IPL 2017, RPS vs GL: 5 things that went wrong for Gujarat Lions
It was another case of so near yet so far for Gujarat Lions (GL) when they took on Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune. Coming into this game on the back of a painful defeat in the Super Over during their previous match, Suresh Raina’s side succumbed to another narrow loss to leave themselves virtually out of contention for the playoffs.
On a track which had something in it for everyone, RPS won the toss and decided to chase. Despite scoring a competitive total of 161, Gujarat were eventually outclassed by five wickets in the latter phase of a riveting encounter.
Here are five things that went wrong for the Lions in chronological order.
#5 Losing too many wickets in the middle overs
With the young Ishan Kishan alongside the experienced Brendon McCullum at the top of the order, Gujarat raced off to a rapid start in the Power Play. While the former took the attack to the spinners, the latter continued to target the faster bowlers without any inhibition. When the left-hander departed for a 24-ball 31, the team score read 55/1 at the end of the first six overs.
However, the visitors were unable to build on the foundation given by the openers. Raina fell cheaply and was soon followed by the overseas batting duo of Aaron Finch and Dwayne Smith. By the time McCullum finally perished, all the momentum was lost and the innings began to spiral out of control.