Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants were the two new entrants to Indian Premier League (IPL) this year in place of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals who were suspended for two seasons. Keshav Bansal is the owner of the Rajkot-based Gujarat Lions. The presence of several all-rounders of proven ability elevates the new entrants to the status of being one of the most exciting teams in the ninth edition of the IPL. James Faulkner, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja will all form the nucleus of the side, as also will skipper Suresh Raina, and other players like Brendon McCullam, Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, etc.
The Lions, along with Pune Supergiants were allowed to pick players of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. The Lions went for Raina, McCullum, Bravo, Faulkner and Jadeja, all five blessed with all-round skills, and Dinesh Karthik which means McCullum wouldn't need to don the wicket-keeping gloves.
In Faulkner and Bravo, they have two of the best death overs bowlers, provided, of course, that the Aussie does not have to bowl to Virat Kohli! Then there is that pace ace Steyn, always a dangerous opponent. However, the one bowler whose exploits would be keenly followed will be mystery left-arm spinner Shivl Kaushik, a raw, untested hand unearthed while playing in the Karnataka Premier League.
Kaushik bowls chinaman, top spinners and googlies with a Paul Adams-type release, unfathomably described as a "frog in the blender" action. Kaushik is taller and better built than Adams and bowls at a quicker pace. On pitches that crumble, he could be a handful to many batsmen. His fielding, though, could be an eyesore, especially in a team consisting top-notch fielders like Raina, Jadeja, Bravo and McCullum.
Jadeja himself will come into play with his bowling on dry, crumbling pitches. It is this enviable variety in bowling and the array of big hitters that makes the Lions such a formidable team.
