IPL 10: Hurt Lions’ aim to roar against Pune

Rajkot: Struggling Gujarat Lions are set to receive a much-needed boost with the imminent return of ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja during their clash against Rising Pune Supergiant in the Indian Premier League on Friday.

Gujarat Lions, who finished an impressive third in their maiden IPL appearance last year, did not have the best of starts in the ongoing edition of the tournament.

The Suresh Raina-led side suffered consecutive defeats against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and title holder Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening two matches.

And on Friday, Gujarat Lions would be desperate to turn their fortunes around in front of home fans at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here.

Gujarat Lions got a much-needed boost in the form of Jadeja, who is likely to play his first IPL match against Pune. Jadeja missed Gujarat Lions first two games after he was advised rest for two weeks by the BCCI medical team soon after the India’s four match Test series against Australia.

Jadeja has had a terrific home season with both ball and bat for India and his return will definitely boost Gujarat Lions morale.

Another key member, West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who is recovering from injury, however is doubtful even though he took part in the team’s practice session yesterday. Gujarat Lions’ strong point is the team’s batting department.

With the likes of Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Jason Roy, Raina and Dinesh Karthik up its rank, Gujarat Lions heavily depends on its batting unit.

But the likes of McCullum and Finch have failed to live upto their reputations so far, garnering just 40 and 18 runs respectively. Opener Jason Roy started the innings well on both occasions against KKR and SRH but failed to convert the good starts into big knocks.