It’s fair to say the Gujarat Lions have taken IPL 2016 by storm, racing out the blocks in their first tournament to top the standings at this early stage.
Given their new arrival on the scene, that form has been a surprise to many. The question now is whether it can be sustained.
Sport360’s Joy Chakravarty and Ajit Vijaykumar take up the debate.
One of the oldest adages in cricket is that it is a game of glorious uncertainties. That fact keeps getting amplified as the format of the game shortens.
In Twenty20s, predicting anything can be hazardous, but I will still stick my neck out and back Indian Premier League’s newest team Gujarat Lions to carry on with the early momentum and lift the trophy come Sunday, May 29.
As fickle as the format is, there is always a better probability of a quality all-round side going the full distance compared to teams that are struggling with their balance.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are a classic example that you need performers in every department. The original DNA of Gujarat Lions is from Chennai Super Kings, which was the most successful team in the history of IPL before the two-year suspension.
Gujarat Lions maintain top spot, Kings XI Punjab remain at the bottom while Mumbai Indians move up #IPL2016 pic.twitter.com/HLNr8AAOIl
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 1, 2016
Captain Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja were all core members of that team and have carried over their confidence and spirit from last year. Sunday night’s defeat to Kings XI Punjab notwithstanding, they still lead the table.
They have a fantastic batting line-up, led by the explosive opening combination of McCullum and Smith. Raina himself is yet to hit the form he showed for CSK, while Aaron Finch is unfit right now.
If these two come to the party, there will be no stopping the Lions.
Three quality all-rounders – Bravo, Jadeja and James Faulkner – give Raina plenty of options, while in Amit Mishra, they have probably the best spinner in this IPL. And obviously, India’s answer to ‘frog in the blender’ – Shivil Kaushik – has immense novelty value and someone who is yet to be fathomed completely as his three-wicket haul last night proved.
Most importantly, Lions are a very good fielding side. That gives them an edge over every other every other team in the competition.
There is no doubt that Gujarat Lions have had a great start in the IPL. Six wins from eight matches is a good way to begin you debut campaign and can only help to aim higher.
But T20 is a game of percentages. One hit here or there, a dropped catch and the course of the match changes.
Gujarat have been good at grabbing those moments but of late, they seem to be cracking under pressure.
The first jitter was felt in the match against Delhi Daredevils. Delhi were three down for 16 chasing 173 and almost out of the game. But once Chris Morris started to open his shoulders, all bowlers, apart from Praveen Kumar, began to lose their rhythm.
The sloppiness of Ravindra Jadeja in collecting the ball in the final over on two separate occasions didn’t look good in a professional game and nearly cost them the match.
Against bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab, the Lions were expected to finish the game with one eye closed. But two quick wickets of Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith and Gujarat did not know what to do.
Their middle order of Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Karthik looked out of sorts. And this is what happens in IPL. We are at the half-way mark and it’s only the results in the second half that matters.
It is very difficult to maintain a level of performance over 16-18 T20 matches. And if everything fires perfectly at the start, chances are the law of averages will catch up and things will start to go awry when it really matters.
Gujarat almost fell apart against Delhi and then fell to Kings XI Punjab. Those, for me, are signs that Gujarat are slowly starting to lose steam and will find it very difficult to keep up their momentum.
Obviously, it’s not impossible for them to find another gear and go for glory. But the chances of Gujarat continuing this run all the way to the title look unlikely at the moment.
