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Rajkot: Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch guide Gujarat Lions to 7-wicket win against Rising Pune Supergiants in the sixth match of the ninth edition of IPL at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday.
With this win Gujarat Lions to top of the Indian Premier League 2016 standings.
Finch and McCullum put on 85 for the first wicket against some hapless bowling from RPS. But RPS found their first breakthrough in the ninth over with 85 runs on the board.
Finch was the first man out for 50 off 36. This is Finch’s second fifty in as many matches. McCullum then consolidated the innings well with skipper Suresh Raina, who put 35, before McCullum departed trying to pull Ishant Sharma.
Dwayne Bravo walked in at No. 4 and after having a look for a couple of deliveries, he started taking on the bowlers.
Ishant was his first victim as smashed consecutive boundaries off Ishant in the 16th over. But Raina was stumped off Murugan Ashwin after he charged down the track to the leg spinner. But GL needed less than six an over at this stage.
Bravo and Jadeja then knocked off the remaining runs, without any further hiccups. RPS will be utterly disappointed with their bowling and their fielding. They will have to improve in their upcoming games.
Earlier, Rising Pune Supergiants batsmen were taken aback by the late fightback of Gujarat Lions bowlers, still managed to post a fighting total of 163/5, courtesy fine knocks by Faf du Plessis (69) and Kevin Pietersen (37).
Pune who were going great at one stage lost three quick wickets in the form of Pietersen, Du Plessis and Steven Smith which dented their momentum very badly from thereon.
Pune were 121-2 after 15 overs and could add only 20 runs in the next three overs. It was Pune skipper MS Dhoni who scored 20 runs off Dwayne Bravo's last over that included two boundaries and a six to take his team to a defendable total.
Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers as he took two wickets giving away 18 runs in his four-over spell.
Rising Pune Supergiants raced to 57 for the loss of one wicket after six overs of mandatory Powerplay.
Pune lost Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 21 off 17 balls, after he was trapped by Pravin Tambe who came as a first change in the fourth over. Rahane hit four boundaries in his brief stay at the crease.
In came Pietersen who joined Du Plessis in the middle. The duo put on 86 runs off 61 balls for the second wicket to give the impetus to their team's run charge but couldn't hold up till the end.
Pune reached the 100-run mark in 11.5 overs. Pietersen and Du Plessis - who scored only two fours and a six post six overs of Powerplay - played cautiously and ran hard between the wickets to keep the scoreboard ticking. Du Plessis hit a 33-ball 50 with the help of four fours and three sixes.
Shadab Jakati, who leaked 40 runs in his quota of four overs, was welcomed by Rahane with back-to-back fours in his very first over. Dwayne Bravo who went for 16 runs in his first over - the sixth of the innings - came back in the 14th to get rid of Pietersen.
The flamboyant Pietersen played a gritty 37-run knock off 31 balls, which included two fours and a six. Tambe, who finished with the figures of 2/33, returned for his third spell to dismiss Du Plessis who scored 43-ball 69 with the help of five fours and four sixes over the ropes.
Brief scores
Rising Pune Supergiants - 163 for 5 (du Plessis 69, Pietersen 37)
Gujarat Lions - 164 for 3 (Finch 50, McCullum 49)
Result - Gujarat Lions won by 7 wickets
