Which Rajkot-based IPL team played in the 2016 and 2017 seasons?

Which Rajkot-based IPL team played in the 2016 and 2017 seasons? The answer is Gujarat Lions. The franchise was based in Rajkot and competed in the IPL for two seasons, in 2016 and 2017.

Gujarat Lions entered the league as a replacement team after Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two seasons. Intex Technologies owned the franchise, and India batter Suresh Raina captained the side for almost all of its matches. Brad Hodge was the team’s coach.

The Lions were competitive immediately: they topped the 2016 league-stage points table but lost in the playoffs. Their second season was much less successful, ending with a seventh-place finish. The franchise was not extended after the return of the suspended teams, so it ceased to exist after 2017.

Gujarat Lions are often confused with Gujarat Titans. The Titans are a separate Ahmedabad-based franchise that joined the IPL in 2022; they did not replace the Lions directly as the same team.