The Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders are locked together in the qualifying table, having both won seven and lost five matches. Their fourteen points placing them in the top four of the table, as the tournament goes into its vital final few fixtures.
KKR occupy second position, thanks to their overall run rate, with the Lions back in fourth position, with the reigning Champions, the Mumbai Indians sitting between them, but having played one game more.
When the two sides met back on the 8th May at Eden Gardens, KKR posted 158-4 after being put into bat, with Shakib Al Hasan top scoring with 66 not out from 49 deliveries, having come to the crease with his side reeling at 21-3. Yusuf Pathan offered him able support with 63 not out, having come in, when the fourth wicket fell on 24.
However, all of the top five in the Lion’s order made contributions, Dinesh Karthik top scoring with 51 off of just 29 deliveries. Gujarat were able to reach their target with still two overs remaining of their allotted 20.
The Knight Riders found themselves the latest victims of the Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers show in their last outing. Despite scoring 183-5, KKR found themselves beaten by 9-wickets by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), as Kohli scored 75 not out and de Villiers 59 not out.
The Lions were also beaten by RCB in their most recent fixture, and like KKR they were well and truly hammered. RCB made an astonishing 248-3, with both Kohli and de Villiers scoring centuries. Gujarat were then dismissed for a paltry and pathetic 104. The margin of the result giving RCB a massive advantage over all their rivals in the chase for a play-off place, as they now have easily the best overall run rate.