Smith an unlikely hero in Gujarat win

The match in a tweet: Smith wrecks Kolkata's top order with career best figures as the Lions crush KKR by chasing down 125 in 13.3 overs.

The hero: It's not often an opening batsman makes a golden duck and is named the hero of the match, but tonight it was Dwayne Smith’s time to show his all-round skills and shine with the ball. Introduced to the bowling crease during the Power Play, 'Doctor Smith' claimed four crucial wickets to slice through the Kolkata batting. The West Indian removed big guns Manish Pandey, Robin Uttappa, Piyush Chawla and Shakib Ul-Hasan, conceding just eight runs in the process, to finish with figures of 4-0-8-4.

The support cast: Suresh Raina (53no off 36 balls) ensured there were no further hiccups for Gujarat in the run chase after they'd slipped to 3-38 in pursuit of 125. Returning from paternity leave, the Lions skipper put on a crucial 59 runs stand with Aaron Finch (26 from 23) to ensure the Lions cruised to victory. Finch was also impressive in his stay, which was cut short due to collision with Raina that resulted in the Aussie being run out for the third time this season.

The moment: Gujarat had already dropped Gautam Gambhir twice in the first three overs and needed some inspiration in the field. It came in the form of an unlikely candidate, 35-year-old Shabhad Jakatai. Fielding at short mid-wicket, the veteran flung himself to the left, stopped the ball, and then threw down the stumps while still on his knees, to run the out in-form Gambhir for eight. Jakati’s brilliance in the field was the start of the Kolkata landslide.

The consolation effort: Yusuf Pathan was the saviour once again for the Knight Riders. Walking into bat at 3-44, Pathan resurrected the innings with some powerful blows against Ravindra Jadeja to score a run-a-ball 37, including one towering six and three fours. Defending a paltry total, Sunil Narine's performance of 4-0-30-1 was also commendable.

The shot: We’ve see plenty of innovations in the T20 game but Suresh Raina’s pull shot from the back of the bat was something totally out of the blue. As the Lions skipper swivelled to get inside the line of a short ball, he turned the bat in his hands so early that the ball hit back of the blade and raced to the third-man fence.

The play-off race: The job is not quite done yet for the Lions, with the new franchise needing to beat Mumbai in their final match on Saturday to secure a spot in the play-off. One advantage the Lions will have is the fact that having played in Kanpur, they will know the conditions better than their opposition. The Knight Riders, meanwhile, return to the Eden Gardens to take on the Sunrisers in their last match. A win will assure them a play-off berth however they will need to pin their hopes on the Daredevils beating Royal Challengers if they are to secure a double chance in the finals. A loss may still be good enough for them to scramble in the play-offs, but other results will have to go their way.