What

Gujarat Lions will join the race after a four-day break with they take on Rising Pune Supergiant in Match 13 of VIVO IPL 2017.Both teams received a major boost ahead of this match; the Gujarat Lions will have Ravindra Jadeja available for selection, while Steven Smith – who missed the previous match with a stomach bug – will be back at the helm for RPS.

Gujarat Lions, table toppers last season, are in search of their first win. They have played two matches so far and have been at the receiving end on both occasions; in their season opener, the KKR openers demolished the Lions’ bowling attack with a record opening partnership, while in the following game David Warner smashed the Lions bowlers and helped SRH to a nine-wicket win.

Rising Pune Supergiant have one win from three matches. In their most recent fixture – against the Delhi Daredevils, they were bowled out for 108. There are problems aplenty for the RPS management to address, but the major worry for Stephen Fleming and company will be the form of the bowlers. In their three matches so far, RPS have concede totals of 184, 164 and 205. The management will need to find a solution to the death overs woes of the team; in the previous match, RPS were at the receiving end of an onslaught from young Sanju Samson and Chris Morris, who added 76 runs in the final four overs.

When

14 April 2017, 2000 Hrs IST

Where

SCA Stadium, Rajkot

The Protagonists

Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina are the most important batsmen in the Gujarat Lions line-up – though there are several others capable of causing plenty of damage with the bat, while Steven Smith and AjinkyaRahane will be the fulcrum in RPS’ batting plans. RPS will also expect Ben Stokes – the most expensive overseas player in the IPL – to cause more damage with bat and ball; the English all-rounder, who likes to be in the thick of things, will be disappointed with his performance so far and will be keen to contribute more to RPS’s cause.

Ravindra Jadeja’s availability gives the Lions captain one bowler who can give him good control and his four overs have a huge impact on the outcome of the game. Imran Tahir, a late inclusion to the RPS line-up, has wasted little time in causing impact; he is the only RPS bowler to have tasted success in all the three matches, and the leg-spinner will want to add more to his tally.

Match within the match

RPS have used Imran Tahir in the powerplay overs in two of the three matches so far, and the bowler has justified the team’s decision with a wicket in each of those overs. He will most likely get a bowl early on here too, and his contest against the explosive Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina could make for interesting viewing. McCullum has been dismissed by spin bowlers in each of his last eight IPL innings – most recently by SRH’s Rashid Khan, and he will be motivated to do well against the world’s top-ranked bowler in T20Is.

Head to Head

Overall: Matches played – 2, Gujarat Lions Won – 2, Rising Pune Supergiant Won – 0

Trivia

5 of the 6 IPL matches played at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot have been won by the team chasing; the average target successfully chased down is 163.

What Next

Up next for the Gujarat Lions is their away fixture against the Mumbai Indians; the match is scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium on April 16. Rising Pune Supergiant will be seen in action in the Garden City of Bengaluru later on the same day; they take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 8pm fixture.