Gujarat Lions first ever playing XI in IPL: Where are they now?

The team Gujarat Lions first stepped into the Indian Premier League in 2016 as a replacement for the suspended franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. The players from these two franchises were split based on drafting and were provided for the two new teams.

The fresh team was coached by Brad Hodge and was captained by Suresh Raina. Most of the main players from Chennai Super Kings were drafted here. This franchise was successful in its very first appearance as the team topped the points table and qualified first for the playoffs.

In 2017, the team won only four out of the fourteen matches and finished second last in the table. The team was then replaced by the old teams after the suspension period got over. Let’s take a look at-

Gujarat Lions’ first XI, where are they now?

1. Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch has played for a variety of teams in the Indian Premier League since 2010. He played for Rajasthan Royals in 2010, for Delhi Daredevils in 2011-12, for Pune Warriors in 2013, for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, and for Mumbai Indians in 2015 until he represented Gujarat Lions in 2016.

The Australian limited-overs captain opened the innings for Gujarat Lions in the first match. He was the star player of the match and also won the man-of-the-match award. He scored 74 from 47 deliveries which included twelve boundaries.

Finch was the second-highest run-scorer for the team at the end of the tournament. He also played for the team in 2017. After the disbanding of GL, he played for Kings XI Punjab in 2018 and for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2020. Finch is now the captain of Australia and the team won the T20 World Cup for the first time under him.

2. Brendon McCullum

The reach that the Indian Premier League has now is because of the standards set by the players. The first player who made everyone glance at the new league with his mind-blowing knock of 158* is Brendon McCullum.

This former Kiwi skipper is an integral part of the IPL. He has played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. In his first match for GL in 2016, he, unfortunately, got out for a duck.

McCullum opened the innings for Gujarat Lions for two seasons and has scored 673 runs for the team. He retired from the IPL in 2018 and in 2019, he started his stint as the head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders and is quite successful in this part of his career too.

3. Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina who is fondly called Mr. IPL has been a consistent run-getter in this tournament. Though he has not won any Orange Caps, he remained at the top spot for the highest runs in the league for many years.

In the IPL, Raina and Chennai Super Kings were inseparable and played for the team since 2008. Once CSK was suspended, Raina was made the captain of the Gujarat Lions’ side. In the first match, he scored a quick-fire 20 off nine deliveries and got out.

Raina was the highest run-scorer of the team in the two seasons with 399 and 442 runs. His bonding with the CSK continued right after its comeback and played his part in the title victories of the team in 2018 and 2021. He is now not retained by the franchise and is open in the auction for 2022’s IPL.

4. Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik is one of the most successful wicketkeepers in the Indian Premier League. He stands at number two right after MS Dhoni for the highest number of dismissals (147) as a keeper. He started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils in 2008.

This 36-year-old player then represented Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Lions, and Kolkata Knight Riders. In 2016, he was roped into the Gujarat Lions squad as a wicketkeeper, and in the first match, he impressed the owners by hitting 41* off 26 deliveries.

Dinesh played all the matches for Gujarat Lions and was the third-highest run-scorer of the side. In 2018, he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders and was made the skipper. He gave up the post to Eoin Morgan and continued as a player in the squad and is now available in the auction for the next season.

5. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is a player whom all the teams would love to have. He is a valuable player as he can contribute extremely well in either batting, bowling, or fielding. He is now one of the best fielders in the Indian Premier League.

Jadeja debuted for Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 until he was bought by the most sought out franchise – Chennai Super Kings in 2012. In 2014, he was drafted to Gujarat Lions and was a key player of the side.

The southpaw couldn’t contribute much with the bat as he was run out for just 8 runs in the first match. But he was brilliant with the ball as he took two wickets and a catch. He then came back to CSK in 2018 and evolved as the best player on the side. Jadeja is now retained at a much higher cost than MS Dhoni in CSK and is the most vital player on the squad.

6. Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan – the highly spoken talented youngster was first introduced to the limelight by Gujarat Lions. He debuted for the team in 2016 and his growth has been immense.

Ishan was dismissed for 11 runs in the first match and he only got to play five matches in the first season and just averaged 8.40. In 2017, he played 11 matches and his explosive batting caught attention.

This 23-year-old wicketkeeper was then bought by Mumbai Indians in 2018 and was groomed as their future prospect. In 2020, he was a crucial part of the trophy-winning MI team as he was the highest run-getter with 516 runs. He is now open for the auction and is predicted to get sold for a huge amount.

7. Dwayne Bravo

The fancy all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has only played for two franchises apart from Gujarat Lions and he was retained by Chennai Super Kings in all the auctions, this is his worth. He is one of the most important players in the league as he is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL and is just three wickets behind Malinga.

Bravo debuted for Mumbai Indians in 2008 and since 2010, he has been the constant overseas player of CSK. In 2016, he represented Gujarat Lions and in the first match, he took four crucial wickets by giving just 22 runs in the four overs.

The Trinidadian was the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament in 2016. In 2017, he was ruled out from the tournament as he suffered from an injury. Bravo returned to his home franchise CSK in 2018 and played a huge part in the victories of the team. He retired from International cricket in 2021 but will play in the IPL in 2022.

8. James Faulkner

James Faulkner is a bowling all-rounder from Australia. He first played in the IPL for Pune Warriors in 2011 and for Kings XI Punjab in 2012, and for Rajasthan Royals from 2013-15. In 2016, he was signed to play for Gujarat Lions.

In the first match for GL, he bowled four overs and gave away 39 runs, and finished wicketless. He played seven matches in 2016 managed to pick just two wickets and had an expensive economy. In 2017, he just took six wickets in eight matches and was expensive.

Faulkner failed to get back to his best form and hence did not get picked by any team in the IPL since then. He is not included in the Australian squad too and now plays the T20 leagues all around the world.

9. Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar, the Indian swing bowler has played for five different IPL franchises such as Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and lastly for Gujarat Lions.

In the first match for Gujarat Lions in 2016, he bowled his quota of four overs and finished wicketless with an economy of 6.25. He played all the matches for GL that season and took 9 wickets at an economy of 7.78.

In 2017, he just played six matches and took six wickets with an expensive economy of 9.15. He was unsold in 2018’s auction and in the same year, he announced his retirement from this sport. He was later diagnosed with depression and now enjoys his retirement life.

10. Pradeep Sangwan

Pradeep Sangwan is a left-arm-fast-medium bowler who hails from India. He was the first U19 Indian player at the inaugural IPL draft in 2008 and represented Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders until he was picked by Gujarat Lions in 2016.

Sangwan bowled two overs and gave away 21 runs in the first match for GL. And then he just played another game and was expensive there too. In 2017, he bowled in five matches and took five wickets at an economy rate of 10.05.

In 2018, he was picked by Mumbai Indians and played a match giving away 19 runs in two overs, and was wicketless. He was then getting unsold in the IPL and now this 31-year-old bowler is representing Delhi in the domestic circuit.

11. Sarabjit Ladda

Sarabjit Ladda is not a familiar name in the IPL and has only played nine IPL matches since his debut in 2010. He is a leg-spinner from Punjab. He made his debut for Delhi Daredevils in 2010, then moved to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011 and played till 2013.

This 35-year-old player was then bought by Gujarat Lions in 2016 and then in the first match, he gave away 21 runs in the two overs he bowled and couldn’t pick any wicket. He didn’t play any IPL games since then. Ladda has now moved to the United States of America and plays minor leagues there.