Gujarat Lions will host the Delhi Daredevils in Match 31 of IPL 2016 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday. The Suresh Raina-led Lions have been consistent so far in this edition, and they will look to stretch their lead at the top of the points table further when they take on the Delhi Daredevils.
The Daredevils have also had a good IPL 2016 so far, and will fancy their chances against the Lions.
The Gujarat Lions are not expected to make too many changes to their side, as they have a settled unit. Apart from Aaron Finch, the new franchise do not have much to worry about regarding injuries.
However, Finch was the first one to pad up during the training session on Monday and batted for a long time in the nets, without showing any signs of discomfort from the hamstring injury that kept him out for a few games. If he gains match fitness, then James Faulkner may have to make way for his fellow Australian, who started off the IPL 2016 season superbly with the willow.
In that case, Dinesh Karthik will have to push down the batting order. Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith have got the Gujarat Lions to just the kind of start one looks for in the shortest format of the game. So, Finch is likely to come in at No. 4, if he is in the team when they take the field against the Daredevils.
Young spinner Shivil Kaushik is also likely to retain his place in the playing XI, after his impressive performance against Kings XI Punjab.
Delhi Daredevils are yet to confirm any news on JP Duminy, who sat out the last match due to an illness. Duminy made way for Sam Billings, who scored a half-century straight away against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). If Duminy is fit, then the Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan and the coaching staff will face a tough time opting for one between the South African and Billings.
Shreyas Iyer, who was the star performer with the bat during the last domestic season, has failed to make any sort of impact at the top of the order for the Delhi Daredevils. Iyer has three ducks in the IPL 2016 and that is not a good sign for the Rahul Dravid-mentored side. Iyer may make way for Mayank Agarwal, when the Daredevils face the stern test of the Gujarat Lions.
Expected playing XI: Gujarat Lions: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (C), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Kaushik.
Delhi Daredevils: Quinton de Kock (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Sam Billings, Chris Morris, Carlos Brathwaite, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan (C), Amit Mishra.
