![[JUGRAJ SINGH]](https://www.unp.me/data/avatars/m/123/123038.jpg?1591210006){kind=avatar}
Gujarat Lions put themselves back into contention for a top-four finish as they put in a clinical performance, at Green Park in Kanpur on Thursday (May 19), to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets. The win lifted the Lions to 16 points and second on the Indian Premier League table. The Knight Riders meanwhile slipped to fourth and are in danger of losing out on qualifying to the next stage.The win, which came with a mammoth 39 balls to spare, also gave the Lions a massive boost to their battered Net Run Rate.
Dwayne Smith was the architect of victory as he picked up personal best bowling figures of 4 for 8 to leave the Knight Riders in disarray. Needing 125 to win, Suresh Raina eased his way to a composed fifty, while Aaron Finch chipped in with 26. Raina, who was back in the side after missing the last game due to the birth of his daughter, also became the second player to cross the 4000-run mark in IPL.
The small chase wasn't without drama as Lions lost their devastating opening pair of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum before even nine balls were completed. Smith was out caught behind off the first ball of the chase, giving Ankit Rajpoot and the Knight Riders the perfect start.When McCullum departed in the next over, the match looked to be another one of those low-scoring cliffhangers. Dinesh Karthik scored 12 in quick time and looked in good space, but Morne Morkel had him out bowled with a peach.
Raina, however, helped stem the rot with a composed 59-run stand with Finch. The pair mixed attack and defence perfectly as Lions overcame the top-order collapse and put themselves on top. A mid-pitch collision between the two batsmen ended the stand, but by then the Lions were well and truly on top.Knight Riders would have needed a miracle from there on but Raina and Ravindra Jadeja ensured there was no such ending.
Earlier, Dwayne Smith turned the unlikely hero with the ball for Gujarat Lions as he picked up four wickets for just eight runs in his four overs to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 124 for 8. The medium pacer sent back Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Piyush Chawla and Shakib al Hasan before they could do any significant damage as the visitors found themselves reeling at 61 for 5.
Yusuf Pathan, however, got some much needed support in the form of Suryakumar Yadav and Jason Holder as the Knight Riders made a mini recovery and ended with a total that, at one stage, looked nigh impossible.
Opting to bat first, Lions's bowlers had to endure three wicketless overs before Shadab Jakati pulled off a brilliant run-out to send back the opposition captain. Smith, then, started to weave his magic.
Manish Pandey was out playing a lazy away-from-the-body stroke off the West Indian and edged it to Suresh Raina at slip, while Uthappa edged to the keeper in much the same fashion soon after. Piyush Chawla was sent up the order in the hopes of upsetting the bowlers, but only ended up hurting his team's chances further with a 16-ball 11.
Smith picked up the wicket of Shakib in his last over, as an upper cut found the fielder at third man. The Knight Riders managed to claw themselves back into the game after Smith's spell as Pathan blasted Ravindra Jadeja for a six and a four off consecutive balls. Suryakumar Yadav helped himself to a six and a four soon after, but just when the visitors looked to make the most of their steady climb, Jakati had Yadav caught for 17.
Holder took little time to get into the groove and slammed his senior West Indies partner, Bravo for a six and a four. But, once again, the Knight Riders were pegged back by a wicket, this time of Pathan for a run-a-ball 36.
Only four runs came off the last 10 balls as Knight Riders ended with a total that eventually turned out to be a walk in the park for Gujarat Lions.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 124/8 in 20 overs (Yusuf Pathan 36, Robin Uthappa 25; Dwayne Smith 4-8) lost to Gujarat Lions 125/4 in 13.3 overs (Suresh Raina 53, Aaron Finch 26; Sunil Narine 1-30) by six wickets.
Dwayne Smith was the architect of victory as he picked up personal best bowling figures of 4 for 8 to leave the Knight Riders in disarray. Needing 125 to win, Suresh Raina eased his way to a composed fifty, while Aaron Finch chipped in with 26. Raina, who was back in the side after missing the last game due to the birth of his daughter, also became the second player to cross the 4000-run mark in IPL.
The small chase wasn't without drama as Lions lost their devastating opening pair of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum before even nine balls were completed. Smith was out caught behind off the first ball of the chase, giving Ankit Rajpoot and the Knight Riders the perfect start.When McCullum departed in the next over, the match looked to be another one of those low-scoring cliffhangers. Dinesh Karthik scored 12 in quick time and looked in good space, but Morne Morkel had him out bowled with a peach.
Raina, however, helped stem the rot with a composed 59-run stand with Finch. The pair mixed attack and defence perfectly as Lions overcame the top-order collapse and put themselves on top. A mid-pitch collision between the two batsmen ended the stand, but by then the Lions were well and truly on top.Knight Riders would have needed a miracle from there on but Raina and Ravindra Jadeja ensured there was no such ending.
Earlier, Dwayne Smith turned the unlikely hero with the ball for Gujarat Lions as he picked up four wickets for just eight runs in his four overs to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 124 for 8. The medium pacer sent back Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Piyush Chawla and Shakib al Hasan before they could do any significant damage as the visitors found themselves reeling at 61 for 5.
Yusuf Pathan, however, got some much needed support in the form of Suryakumar Yadav and Jason Holder as the Knight Riders made a mini recovery and ended with a total that, at one stage, looked nigh impossible.
Opting to bat first, Lions's bowlers had to endure three wicketless overs before Shadab Jakati pulled off a brilliant run-out to send back the opposition captain. Smith, then, started to weave his magic.
Manish Pandey was out playing a lazy away-from-the-body stroke off the West Indian and edged it to Suresh Raina at slip, while Uthappa edged to the keeper in much the same fashion soon after. Piyush Chawla was sent up the order in the hopes of upsetting the bowlers, but only ended up hurting his team's chances further with a 16-ball 11.
Smith picked up the wicket of Shakib in his last over, as an upper cut found the fielder at third man. The Knight Riders managed to claw themselves back into the game after Smith's spell as Pathan blasted Ravindra Jadeja for a six and a four off consecutive balls. Suryakumar Yadav helped himself to a six and a four soon after, but just when the visitors looked to make the most of their steady climb, Jakati had Yadav caught for 17.
Holder took little time to get into the groove and slammed his senior West Indies partner, Bravo for a six and a four. But, once again, the Knight Riders were pegged back by a wicket, this time of Pathan for a run-a-ball 36.
Only four runs came off the last 10 balls as Knight Riders ended with a total that eventually turned out to be a walk in the park for Gujarat Lions.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 124/8 in 20 overs (Yusuf Pathan 36, Robin Uthappa 25; Dwayne Smith 4-8) lost to Gujarat Lions 125/4 in 13.3 overs (Suresh Raina 53, Aaron Finch 26; Sunil Narine 1-30) by six wickets.
![[JUGRAJ SINGH]](https://www.unp.me/data/avatars/s/123/123038.jpg?1591210006){kind=avatar}
