Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Lions, 47th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: Indian Premier League, 2017 Venue: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali Date & Time: May 07, 08:00 PM LOCAL

Dwayne Smith's half-century led Lions' solid reply © BCCI

Amla doesn't deserve this. His last outing for KXIP this season ending in a loss after a supremely crafted ton. It's not the end of the road for KXIP yet, but they'll need to pull their socks up soon. Meanwhile, what GL's win has done is that it has ensured RCB will finish the season with the wooden spoon.

Mr. for a reason! …

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Toss and teams:

GL captain Suresh Raina won the toss and decided to bowl first. Both teams made one change each. Dhawal Kulkarni came in for the injured Brendon McCullum for GL while KXIP replaced Manan Vohra with Gurkeerat Singh. This is Dinesh Karthik's 150th IPL game.

Teams:

Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): Hashim Amla, Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell(c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

Gujarat Lions (Playing XI): Dwayne Smith, Ishan Kishan, Suresh Raina(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Aaron Finch, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Basil Thampi, Ankit Soni

KXIP will be eager to pick up a couple of crucial points against GL ©BCCI

Build-up: KXIP look to keep play-offs hopes alive

They are at the fifth spot in the points table and have a lot of catching up to do. But Kings XI Punjab have the luxury of playing four more games and they'll be hoping to make the most of it and keep the mid-table tussle engrossing. In the 47th match of IPL 2017, KXIP are up against Gujarat Lions, the table-toppers of the last season who became the second team to be eliminated this season.

It has been a roller-coaster ride for KXIP this season, but they've done well to register two back-to-back wins ahead of this game to keep their play-offs hopes alive. With their upcoming games against stronger sides such as KKR, MI and RPS, KXIP will be keen to extend their momentum and finish in the top four ahead of the business end of the tournament.

For GL, who have been knocked out after poor form and injuries hit the team hard, will be looking to play spoilsport to some of the sides involved in a close battle to qualify for the play-offs. Reduced to only four overseas players - Andrew Tye and Brendon McCullum out injured and Jason Roy leaving for national duties - GL are a battered side no doubt, but Lions in pain can lead to more ferociousness.

While we wait for the toss and teams, here's the full preview for the game by Vishaal Loganathan.

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