Steven Smith ton in vain as Lions secure last-ball win

Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum added 72 in the powerplay to set up Lions' chase © BCCI

Steven Smith's maiden Twenty20 (T20) ton went in vain as blistering efforts from Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum helped Gujarat Lions register a three-wicket win over Rising Super Supergiants. Steven Smith's 54-ball 101, along with solid contributions from Ajinkya Rahane (53) and MS Dhoni (30 not-out off 18) helped Pune post a formidable total of 195 for 3 after they were asked to bat first. Gujarat Lions rode on Dwayne Smith's 37-ball 63 and his 93-run association with McCullum (43) to get off to a blazing start in the chase. However, the finish was closer than they would have expected. They lost quick wickets in the middle overs and in the death, but managed to get over the line off the last ball.

Gujarat's victory, their sixth in seven games, helped them consolidate top spot in the points table. The loss was the Supergiants' fifth in seven games and also their second in as many matches against the Lions.

Only nine runs came off the first two overs in the chase before McCullum got stuck into Albie Morkel, scoring three fours and a six in an over that yielded 24 runs, to get Gujarat going in the chase. Dwayne Smith too, hit the straps soon after, taking a liking to Ashok Dinda and Thissara Perera as the half-century stand came up in only 25 deliveries. Ravichandran Ashwin, brought on for the final over of the powerplay, conceded 10, while Dwayne Smith had a lucky break when Perera couldn't hold on to a tough catch. Gujarat amassed 72 runs in the powerplay, their third 70-plus score during the fielding restrictions for them. It was also the highest powerplay score in this edition of the IPL.

The McCullum-Smith alliance was eventually ended when the former, in his attempt to sweep Rajat Bhatia, top-edged the ball to Albie Morkel to depart for a 22-ball 43. However, Dwayne Smith soon brought up his fifty, off 28 deliveries, taking the total to 112 for 1 at the half-way stage.

It was imperative that Pune picked up a wicket or two to pull things back and they managed one when Dwayne Smith, looking to guide a Perera delivery to the off-side, got an inside edge onto the stumps. They could have had another had Suresh Raina not put in a full-length dive to save himself from being run out. A lull followed as Gujarat had to do without a boundary for 25 deliveries. But Dinesh Karthik did manage a few in the overs to follow, bringing down the equation to 49 off the last five overs.

The third-wicket pair raised a half-century stand before Karthik's outing came to an end, when his attempted loft went awry and found Rahane at deep mid-wicket. Murugan Ashwin conceded only four in the 18th over, which left Gujarat needing 20 off the last two. Dwayne Bravo chased a wide one off Ashok Dinda and managed a boundary off the first ball in the penultimate over. But an attempt to repeat the shot resulted in his departure off the next delivery. Ravindra Jadeja was run out without scoring when he tried to sneak a bye but a four and a couple off the last two deliveries meant that Gujarat needed nine off the final over.

James Faulkner started with a boundary off the first ball and Perera, who was handed the ball for the all-important over, bowled a wide and then conceded a single. But Pune kept the fight on as Raina was bowled for 34 and Ishan Kishan was run out soon after. But a poor throw by Rahane from long-off, resulted in two runs off the penultimate delivery. A wicket or a dot was needed for a Super Over to come into picture, but that was not to be as Faulkner managed to put the ball away to long-on to clinch victory.

Earlier, Rahane looked as solid as ever at the top of the order, but Pune suffered an early setback as Saurabh Tiwary, asked to open in the absence of Faf du Plessis, was run out courtesy a superb bit of fielding by Raina. Steven Smith, who came in next, kept himself busy by by running the quick singles and twos. On a greenish wicket, the Gujarat new-ball bowlers were guilty of erring in their lines and were made to pay as Steven Smith and Rahane put on a steady partnership.

Shivil Kaushik, the left-arm chinaman bowler, on his IPL debut, bowled an interesting first over. The 20-year-old, with an action similar to Paul Adams, the former South African spinner, got a couple to hurry on to Rahane, troubling the senior pro. However, he also bowled a few short deliveries, one of which Steven Smith was able to put away, as the second-wicket pair raised a half-century stand off 33 deliveries. While Jadeja, bowled a tight couple of overs, Kaushik leaked runs. The young spinner also overstepped when he had Steven Smith bowled, giving the Australian a lucky break. To add insult to injury, the next ball was dispatched over the long-off boundary for the first six of the innings.

Steven Smith went on to bring up a half-century off 29 balls and the total crossed 100 in the 12th over, with the pair providing an ideal platform for a flourishing finish to the innings. A six and a four off consecutive deliveries for Steven Smith, off Faulkner, took the partnership past 100, Pune's first in the IPL, before Rahane registered a 43-ball fifty. However, Rahane had to depart soon after, run-out at the non-striker's end after being turned down for a quick single. The dismissal though did not have any bearing on the scoring rate, which in fact got a further boost when Steven Smith and Dhoni bludgeoned a flurry off sixes off the spinners.

Bravo too did not have the best of times with the ball or on the field as Steven Smith and Dhoni raised a half-century stand off 28 deliveries. In the final over Steven Smith registered his maiden T20 hundred in style, with a boundary off Bravo, before being bowled off the next delivery. The last-ball specialist that Dhoni is, finished the over with a boundary to power Pune to a sizeable total. As many as 51 runs were scored in the last four overs while none of the Gujarat bowlers, barring Dhawal Kulkarni, had an economy rate of less than nine. But it counted for little as the Lions eventually went past Pune's total.

Brief scores: Rising Pune Supergiants 195/3 in 20 overs (Steven Smith 101, Ajinkya Rahane 53, MS Dhoni 30*; Dwayne Bravo 1-40) lost to Gujarat Lions 196/7 in 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 63, Brendon McCullum 43, Suresh Raina 34; Ashok Dinda 2-40) by 3 wickets.