IPL Schedule 2016: Updated Fixtures, Start Times and T20 Cricket Predictions

MS Dhoni's Rising Pune Supergiants arrested a worrying slump on Tuesday as they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 34 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method to claim only their second victory from six matches in the 2016 Indian Premier League.

On Wednesday, Gujarat Lions will look to go top of the standings ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders as they face off against third-placed Delhi Daredevils. 

Both teams have shown decent form early in the tournament with Delhi having won their last three matches on the bounce, most recently downing defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Read on for a full preview of Wednesday's clash in Delhi, as well as an updated tournament schedule and predictions for the upcoming matches.

Date	Time (BST/IST)	Match	Venue	Prediction
April 27	3:30 p.m./8 p.m.	Delhi Daredevils vs. Gujarat Lions	Delhi	DD win
April 28	3:30 p.m./8 p.m.	Mumbai Indians vs. Kolkata Knight Riders	Mumbai	KKR win
April 29	3:30 p.m./8 p.m.	Rising Pune Supergiants vs. Gujarat Lions	Pune	GL win
April 30	10.30 a.m./4 p.m.	Delhi Daredevils vs. Kolkata Knight Riders	Delhi	KKR win
April 30	3:30 p.m./8 p.m.	Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore	Hyderabad	RCB win

To access the full schedule, click here.

Delhi Daredevils vs. Gujarat Lions 

Since Delhi got thumped in their tournament opener by KKR they have won all their matches and proved they could well be a force to be reckoned with in this season's IPL.

In their most recent win against Mumbai they successfully defended a relatively low score of 164, thanks in no small part to the dual spin attack of Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir.

Mishra has already taken seven wickets in the tournament, while going at just six runs an over, and he produced a match-winning spell against Mumbai, per Cricbuzz:

Tahir and Chris Morris also kept it tight against the Indians and, with skipper Zaheer Khan in good form with the ball as well, Delhi undoubtedly have the bowling lineup to restrict Gujarat.

It will be no easy feat, though, as Gujarat's batting lineup is one of the best in the tournament, with the likes of Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Smith all able to provide match-winning contributions.

Aaron Finch is also a key man at the top of the order for the Lions and has scored three half-centuries already in IPL 9.

However, he did not bat due to a hamstring problem as Gujarat beat Royal Challengers Bangalore last time out, and he could miss out on Wednesday.

Even without Finch, though, the Lions were still able to chase down a 181 target to beat RCB. McCullum, Raina and Smith all contributed at the top of the order and Dinesh Karthik top scored with 50, as proof of the depth they have in their batting lineup, per former IPL winner Mohammad Kaif:

The battle between Delhi's bowling lineup and Gujarat's batsmen will be fascinating to watch at the Feroz Shah Kotla, and the Lions will have to show their best form if they are to make hay against the likes of Mishra and Tahir.

The Daredevils have their own batting stars, with Quinton de Kock the key man at the top of the order.

His 108 saw Delhi chase down a mammoth 192 target against RCB earlier in the tournament, and if he hits form against Gujarat—having failed with just nine against Mumbai—the Lions could be in trouble.

Their bowlers have not shown the best form of late and, with Sanju Samson and JP Duminy both having made decent contributions last time out—scoring 60 and 49, respectively—Delhi could take advantage.  

There is little to choose between the two sides as both have been excellent in the main so far in this year's tournament.

With stars on both sides it is likely to be a tight game, but Delhi's strong bowling unit could just give them the edge in front of a home crowd.