Smith finished with figures of 4-8 off his four overs
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Gujarat Lions opener Dwayne Smith took four wickets and captain Suresh Raina smashed an unbeaten 53 to lead their side to a comfortable six-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Opting to bowl first, Smith ensured the Lions got off to a strong start as he ripped through the Knight Riders’ top and middle order.
With the Knight Riders in all sorts of trouble, Yusuf Pathan provided a small spark as he scored 36 off 36 balls, which included three boundaries and a six.
Despite Pathan’s efforts, the Knight Riders were restricted to 124/8 off their 20 overs.
Smith picked up four wickets, while Dhawal Kulkarni, Dwayne Bravo and Shadab Jakati chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Chasing 125 to win, the Lions got off to an awful start as they were reduced to 38/3 in the fourth over.
Even though they found themselves in a similar position to the Knight Riders, Raina and Aaron Finch came to the rescue with a 61-run stand before Finch was run out for 26.
Despite the loss of Finch, Raina steered the Lions to victory with 39 balls to spare thanks to his unbeaten knock of 53, which came off 36 balls and included seven boundaries and a six.
Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine and Ankit Rajpoot claimed one wicket each.
Smith was named Man of the Match.