IPL Schedule 2017: Updated Fixtures, Times, Live Stream and Cricket Predictions
Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders will get their Indian Premier League campaigns started on Friday, as the two teams go head-to-head in Rajkot in the third match of the 2017 season.
Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune Supergiants won the first two matches of the season, beating Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, respectively. Pune in particular put together a solid outing and look like early contenders.
Here's a look at the schedule for the coming days, complete with predictions:
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| April 7 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Kolkata Knight Riders | Rajkot | Lions win |
| April 8 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Kings XI Punjab vs. Rising Pune Supergiant | Indore | RSP win |
| April 8 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Delhi Daredevils | Bengaluru | RCB win |
| April 9 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Gujarat Lions | Hyderabad | Lions win |
| April 9 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Mumbai Indians vs. Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai | KKR win |
| April 10 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Kings XI Punjab vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore | Indore | RCB win |
Gujarat were a pleasant surprise in their debut season in 2016, impressing with their explosive batting before the play-offs. The team collapsed in the two qualifiers, however, losing to Bangalore and Hyderabad, and plenty of changes were made heading into their second campaign.
Dale Steyn was one of the casualties, although injury certainly played a part. Munaf Patel and Manpreet Gony were added to improve the bowling, while the likes of Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith maintained their position in the team.
The top of the order should be the strongest in this year's IPL, capable of doing tremendous damage. As shared by the team's official Twitter account, new signing Jason Roy has every reason to be excited:
"He is all set and looking forward to the IPL. #LetsRoar for @JasonRoy20! 女 #GameMaariChhe pic.twitter.com/kov7smxpUx
— The Gujarat Lions (@TheGujaratLions) April 4, 2017"
Kolkata failed to beat Lions in either of their two meetings last season but will like their chances heading into the first match. Ravindra Jadeja will be absent for Gujarat, and the Knight Riders should have the advantage with the ball.
The absence of the suspended Andre Russell will be a major factor, but in Rovman Powell, they have a worthy replacement capable of producing runs at a fast rate. He's not as experienced as the banned West Indies star but has been in fine form of late.
Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav provide excellent balance in the batting lineup, and Trent Boult should add another dimension to what is a very solid group of bowlers.
The key to beating Gujarat is grabbing quick wickets and making their top batsmen as uncomfortable as possible.
Kolkata can't afford any mistakes, however―the explosive Lions will score plenty of runs if given the chance.
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