IPL 2016 Gujarat Lions Team, Schedule and Venue Details
The ninth edition of the Indian Premier League will commence from April 9, 2016. This year, two teams will play the IPL for the first time. One is Rising Pune Supergiants and the other is Gujarat Lions. These two teams will serve as replacements for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
Also read: How to book IPL 2016 Tickets online
Just like Rising Pune Supergiants, Gujarat Lions will also play the IPL for only two years. Gujarat Lions play their first match against Kings XI Punjab on April 11, 2016 at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali. This should be an interesting match as these teams look evenly matched on paper.
Gujarat Lions will play their home games in Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. However, the venue for the last two home games is yet to be confirmed. This is the first time that we see a team from Gujarat in IPL. Fans back in Gujrat will turn up in huge numbers to support their team in IPL 2016.
Also read: Best IPL Team till date based on stats, title victories
Let us shed some light on Gujarat’s schedule for IPL 2016.
Date | Draw | Venue |
April 11, 2016 | Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali |
April 14, 2016 | Gujarat Lions vs Rising Pune Supergiants | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
April 16, 2016 | Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions | Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai |
April 21, 2016 | Gujarat Lions vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
April 24, 2016 | Gujarat Lions vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
April 27, 2016 | Delhi daredevils vs Gujarat Lions | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
April 29, 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants vs Gujarat Lions | MCA International Stadium, Pune |
May 1, 2016 | Gujarat Lions vs Kings XI Punjab | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
May 3, 2016 | Gujarat Lions vs Delhi Daredevils | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
May 6, 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Lions | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad |
May 8, 2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Lions | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
May 14, 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Lions | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
May 19, 2016 | Gujarat Lions vs Kolkata Knight Riders | TBC, TBC |
May 21, 2016 | Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians | TBC, TBC |
TBC – To be confirmed.
IPL 2016 auction was on February 6, 2016. Gujarat Lions being one of the new teams that is set to enter the IPL this year had a very busy outing on auction day.
They have grabbed a few key players. Here is Gujarat’s complete squad for IPL 2016
Gujarat Lions Squad for IPL 2016 | |
Name | Role |
Suresh Raina (Captain) | Batsman |
Aaron Finch* | Batsman |
Paras Dogra | Batsman |
Umang Sharma | Batsman |
Akshdeep Nath | Batsman |
Jaydev Shah | Batsman |
Dwayne Smith* | Batting All-rounder |
Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
James Faulkner* | All-rounder |
Dwayne Bravo* | All-rounder |
Brendon McCullum* | Wicketkeeper Batsman |
Dinesh Karthik | Wicketkeeper Batsman |
Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper |
Ekalavya Dwivedi | Wicketkeeper |
Dale Steyn* | Bowler |
Andrew Tye* | Bowler |
Praveen Kumar | Bowler |
Amit Mishra | Bowler |
Pravin Tambe | Bowler |
Dhawal Kulkarni | Bowler |
Pradeep Sangwan | Bowler |
Shadab Jakati | Bowler |
Shivil Kaushik | Bowler |
Sarabjit Ladda | Bowler |
* indicates overseas player.
Suresh Raina will captain Gujarat Lions. Brendon McCullum from New Zealand will be vital for Gujarat’s success in IPL 2016.
They have plenty of firepower in the form of Aaron Finch, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner. These players can help the team to win just about any match.
Coming to the Indian players group, they have Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik. Jadeja and Raina have played for Chennai Super Kings. Their chemistry should work well for Gujarat Lions. They have some experienced spinner in Pravin Tambe. Tambe had a great outing with Rajasthan Royals. He would hope that the same would continue this time around as well.
In the pace department, they have Dale Steyn and Praveen Kumar. They both will likely be the new-ball bowlers for this new franchise.
They have tremendous overseas talent, selecting the best combination for each match should be a tough call for both Suresh Raina and Brad Hodge (coach).
Looking at the squad, they have great chances of reaching the play-offs of IPL 2016. With enough luck, they might even lift the cup.