It was difficult to make comeback after two losses, says Raina

Gujarat Lions, who finished third in their debut season last year, comfortably defeated Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets to register their first win in the ongoing IPL. “It was difficult for us to comeback strongly after losing the two games,” Raina said. 

Raina was full of praise for debutant fast bowler Andrew Tye (5/17) who registered the second hat-trick on a single day in the history of IPL today. “I thought AJ (Tye) bowled brilliantly. He is a very smart cricketer who varies his pace, especially in the death overs,” he said. 

Gujarat Lions meet an inform Mumbai Indians, who are high on confidence after one of their splendid run-chases across 10 editions, on Sunday. 

One area where MI will like to focus on is their top- order collapse against RCB. Leg-spinner Samuel Badree took a hattrick but it was one of Kieron Pollard’s best run-chases that sealed it for the Mumbai outfit.

International captains Virat Kohli and Steven Smith will be eager to stem the rot when Royal Challengers Bangalore square off with Rising Pune Supergiant in an Indian Premier League encounter on Sunday. Both the high-profile franchises have lost three out of their four games and would want to arrest the slide as momentum can quickly shift in a high-paced T20 tournament.

Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions 4 pm onwards | Sony Six, ESPN

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rising Pune Supergiant 8 pm onwards | Sony Six, ESPN