Gujarat Lions look good to go the distance

In the nine editions of the Indian Premier League, the likes of King XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils have failed to crack the code, continuously falling short of making it to the play-offs. So when Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant joined the tournament last year, they were expected to take at least one season to settle down. It took many by surprise when Lions breezed past the league stage to top the table ahead of established teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders.

What it also reflected was their firm understanding of the tournament. Having assembled their core from Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, and then rebuilding their squad around it, they did well to cover all the bases and put up a formidable outfit. The fact that they fell short of making it to the final somewhat showed their inexperience, but it should hold them in good stead in the upcoming season.

A lot of Lions' performance had to do with Suresh Raina's leadership as well. In the television series Designated Survivor, Kiefer Sutherland, who plays the role of Thomas Adam Kirkman, suddenly finds himself as the president of the United States overnight from Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after a terrorist attack kills the president and the vice president. Raina found himself in a similar situation. Suddenly the cushion of playing under Mahendra Singh Dhoni wasn't there. Raina's prolific run in the first eight season had a lot to do with playing freely without much pressure. Suddenly he was forced to marshall his troops and lead the team forward.

Raina, to his credit, emerged as that kid who slogged throughout the year and eventually reaped the rewards. There were two reasons he played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - to prepare for the Twenty20 International series in Australia and scout for local talents. He brought in the experience of Praveen Kumar and the flair of Uttar Pradesh players to balance the belligerence of their overseas stars. Raina's role in this line-up cannot be emphasised enough and his leadership, with all his energy on the field, can set the ball rolling again - something that the think-tank will be desperately hoping for.

In the last edition, Lions won nine of their 14 league clashes. They then lost both the Qualifier and the second play-off to crash out of the tournament. It was a bitter pill to swallow for them as they learnt how hard it can be to sustain momentum in the long tournament. Considering this is potentially their last appearance in the tournament, nothing less than a triumphant campaign will satisfy those involved. For that, they'll have to ensure they don't peak too soon and keep the momentum with their side heading into the all-important knockout phase of the tournament.

Strengths

Lions will bank on their batsmen to light up the tournament. Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Jason Roy, Raina, Dwayne Smith and Dinesh Karthik will be crucial to the team's chances. That they won 80 percent of their matches in the last edition while chasing, shows their batting depth and prowess.

Weakness

Gujarat Lions are missing what many in the cricketing circles would call a gun bowler. Praveen, Dhawal Kulkarni and Shivil Kaushik did a splendid job last year and the onus is on them to carry that forward. After the auction earlier this year, franchise owner Keshav Bansal had told Cricbuzz that they were looking to add variety to their bowling line-up. They bought Nathu Singh, Basil Thampy, Munaf Patel and others in their bid to do so, but the names don't inspire so much confidence ahead of the tournament. Jadeja will also come in after a long home season and could be jaded. Lions are already set to miss his services for the first couple of games.

Opportunities

Dwayne Bravo is set to miss the first half of the tournament after he picked up a hamstring injury during the Big Bash League in December. That leaves Lions with two options - go in with a batting heavy side or balance it out by playing James Faulkner. If they do go in with the first option, it'll be an opportunity for Jason Roy to join forces with McCullum, Finch and Smith. However, Roy's weakness against spin can work against him. During the limited-overs series in India, Jadeja and other spinners kept troubling him even when he flayed the pacers with ease. It'll be interesting to see how he overcomes that challenge.

Threats

Raina's lack of match practice should be a concern for the think-tank. He missed a significant amount of Ranji Trophy due to illness and then was left out of the Indian One-Day International squad. He did come back to play three Twenty20 Internationals against England and looked in good touch. However, if he takes time to get going, that might rub on the team.

What the schedule holds

Lions play their five home games in the first half of the tournament. Needless to say, the key is going to be winning away from home and sustaining the momentum when they play away games in the business end of the tournament. Their last two games in Kanpur, which is their second home base, should help them as they hold a good record at the Green Park.

After playing their first two games in three days - against Kolkata Knight Riders at home and an away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad - they have a four day break before playing continuously without a significant break in between.

Ideal playing XI: Jason Roy, Dwayne Smith, Suresh Raina (c), Brendon McCullum, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Shivil Kaushik, Dhawal Kulkarni