Indian Premier League 2016 - 25th Match
(Rising Pune Supergiants vs Gujarat Lions at Pune)
Gujarat Lions win thriller; Steven Smith ton in vain
| RPS | vs | GL |
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| 195/3 (20) | 196/7 (20) | |
| GL won by 3 wickets | ||
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| Photo © BCCI |
This was a thriller that should have never come down to the last ball. But a combination of nerves, poor shot selection from Gujarat Lions and outstanding fielding by Rising Pune Supergiants kept the game alive till the end. On a night when Steven Smith scored a century and Dwayne Smith made a bruising 37-ball 63, it was birthday boy James Faulkner who sealed Lions' chase of 196 with three wickets in hand. This meant that Lions consolidated their position at the top of the standings with their sixth win in seven matches.
Steven Smith's surgical precision, fast hands, quick feet and strong wrists fetched him a maiden T20 century that would have had a match-winning status on most nights. But it was put to shade by Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, who added a 93-run opening partnership in 8.1 overs. The blazing start allowed Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik the luxury of playing themselves in and taking the game deep.
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| Photo © BCCI |
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