Gujarat Lions look good to go the final

In the last edition, Lions won nine of their 14 league clashes. They then lost both the Qualifier and the second play-off to crash out of the tournament. It was a bitter pill to swallow for them as they learnt how hard it can be to sustain momentum in the long tournament. Considering this is potentially their last appearance in the tournament, nothing less than a triumphant campaign will satisfy those involved. For that, they'll have to ensure they don't peak too soon and keep the momentum with their side heading into the all-important knockout phase of the tournament.

In the nine editions of the Indian Premier League, the likes of King XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils have failed to crack the code, continuously falling short of making it to the play-offs. So when Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant joined the tournament last year, they were expected to take at least one season to settle down. It took many by surprise when Lions breezed past the league stage to top the table ahead of established teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders.

What it also reflected was their firm understanding of the tournament. Having assembled their core from Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, and then rebuilding their squad around it, they did well to cover all the bases and put up a formidable outfit. The fact that they fell short of making it to the final somewhat showed their inexperience, but it should hold them in good stead in the upcoming season.

A lot of Lions' performance had to do with Suresh Raina's leadership as well. In the television series Designated Survivor, Kiefer Sutherland, who plays the role of Thomas Adam Kirkman, suddenly finds himself as the president of the United States overnight from Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after a terrorist attack kills the president and the vice president. Raina found himself in a similar situation. Suddenly the cushion of playing under Mahendra Singh Dhoni wasn't there. Raina's prolific run in the first eight season had a lot to do with playing freely without much pressure. Suddenly he was forced to marshall his troops and lead the team forward.

Raina, to his credit, emerged as that kid who slogged throughout the year and eventually reaped the rewards. There were two reasons he played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - to prepare for the Twenty20 International series in Australia and scout for local talents. He brought in the experience of Praveen Kumar and the flair of Uttar Pradesh players to balance the belligerence of their overseas stars. Raina's role in this line-up cannot be emphasised enough and his leadership, with all his energy on the field, can set the ball rolling again - something that the think-tank will be desperately hoping for.