Defending champions Mumbai Indians will look to get their second win of IPL 2016 when they take on newcomers Gujarat Lions on Saturday. This is also the third-last match the Mumbai franchisee will play at Wankhede this season, as per a Bombay High Court ruling.
Going by the teams' form, it is expected that the match will be an even contest. It will also be a test for two stars of the India cricket team — Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma and Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina.
Raina's side may have two wins from two games thus far in the competition, but the Mumbai Indians are very strong at home. The hosts, after being unable to get a winning start in the competition, won their second game against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. That win may have given them the momentum to go ahead.
It remains to be seen whether Martin Guptill, brought on as a replacement for the injured Lendl Simmons, will get a start in the match. The participation of Parthiv Patel is also unclear, and in case the Indian wicketkeeper is dropped, Jos Buttler will don the gloves.
"Jos is going to be a very important member of the team. Going ahead into the tournament, he is a key factor for us," Rohit Sharma was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. "We know he is that kind of a player. He has done it for England many times."
One key player missed by the away side is Ravindra Jadeja, who is getting married to Riva Solanki on Sunday.
"I think in these first two games, his [Raina's] captaincy has been outstanding. In both the games, we got off to a rough start with the ball, but he has remained calm, composed under pressure and made sound decisions, [sic]" said the experienced McCullum.
One of the key battles in the match will be between MI spinner Harbhajan Singh and GL skipper Raina. Harbhajan has dismissed his compatriot four times in the IPL so far, and it remains to be seen whether he will achieve the feat for a fifth time on Saturday.
Where to watch live
IPL 2016: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. IST (2:30 p.m. GMT, 10:30 a.m. ET) on April 16.
Viewers in India can can catch the action on Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. Online streaming will be available on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can catch the action on Sky Sports, with online streaming available on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go.
Viewers in the US can watch the game live on ESPN, with the online streaming option available on Watch ESPN.
The live scores of the game are available on Cricketgateway.
