IPL 2016 Gujarat Lions profile: Team overview, key player, fixtures, history and prediction

Overview

The second new franchise in the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League, the Gujarat Lions have picked some of the most impressive players from one of IPL's most consistent sides. In Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Ravindra Jadeja, Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn and Dwayne Smith they have got an explosive line-up of players who can win games single-handedly. Add Suresh Raina, who has been named captain to the mix, and you have a well assembled unit.

The downside of the side is that apart from these big names, the Lions have 12 uncapped Indian players in the squad. While they will have the fire to perform, the lack of experience might just hurt the side.

The bowling is another worry, as barring Steyn, the squad is made up of medium-pacers who might just become cannon fodder if pitches turn out to favour batsmen.

Coach: Brad Hodge

Key player

Brendon McCullum: One of the best T20 players in the world, Brendon McCullum will always be part of IPL folklore after he scored a 73-ball unbeaten 158 runs in the first match of the inaugural season against Royal Challenger Bangalore. In fact, McCullum has been a consistent performer in the IPL, scoring 2080 runs in 76 games at a strike rate of 128 with two centuries to his credit.

He might be a little rusty as he has not played much since his retirement a couple of months back, but he fits the saying: "Form is temporary, class is permanent", meaning McCullum will be all set to fire with the bat.

Fixtures

Date Day Time Matches Venue

IPL History: This is the franchise's first time in the Indian Premier League.

Squad: Suresh Raina (C), Sarabjit Ladda, Akshdeep Nath , Amit Mishra, Dwayne Bravo, Paras Dogra, Eklavya Dwivedi, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Jakati, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Shivil Kaushik, Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen Kumar, Brendon McCullum, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Shah, Umang Sharma, Dwayne Smith, Dale Steyn, Pravin Tambe, Andrew Tye.

Prediction: An unknown quantity, the Gujarat Lions might just surprise fans with their performances. Their overseas contingent is their obvious strength, but it will be interesting to see how Suresh Raina handles captaincy.