IPL 2016, RPS vs GL Live: McCullum, Smith shine as Pune edge Gujarat in thriller

That’s it! Birthday boy Faulkner takes Gujarat Lions past the finish line. Gujarat Lions win by 3 wickets.

It’s was a very close call. Faulkner hit a pull just wide of the diving Smith at short mid-wicket. They run through for a single. What a match!

Scores are level!

Faulkner thumps it to long off and they scamper through for a risky second. Poor throw from the deep fielder, Rahane. 1 needed off 1.

OUT! A run out now. Ishan Kishan departs. 2 wickets in 2 balls.

Kishan pushes one to mid off and scampers through for a single. Saurabh Tiwary at mid off scores a direct hit as Kishan dives. 

Praveen Kumar is the new batsman. 3 needed off 2 balls.

OUT! It’s not over yet. Perera cleans up Raina! SK Raina b Perera 34 (28b 2×4 0x6) 

A yorker outside off, Raina goes for a heave, ends up getting a bottom edge onto the stumps.  

3 needed off 3 balls. Ishan Kishan is the new batsman.

Thisara Perera will bowl the last over. 9 needed.

After 19 overs,Gujarat Lions 187/5 ( Suresh Raina 34 , James Faulkner 1)

Bravo started off with a four. Then there were two wickets and then Raina got a crucial four through fine leg. A ocuple off the last ball brought the equation down to 9 needed off 6 bals.

Double blow for Lions!

OUT! Dinda strikes at a crucial juncture again.

Bravo had sliced the first one, which was a wide one over backward point for four. Dinda sticks to the same line, this time bowls it even wider. Bravo chases and gets an outside edge to the keeper.

OUT! Jadeja is run out!

A very full bal from Dinda, Jadeja misses his flick, it flicks his pads and flies to the keeper. He sets off for a non-existent run. Raina is not interested. Jadeja has reached the non-striker’s end. Dhoni runs up to the stumps and clips the bails off calmly. Dinda erupts in celebrations.

After 18 overs,Gujarat Lions 176/3 ( Suresh Raina (C) 28 , Dwayne Bravo 3)

RPS have pulled this back well. Raina and Karthik had hit a couple offours off Perera. Karthik was looking good as he hammered one four off Dinda. But the pacer hit back to scalp the wicket of Karthik. Murugan Ashwin is then brought back and he bowls a frugal over, giving away just 4 runs. 20 needed off 12 now.

OUT! Dinda strikes. Karthik departs. KD Karthik c Rahane b Dinda 33 (20b 4×4 0x6) 

Full outside off, Karthik stays in his crease and looks to go over deep mid-wicket, doesn’t connect well and helps it straight into the hands of Rahane at deep mid-wicket. 

Dwayne Bravo is the new batsman.

Not much edge to the Pune bowling I'm afraid...

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 29, 2016

After 15 overs,Gujarat Lions 147/2 ( Suresh Raina 13 , Dinesh Karthik 24)

Karthik looking to be aggressive but he’s managed just two fours in the last 3 overs. A switch hit through covers for a four and another four off a half tracker, over Ashwin’s head. 26 runs off the last 3 overs. 49 needed off 30 balls now.

After 12 overs, Gujarat Lions 121/2 ( Suresh Raina 7 , Dinesh Karthik 4)

Smith made sure Lions didn’t get bogged down with a couple of fours off R Ashwin but then Perera sent him back to the hut in the next over. Ashwin hits back to bowl a frugal over, giving away just 5 runs. Raina survived a close run out call as Perera made a brilliant effort off his own bowling and scored a direct hit, Raina put in a full stretched dive to make it back in time. 21 runs and one wicket in the last 3 overs.

OUT! Perera gets the BIG one. Smith back in the hut. DR Smith b Perera 63 (37b 9×4 1×6)

It’s very full outside off, Smith stays in his crease and looks to steer but ends up getting an inside edge onto the stumps. 

Dinesh Karthik is the new batsman.

After 9 overs, Gujarat Lions 100/1 ( Dwayne Smith 52 , Suresh Raina 1)

McCullum was turning it on. He hit a flat six over covers off Murugan Ashwin. Smith too had hit a six off Bhatia. But Bhatia bounced back in his next over to remove McCullum. He released the pressure giving away just 7 runs along with a wicket in the 9th over. 28 runs and a wicket off the last 3 overs.

OUT! Rajat Bhatia provides the breakthrough. BB McCullum c Morkel b Bhatia 43 (22b 5×4 2×6)

It’s that slower one from Bhatia, his special one. McCullum goes for a slog sweep but is done in by change of pace. He gets a top edge and Morkel at short fine leg makes no mistake. 

Suresh Raina is the new batsman.

Powerplay scores for @TheGujaratLions in recent 3 matches:
72/1 vs RCB
71/0 vs DD
72/0 vs RPS (today)#RPSvGL

— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) April 29, 2016

After 6 overs, Gujarat Lions 72/0 ( Dwayne Smith 35 , Brendon McCullum 33)

The momentum has continued. Gujarat Lions need a wicket here. Smith hits a couple of fours off Dinda, one through fine leg and other through mid off. McCullum then joins the party as he pulls one through square leg and then hammers one through cover-point. Smith follows up with a pull through square leg. He then takes on Ashwin straightaway as he reverse sweeps first ball past short third man, then thumps one over mid-wicket. He however gets a lifeline in the same over as Perera drops a tough one at short mid-wicket off a ferocious slog sweep. 39 runs off the last 3 overs.

Most expensive overs in #IPL2016 :

28 B Kumar v RCB
26 B Sharma v MI
25 H Patel v RPS
25 K Richardson v GL
24 ALBIE MORKEL v GL *#RPSvGL

— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) April 29, 2016

Methinks batsmen like McCullum force bowlers into wides. Albie Morkel bearing the brunt this time, but there have been several others too

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 29, 2016

After 3 overs, Gujarat Lions 33/0 ( Dwayne Smith 7 , Brendon McCullum 24)

A decent start for Gujarat Lions. McCullum is looking dangerous. It was Smith who opened the boundary account as he cut one powerfully through point for four. Dinda then bowled a very good over where he gave away just 3 runs and beat Smith’s outside edge. McCullum then got into the act as he smashed a cut through point for four off Morkel, then got an outside edge wide of the keeper, then hammered one over deep mid-wicket for six. Then plundered one over mid off. 24 runs off the Morkel over.

Right! Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum are the openers. Albie Morkel will start off proceedings.

Asked about his century, Steve Smith talks about how happy he is to see #RPS score 195.
Team first! #RPSvGL #IPL

— Moulin (@Moulinparikh) April 29, 2016

Rising Pune Supergiants have posted 195/3

Dhoni finishes it in style with a four through extra cover for four. 26 runs off the last two overs. But it was all about one man – Steven Smith. A century off 53 balls. He along with Rahane stitched together a 111-run stand which steadied RPS after losing Saurabh Tiwary in just the 3rd over. Smith made the most of the lifeline he got when he was cleaned up by debutant Shivil Kaushik but it ended up being a front foot no ball.

Aussies scoring century in IPL:
Mike Hussey
Andrew Symonds
Adam Gilchrist
Shaun Marsh
David Warner
Shane Watson
Steven Smith #RPSvGL

— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) April 29, 2016

OUT! And he departs next ball. Bravo with a yorker. S Smith b Bravo 101 (54b 8×4 5×6) 

Smith shuffles and looks to play that in between the legs flick but misses and finds his leg stump uprooted. He is congratulated by the Lions’ players as he walks off. A brilliant innings ends.

Thisara Perera is the new batsman

CENTURY! Maiden T20 century for Smith. He gets there in style with a four over mid-wicket. Eight fours and five sixes in his innings so far. Brilliant innings.

After 18 overs,Rising Pune Supergiants 169/2 ( Steven Smith 88 , MS Dhoni (C) (W) 20)

Bravo to bowl the 18th over. Quick single by Smith off the first ball. Yorker by Bravo in the second, and Dhoni can only get a single off it. Smith makes his room for himself by shuffling to his left in the third delivery, and whacks it over extra-cover! Smith gets to 88 in no time, and looks set for a century. Nine runs off the 18th over.

One fromSmith & Dhoni has to bat through for Pune to get to 180. And that would only be par score on this pitch against a strong side

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 29, 2016

After 15 overs, Rising Pune Supergiants 135/2 ( Steven Smith 72 , MS Dhoni 4)

Bravo finally broke the 111-run stand with a stunning run out. But Smith is looking in very good touch as he smashes one over long off for a six off Jadeja. 17 runs and a wicket off the last two overs.

OUT! Brilliant fielding from Bravo. The century stand is broken. A Rahane run out 53 (45b 5×4 0x6)

Smith stays in his crease and looks to flick but misses. The ball hits his thigh pad and rolls to the off side. Rahane charges down the track for a single but Smith is not interested. He sends him back. Bravo charges on the ball, picks up, turns around and hammers the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Rahane had given up.  

MS Dhoni is the new batsman.

FIFTY for Rahane! He gets there with a single  to long on. A bit slow but an important innings nonetheless, he gets there off 43 balls. Five fours in the innings so far.

After 13 overs,Rising Pune Supergiants 118/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane 50 , Steven Smith 63)

Massive heartbreak for Shivil Kaushik, who entices Smith to go for a sweep off a pitched up delivery outside off, dragging the ball onto his stumps! Kaushik roars with excitement of getting his first IPL, but the celebrations are muted immediately as the replays show no part of his front heel behind the crease. And its is declared a no-ball, leaving Kaushik crestfallen. Smith smashes a six towards long-off in the free-hit that follows. Meanwhile, Smith brings up his fifty in just 29 deliveries a couple of overs later. Meanwhile, birthday boy James Faulkner comes into the attack following the timeout. Fifty for Rahane at the end of the 13th over in 43 deliveries, which is his fourth of the ongoing tournament!

After 9 overs,Rising Pune Supergiants 70/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane 28 , Steven Smith 38)

Debutant Shivil Kaushil comes in to bowl in the eighth over, and the chinaman’s action is uncannily similar to that of former South African exponent of the art Paul Adams. That however, doesn’t stop Smith from hammering him towards backward point. Meanwhile, Pune reach 70/1 at the end of nine overs, with the umpires signalling the timeout.

After 7 overs,Rising Pune Supergiants 55/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane 25 , Steven Smith 26)

Rahane and Smith seem to have settled at the crease now, and are playing attacking shots all over the ground more often. After a couple of boundaries in the fifth over, Rahane flicks towards midwicket off the first ball of the next over, and the quick outfield does the rest. Change of bowling after powerplay, with Ravi Jadeja conceding seven off his first over of the day.

After 4 overs,Rising Pune Supergiants 22/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane 13 , Steven Smith 7)

Dhawal Kulkarni bowls the second over and goes for eight runs off it, including a punch down the ground by Rahane that fetches him  his second boundary of the innings. Meanwhile, Saurabh Tiwary is standing quietly at the other end, and will look to make the most of the opportunity offered to him today. Meanwhile, Steven Smith walks out to bat, and gets off the mark with a boundary down towards fine-leg.

OUT! Pune are off to yet another nightmarish start, and its opener Saurabh Tiwary who departs without making much of an impact on the innings. Rahane is struck on the pad, and Tiwary runs towards the striker’s end almost straightaway. Raina runs in from point like a gazelle, and smashes the stumps with a majestic dive a la Jonty Rhodes.

Right! The Pune openers – Ajinkya Rahane and surprise, surprise…..Saurabh Tiwary have made their way out to the middle. Praveen Kumar will start off proceedings.

RPS XI: Rahane, Handscomb, Smith, Saurabh, Dhoni, Perera, A Morkel, Bhatia, Ashwin, Murugan, Dinda.

GL XI: Smith, McCullum, Raina, Karthik, Jadeja, Kishan, Bravo, Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Kulkarni, Kaushik

Shivil Kaushik and Peter Handscomb handed their IPL debuts.

TOSS: Suresh Raina has won the toss and elected to bowl.

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of the 25th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 between Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) and Gujarat Lions (GL). Can Gujarat continue their dominance on top of the table? Or will the Dhoni-led Pune get their revenge for having been beaten by the same team earlier in the tournament.