However, the subsequent three matches that they have played, have all ended in defeat, and in none of those contests have they looked like securing a victory.
That early run of success has however, provided the Lions with enough leeway to still sit in second position in the table, the 12 points that they have accumulated being the same number as table leaders the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The Lions have completed 10 qualifying matches as opposed to the nine that KKR have so far played.
On Sunday, the top two go head to head for the first time this season at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KKR having won their last two games, as opposed to the losing streak that the Lions are currently on.
Although they sit astride the qualifying table, KKR know that defeat on Sunday could see them drop down to as low as fourth, if results go against them elsewhere over the course of the weekend, such is the congestion at the top of the table. Just two points covering the top five sides.
KKR have introduced the former South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher, the veteran of more than 450 international appearances, to their coaching staff, initially until the end of the 2016 IPL. Boucher himself represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL between 2008 and 2010, before joining KKR themselves for the 2011 season.
Boucher will work with KKR’s two wicket-keepers, the first choice Robin Uthappa, who has scored 313 runs this season, with only Gautam Gambhir having posted more for the side to date in 2016, and also the back up keeper Sheldon Jackson.