Gujarat Lions all-rounder Dwayne Smith struck a whirlwind 74 off just 39 deliveries as his team defeated Kings XI Punjab by six wickets at Mohali.
Gujarat won the toss and opted to field. Punjab opener Hashim Amla played a devastating knock to notch up his second century of the ongoing IPL and propelled his team to a massive total of 189 for the loss of three wickets.
In the process, he became only the third player to do so in an IPL season.Amla made 104 off just 60 balls while bludgeoning eight fours and five huge sixes.He got ample support from the highly dependable Shaun Marsh (58 off 43 balls) as the duo added 125 runs for the second wicket to set the platform for the total.
However, Smith and Ishan Kishan struck a strong opening partnership for Gujarat which acted as the foundation for victory.Smith struck eight boundaries and four huge hits over the fence during his explosive knock.
Man of the Match in tonight's game. Dwayne Smith with a sparkling innings of 74 from just 39 balls. #GameMaariChhe #KXIPvGL pic.twitter.com/zgpeI8cTLp
— The Gujarat Lions (@TheGujaratLions) May 7, 2017
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Together with Ishan Kishan (29 off 24 balls), Smith shared 91 runs for the opening partnership to lay the foundation for the chase.Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina and later on Ravindra Jadeja saw that the team didn’t face any major hiccups as they galloped to victory with two balls to spare.
A fantastic victory by the Lions tonight. We win by 6 wickets comprehensively. Back to winning ways with a ROAR! #GameMaariChhe #KXIPvGL pic.twitter.com/oO3qj9sJic
— The Gujarat Lions (@TheGujaratLions) May 7, 2017