Gujarat Lions, along with Rising Pune Supergiants, made their Indian Premier League debut last season, and the Suresh Raina-led side did a good job in their first season. The Lions started brilliantly in the group stages, but tapered off in the knockout stages.
Players RPS have to sign in IPL 2017 auction
Overall, they should not be disappointed with their first season in IPL, but they will want to go all the way in IPL 2017. The team needs to bag some good players during the IPL 2017 auction on Monday in Bengaluru.
The present Gujarat Lions squad look strong in the batting and all-rounder department. Players like Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch, Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Dinesh Karthik can deliver with the bat, while all-rounders including Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner and Ravindra Jadeja will be an added asset.
There is a serious need for the franchise to invest in Indian batsmen as only four international players can figure in the playing 11. At present, Raina and Karthik are the only two quality batsmen from India.
Gujarat Lions should aim for players like Unmukt Chand, Saurabh Tiwary and Manoj Tiwari to leverage the squad. These domestic players can add depth to the batting lineup, and will serve as backup in the event of injuries to key players.
However, signing Indian batsmen will not be their top-most priority in the IPL 2017 auction, given the lack of firepower in the bowling department. After releasing Dale Styen, the bowling unit is short of sting. Though the likes of Bravo and Faulkner can do the trick with the ball, the duo can't be relied upon to deliver consistent performances.
In fact, Gujarat Lions need two fast bowlers, preferably one foreign bowler and one Indian.
There are some quality foreign fast bowlers in the IPL 2017 auction list. Trent Boult, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins to name a few. Gujarat Lions need to lock on to the bowlers who fit the bill. The higher base price for players like Johnson and Cummins means Gujarat Lions should have a back up plan in the face of stiff competition during the IPL auction.
Coming to Indian fast bowlers, Ishant Sharma is an ideal choice, but he may prove too costly at a base price of Rs 2 crores. Varun Aaron, Manpreet Gony, R. P. Singh and Pankaj Singh, with base prices of Rs 30 lakhs are viable options. The ilk have enough IPL experience to make GL a formidable unit in IPL 2017.
Ravindra Jadeja and Shadab Jakati are good spinners. However, bringing in another quality spinner won't hurt. Pragyan Ojha, Pawan Negi and Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir and Mehedi Hasan Miraz are available to fill the spinner slot.
With Rs 14.35 crore left in the bank, Gujarat Lions should do their homework going into the auction.
