Lack of settled opening combination
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When you already have three international openers in the side and you go out and sign another in the auction, when there are other areas that need improving, the early signs don't bode well. Nor does the fact that five different opening combinations was used in the space of 14 matches.
In a format where a fast start is imperative, chopping and changing the players who provide doesn't make a great deal of sense. Especially when you are talking about international openers who have an established track record. Gujarat Lions started the tournament with the opening combination of Jason Roy and Brendon McCullum and finished it with Dwayne Smith and Ishan Kishan.
In between, McCullum and Smith, Finch and McCullum, Kishan and McCullum had also opened the innings for Gujarat Lions in IPL 2017. Although their batsmen weren't the reason behind their seventh-placed finish, chopping and changing openers just because you have options didn't help their cause either.
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