Press Trust of India
Rajkot, April 13: After making impressive debuts in their respective openers, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions will test each others’ strengths when the two new entrants clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL), here Thursday.
The two teams feature a lot of faces from the suspended Chennai Super Kings and at least six players, who played in the same side till last year, will now be in opposite camps. Close friends and CSK teammates Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina will now be devising strategies as rival captains.
The Dhoni-led Pune Supergiants were very convincing and dominant when they handed defending champions Mumbai Indians a nine-wicket drubbing.
The Lions though needed a proper team effort in taming Kings XI Punjab, who batted well but were pretty ordinary when they bowled.
Aaron Finch was in good touch. The big positive for the Lions was the heart showed by the young Ishan Kishan. Dwayne Bravo continued his impressive form in T20s as he became the only IPL player to have a combo of 1000 runs and 100 wickets.
Overall, the Lions look like a good package but they will be tested by the Supergiants, who are looking the most formidable outfit this year in the League. RP Singh with Mitchell Marsh will test their batsmen together along with quality spinner like R Ashwin. But it will be interesting to see if Dhoni continues to underbowl Ashwin or lets him complete his full quota of overs.