GL vs RPS

Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants were two new teams introduced in the IPL in 2016 for two seasons. They replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two editions in 2016 and 2017. Both teams managed to leave their mark in the IPL in quick time. While the Supergiants finished as the runners-up in 2017, Gujarat Lions made it to the playoffs in 2016 after finishing up at the top of the league standings. However, the competition between the two sides widely remained one-sided as Gujarat Lions managed to stamp their authority over the Supergiants from Pune.

RPS vs GL Head to Head

Gujarat Lions managed to dominate the head to head tally between the two sides. They won 3 games out of 4 these two sides played in 2016 and 2017. Rising Pune Supergiants, on the other hand, could only manage a single win. The Lions also won both of their home games, while both sides won one game each the Supergiants’ home.

GL vs RPS – Last 4 Meetings

In the last four IPL meetings, the Supergiants have won only a single game and lost three. They also lost the first 3 consecutive games against the Lions before winning the last one. In 2016, Gujarat Lions completed the season double over the Pune-based franchise by winning both games. In 2017, Gujarat won their home game but lost the away game to give RPS first win over them.

SRPS vs GL 2017 meetings

The first fixture in 2017 between the two sides was played at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. The home team won the toss and elected to field first. Pune had a poor start as they lost Ajinkya Rahane for nought on the 3rd delivery of the innings. The other opener, Rahul Tripathi, alongside Steven Smith added 64 runs for the 2nd wicket. While Tripathi scored 33 runs off 17 deliveries before getting out, Steve Smith scored 43 runs off 28 deliveries. From there, handy contributions from Ben Stokes (25 runs), Manoj Tiwary (31 runs), and Ankit Sharma (25 runs) took RPS to a total of 171/8 in 20 overs. Andrew Tye was the star with the ball for GL as the pacer registered a five-for. He returned with the figures of 5/17 in 4 overs. Chasing the target, Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum added 94 runs for the first wicket in 9 overs. After the departure of Dwayne Smith for 47 runs off 30 deliveries and B Mac for 49 runs off 32 deliveries, GL lost Dinesh Karthik cheaply. However, Suresh Raina (35 runs unbeaten) and Aaron Finch (33 runs unbeaten) didn’t let the game slip away. Both added 61 runs together to take GL home. The Lions registered a 7 wickets win over Pune with 2 overs remaining. Andrew Tye was awarded the man of the match.

The reverse fixture was played at MCA Stadium Pune. Rising Pune Supergiants won the toss and invited Gujarat Lions to bat first. The Lions started well as the duo of Ishan Kishan (31 runs), and Brendon McCullum (45 runs off 27 deliveries) added 55 runs for the first wicket in 6 overs. However, once the partnership was broken, Gujarat Lions kept losing wickets at a regular interval. Only Dinesh Karthik (29 runs) showed some restraint in the middle, but they eventually bundled out at a score of 161 in 19.5 overs. Jaydev Unadkat and Imran Tahir picked up 3 wickets each for the Supergiants. Chasing the target, the top order of Pune collapsed courtesy some brilliant bowling from the Lions. They were reduced to a score of 42/4 in 5.3 overs. However, English all-rounder Ben Stokes had different plans as he went berserk on the bowlers. He added 76 runs alongside MS Dhoni (26 runs) for the 5th wicket to bring RPS back in the game. After the dismissal of Dhoni, Dan Christian (17 runs unbeaten off 8 deliveries) stuck with Stokes to win the match for the RPS. Ben Stokes also completed a magnificent hundred in the process as he remained not out for 103 runs off 63 deliveries. RPS won the game by 5 wickets to register their first win in 4 games over Gujarat Lions.

Top Batsmen for Rising Pune Supergiants

Steven Smith is the top-scoring batsman for the Supergiants against the Lions with 153 runs against his name. He is followed by Ben Stokes with 128 runs for RPS against the Gujarat-based team. While MS Dhoni has scored 83 runs, Ajinkya Rahane has managed to score 78 runs against GL for RPS. (Note: The numbers are not correct in the given table)

Top Bowlers for Rising Pune Supergiants

South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir is the leading wicket-taker for the Supergiants against the Lions. The leggie picked up 4 wickets against GL in two games he played against them. He is followed by Jaydev Unadkat who has picked up 3 wickets in a single game against GL. Ashok Dinda and Murugan Ashwin has also accounted for 2 wickets each against Gujarat Lions for RPS in one and two innings respectively.