Performance of spinners
Among all four teams that made it through to the playoffs, there is one common factor. The presence of a world-class spinner, who either played the role of containing runs or picking up wickets.
Rising Pune Supergiant (Imran Tahir), Mumbai Indians (Harbhajan Singh and Krunal Pandya), Kolkata Knight Riders (Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (Rashid Khan) all had a slow bowling option that the lions lacked throughout the tournament. However, Lions didn't have that luxury.
Shivil Kaushik had a forgettable tournament before he was replaced by Ankit Soni, who hadn't played a single before he turned out Gujarat Lions. The experienced Shadab Jakati didn't get an opportunity to shine but the biggest disappointment was the form of Ravindra Jadeja.
While the Indian all-rounder was in sublime form in the field, he wasn't his usual self with the ball. Not only was he not amongst the wickets, but he also leaked plenty of runs. In 12 matches, his five wickets in the tournament came at an economy rate in excess of 9 and that didn't help at all.
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