What Gujarat Lions, fresh from their 4-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders, will take on Kings XI Punjab in Match 26 of VIVO IPL 2017. Both teams have similar numbers – played 6, won 2, lost 4 – though KXIP are higher placed in the table owing to a slightly superior net run rate. The Lions pulled the brakes on their three-match losing streak when they defeated KKR on Friday night.

It is encouraging to see that the Lions bowlers pulled things back and restricted KKR to 187-5 when at one stage the hosts looked set to post in excess of 200. The Lions back themselves to chase any target, and rightly so too, given the firepower in their batting. KXIP will be desperate to end their losing streak here; after posting two wins in their first two matches, they have since lost four on the bounce now.

The morale of the Glenn Maxwell-led side must be low after the mauling they received at the hands of the Mumbai Indians, who chased down 199 in 15.3 overs. But in a short and crisp competition like the IPL, the challenge for teams and players is to recover quickly and move on.

The time is fast approaching where KXIP cannot lose too many more games if they want to stay relevant in the race to the Playoffs. When 23 April 2017, 1600 Hrs IST Where SCA Stadium, Rajkot The Protagonists Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina are the two most influential batsmen in the Gujarat Lions line-up; both batsmen were in good touch in the previous match against KKR and will look to continue to do damage with the bat. Kings XI Punjab are likely to welcome back Manan Vohra (who has recovered from the illness that forced him to miss the previous match).

If he returns, KXIP will have two in-form batsmen at the top of the innings – Hashim Amla, who scored a century in the previous match against MI – being the other. The openers will look to cash in on their form, while captain Glenn Maxwell will look to convert his 40s into bigger scores. Head to Head Overall: Matches played – 2, Gujarat Lions Won – 1, Kings XI Punjab Won – 1 Trivia The average first innings total in IPL matches at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot is 169.

Teams chasing targets have been successful in IPL matches at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot; they’ve won 6 of the 8 matches in the IPL. The Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina is not only the highest run-getter in the IPL but also India’s highest run-getter in the T20 format. There has been at least one big opening partnership in each of the three matches at the SCA Stadium so far this season.

The opening partnerships read: 22 & 184*, 0 & 94, 122 & 1. What Next The Gujarat Lions will enjoy a 3-day break before they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru on April 27. Kings XI Punjab will enjoy an additional day’s rest before they will play on their home ground in Mohali for the first time this season; on April 28, they will clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad at the PCA Stadium.

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Source: http://www.iplt20.com/news/96884/preview-m26-gl-vs-kxip