Powered by a stroke-filled Aaron Finch half-century, debutants Gujarat Lions registered their maiden win in Vivo IPL 2016 when they humbled Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets at the IS Bindra Stadium yesterday, reports iplt20.com. The visitors did well to firstly restrict the hosts to a competitive 161-6 and then recovered from a poor start to knock off the runs required in under 18 overs, thereby registering an emphatic win. The Gujarat Lions chase, which was rocked in the very first over when the dangerous Brendon McCullum was stumped for nought, was put back on track through a 51-run partnership between opener Aaron Finch and skipper Suresh Raina.
Dinesh Karthik, at number four, and Finch added 65 runs in 38 balls. But Finch was dismissed, beaten in flight and stumped off the bowling of Pardeep Sahu; he made 74 from 47 balls. Though the Lions lost Ravindra Jadeja and 17-year old Ishan Kishan thereafter, a well-set Karthik steered the visitors past the finish line in the eighteenth over, unbeaten on 41 off 26. Earlier, hosts Kings XI Punjab rode on an opening stand of 78 to post a competitive total. Manan Vohra and Murali Vijay opened for the team and after six overs, KXIP were in a comfortable 52 for no loss. Vohra was caught by the wicketkeeper off bat-pad, making 38 from 23 balls. KXIP lost Vijay next (42 off 34 balls), bowled by Jadeja. Enter Dwayne Bravo, and the innings turned on its head. The Trinidadian landed two killer yorkers in the twelfth over – first dismissing Glenn Maxwell and then sending back the KXIP skipper David Miller which was his 300th wicket in T20 cricket. He added two more wickets to his tally in the final over. KXIP finished at a respectable 161 for 6, thanks to Marcus Stoinis’ defiant 33 and Wriddhiman Saha’s 25-ball 20. Man of the Match: Aaron Finch, for his match-winning 47-ball 74.