Lions dreaming big ahead of inaugural IPL season

Omnisports

April 8, 2016 3:39 AM

Led by the youngest owner in Indian Premier League history and coached by a former Australia batsman, Gujarat Lions are dreaming big heading into their first season.

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The Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants are the two new franchises in the eight-team IPL this season after Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended amid a corruption scandal.

Based in Rajkot, the Lions are owned by 24-year-old Keshav Bansal - the youngster owner in the history of the nine-year Twenty20 tournament, while Australia's nearly-man Brad Hodge is tasked with coaching the new kids on the block.

And Hodge believes the Lions - boasting former Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Dwayne Bravo, Dale Steyn, James Faulkner and Ravindra Jadeja - can reign supreme as Mumbai Indians bid to go-back-to-back.

"I sit here and think we can win the title," Hodge told Star Sports India. "That's the ambition.

"Every team would sit there and think 'if we could make the qualifiers or the finals you give yourself a 50-50 chance going into that'.

"My job is to get the best out of every individual and make sure that happens.

"I'm very much a person who doesn't need a lot of motivating. If I can get that across to the players hopefully it will take care of itself."

Fellow newcomers the Supergiants - coached by Stephen Fleming - have Australia captain Steve Smith, Kevin Pietersen, Faf du Plessis, Ishant Sharma and Thisara Perera in their ranks.

And the MS Dhoni-led Supergiants will open the season against defending champions Mumbai in Saturday's curtain-raiser.

Mumbai will be without star paceman Lasith Malinga for at least half of the campaign due to a knee injury.

Malinga is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history and the Indians will wait until after the first five matches before deciding to seek a replacement.

Coach Ricky Ponting is confident his team can cope and has also backed captain Rohit Sharma to return to his best form, after he passed 20 just once in five innings for India at the World Twenty20.

"Rohit is one of the best players in the world," Ponting said. "I think he's shown that over a long period of time.

"The one thing about our game is it's very hard to maintain exceptionally high standards all the time.

"There are going to be periods in your career when you have your ups and downs, but we all know how good a player Rohit is. He'll show that over the next few weeks."

Royal Challengers Bangalore made the finals last season, and Virat Kohli and Co. are expected to feature heavily again, with Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Kane Richardson and Shane Watson all calling Bengaluru home.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders - who have been boosted by the return of Sunil Narine after he was approved to bowl in the IPL - all failed to make it past the league stage in 2015 but appear to have recruited well in their bid to climb up the standings.

Omnisports

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