Gujarat Lions (GL) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), IPL 2016, Match 19 at Rajkot, Preview: RCB will look to carry winning momentum forward

Gujarat Lions vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2016, Match 19 at Rajkot: Preview

Gujarat Lions (GL) lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Match 19 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 on Sunday. The match is set to be played at Rajkot’s Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. GL, who were unbeaten till they faced Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their previous fixture, will keep that 10-wicket defeat off their mind and take this game afresh. On the other hand, RCB are coming off narrow win against Rising Pune Supergiants by 13 runs on Friday. Both the sides have seen ups and downs in the last one week of IPL 2016 and they surely will want to come on the top at the end of their clash. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Gujarat Lions vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2016, Match 19 at Rajkot

After three consecutive wins in IPL 9, GL’s campaign finally hit a roadblock when an inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad thrashed them with an all-round performance. Sunrisers, who are missing the services of their bowling spearhead Ashish Nehra, managed to restrict GL at 135 in 20 overs before skipper David Warner along with Shikhar Dhawan chased it down with 31 balls to spare. Despite GL having the likes of Dale Steyn, Dwayne Bravo, Pravin Tambe and Praveen Kumar, they failed to stop an out-of-form Dhawan. However, this time they will be up against an in-form and dangerous pair of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Kohli and de Villiers have shared a 50-run stand in all the four matches they have played in the ninth edition of IPL. Barring in the third game against Mumbai Indians, Kohli and de Villiers have scored half-centuries in every single outing and it is obvious to say that the majority of runs for RCB have come through their bats. Having played four games, RCB have managed to register two wins. In spite of posting huge totals on board, it is their bowling that has failed which is why they have had inconsistent results. If RCB wants to ensure a place in the final four, it is crucial for them to win their upcoming matches, including this one. Kohli’s side currently holds the third spot in the IPL 2016 Points Table,with four points, behind Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and GL.

Shane Watson has easily been their pick of the bowlers having bagged two wickets each in every match except the fixture against Mumbai Indians. It has been a great relief for RCB with Kane Richardson delivering with the ball. The Australian duo will have to keep up with their disciplined spells in order to not let their opposite side fire. It will be interesting to watch how Samuel Badree’s replacement, Tabraiz Shamsi contribute with his spin. He is still an unknown South African First-Class cricketer and Kohli will have to figure out his strengthens and weaknesses before RCB enters the crucial stage of IPL 2016.

GL’s batting line-up is no less with T20 specialists Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum on the top. GL won the first three matches of IPL 9, courtesy of Finch’s half-centuries in those games and lost their previous game when Finch was dismissed for a duck. To make it worse, McCullum was also sent back to the dugout soon after Finch’s wicket. This shows GL’s dependency on their opening pair. The middle-order, consisting Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja are yet to play a match-winning knock. However, having known what these guys are capable of doing in the final overs to turn the match in no time, RCB cannot really underestimate them by just few poor performances.

Squads:

Gujarat Lions (GL): Suresh Raina (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Brendon McCullum, Praveen Kumar, Dale Steyn, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Dwayne Smith, Dhawal Kulkarni, Aaron Finch, Eklavya Dwivedi, Andrew Tye, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Shah, Shadab Jakati, Pravin Tambe, Pradeep Sangwan, Amit Mishra, Shivil Kaushik, Aksh Deep Nath, Sarabjeet Ladda, Umang Sharma, Paras Dogra.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadav (wk), Mitchell Starc, Adam Milne, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Stuart Binny, Kane Richardson, Samuel Badree, Travis Head, Praveen Dubey, Vikramjeet Malik, Akshay Karnewar, Iqbal Abdullah, Sachin Baby, Vikas Tokas.

Time: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT

(Sakshi Gupta, reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)