some exceptional shots and would be hoping to get a big knock this time.

Suresh Raina has never failed to disappoint us when it has come to the IPL. He is the all-time leading run scorer and is currently 4^th on the list of the orange cup holders for this season. Being the captain of the side, he will look to turn the Lions fortunes around in a hope to reach the playoffs.

Extra Cover: Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians Live Score and Commentary

Aaron Finch was at his blistering best against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the previous match and showed us all why he was the former world no. 1 T20 batsman. He came out to bat when Gujarat were struggling and completely turned the game on its head. He will look to have another go at the bowler's today.

Dinesh Karthik is coming from a spectacular domestic season and has not disappointed at all in the IPl so far. He plays the role of a finisher for the Rajkot-based team and has been successful in doing so. He will look to prove a point one last time before the Indian squad is picked for the Champions Trophy ’if’ the Men in Blue decide to take part in the extravaganza.

James Faulkner has hardly got a chance to perform this year as the franchise decided to pick Dwayne Smith in most of the matches. However, given Smith’s poor form, the Aussie will look to cement his place in the side with a strong performance with the bat and the ball.

Ravindra Jadeja has not been at his best with the ball so far and has hardly got a chance to showcase his batting skills. He will look to improve upon his form since he is one of the most integral players in the Lions squad.

Irfan Pathan was drafted into the squad just a few days ago after Dwayne Bravo was ruled out of the rest of the tournament. He was not included in the playing XI for the previous match but will most likely play his first game today as a replacement for Ankit Soni.

Andrew Tye has been one of the finds of the season in this year’s tournament. He did not play in all the matches for Gujarat this season but with 12 wickets in 5 matches at an economy rate of 6.60, he has cemented his place in the side for the rest of the tournament and could go on to challenge for the Purple Cap as well.

Basil Thampi has been promising this season and has caught everyone’s eye with some accurate death bowling. At the same time, the Kerala pacer has conceded a lot of runs in the initial overs whilst being unlucky not to pick up more wickets. In spite of all this, he is likely to feature in Gujarat’s playing XI against MI.

Nathu Singh has opened the bowling for Gujarat in their previous two matches and has conceded only 15 runs in the 4 overs he has bowled. He was taken off the field due to an injury in his first game but did not face any such concern in the 2^nd. With his ability to keep the opposition run-rate in check, he should be bowling his quota of 4 overs in today’s game.