11pm Gujarat Lions drag themselves off the foot of the table with this crushing win. It was set up by Andrew Tye who claimed 3 for 12 and sparked another RCB collapse. RCB hit another low: they were bowled out for the first time in two successive games in the IPL. Samuel Badree nipped out two wickets in two overs early in the chase of 135, but Finch muscled a 22-ball fifty - the fastest by a Gujarat Lions player in the IPL. Game over. RCB are now all but out of the tournament.
"It is never easy to lose games," Kohli says. "Tonight was not clinical. We need to get better with our performances. You got to come out and play with intent. We tried to do it with the bat. The only way to come out of it is to play positive cricket. We are putting too much pressure on the team. Individuals need to stand up and take responsibility. The ball was coming on decently well. Both the innings under lights the ball behaves the same. Credit to Finch he played a fantastic knock. In a small chase it is important if one guys takes the momentum."
"We did very well in all departments," Raina says. "AJ, Faulkner, and Jadeja bowled really well. Then Finchy batted brilliantly. The wicket did something with the new ball. AJ took back-to-back wickets. That was the turning point. It was a team effort today. Basil and Nathu were also accurate. Finch was smashing everything, I was just looking at ones and twos. Today's win gives us a lot of confidence.
"The execution of the hat-trick ball was not as good as the last time (laughs). Glad we got the result tonight," Tye, the Man of the Match, says. "My plan to Gayle was to hit a good length and not give anything away. I got it on the right spot. The ball came on nicely, it was a pretty good wicket. It had some pace in it and suited our attack tonight. Nathu Singh has the skill to be at this level. Basil has shown class at this level. Those two have bright futures ahead of them. I love the IPL, the schedule has been hectic, but India is always a special place to play cricket."
That is all we have for you from this match. Thanks for reading. Do come back for the double-header tomorrow. Good night for now
Head
END OF OVER:13 | 9 Runs 1 Wkt | GL: 124/3 (11 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 9.53, RRR: 1.57)
- Ravindra Jadeja1 (3b)
- Suresh Raina24 (26b)
- Pawan Negi2-0-24-1
- Yuzvendra Chahal3-0-29-0
AJ Finch c de Villiers b Negi 72 (39m 34b 5x4 6x6) SR: 211.76
END OF OVER:12 | 11 Runs | GL: 115/2 (20 runs required from 48 balls, RR: 9.58, RRR: 2.50)
- Aaron Finch72 (33b)
- Suresh Raina17 (24b)
- Yuzvendra Chahal3-0-29-0
- Pawan Negi1-0-15-0
