Who do you think will win IPL 2017? Which batsman will win the Orange Cap and which bowler will take home the Purple Cap?
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WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?
The Gujarat Lions, playing in their debut season, took the league by storm as they finished at the top of the league standings. With nine wins from 14 matches, they went into the playoffs with high hopes.
But despite getting two chances at qualifying for the final, the Lions faltered and were eliminated in the second qualifier by eventual winners SunRisers Hyderabad.
Earlier, they had lost to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a closely-fought contest in the first Qualifier. They had set a target of 159 and had the hosts reeling at 29-5 before a top knock from AB de Villiers took RCB to the final.
Captain Suresh Raina was the top run-scorer for the Rajkot-based franchise last season, with 399 runs to his name. Australia’s Aaron Finch also looked in good touch during the tournament, notching up 393 runs at an average of 39.30.
Dhawal Kulkarni and Dwayne Bravo were the most impressive bowlers with 18 and 17 scalps respectively during the 2016 season.
WHAT IS NEW THIS YEAR?
The Gujarat Lions were very busy in the auction this year as they ended up purchasing a total of 11 players: Jason Roy, Chirag Suri, Pratham Singh, Aksh Deep Nath, Nathu Singh, Basil Thampy, Tejas Singh Baroka, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel, Shelly Shaurya, and Shubham Agrawal.
Suri, in fact, is the first player from the United Arab Emirates [UAE] to be snapped up by an IPL franchise and his participation in the tournament is likely to bring more exposure to cricket in the UAE.
The biggest signing they have made is England’s Jason Roy, who surprisingly went unsold at the start of the auction. The Lions also have Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch as options to open the batting and it’ll be interesting to see how they go about selecting their side.
Exciting young Indian pacer Nathu Singh and veteran Munaf Patel are also in the Gujarat squad.
HOW WILL THEY DO?
A side filled with all-rounders is usually one that does well in T20 cricket and the Lions have some world-class all-rounders in their ranks.
Add to that an explosive batting line-up and some experienced bowlers, and you will see that the Lions are one of the favourites to reach the playoffs. But unlike last season, they will not want to stumble when it really matters.
SQUAD LIST
Captain: Suresh Raina
Batsmen: Brendon McCullum (overseas), Aaron Finch (overseas), Jaydev Shah, Jason Roy (overseas), Chirag Suri (overseas), Pratham Singh, Aksh Deep Nath.
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo (overseas), James Faulkner (overseas), Dwayne Smith (overseas).
Wicket-keepers: Dinesh Karthik, Ishan Kishan.
Bowlers: Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen Kumar, Andrew Tye (overseas), Pradeep Sangwan, Shivil Kaushik, Shadab Jakati, Nathu Singh, Basil Thampy, Tejas Singh Baroka, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel, Shelly Shaurya, Shubham Agrawal.
