IPL 2017, GL vs DD: 5 things that went wrong for Gujarat Lions

#3 Dwayne Smith’s flop show with the ball

Gujarat Lions would have done well to have utilised Smith as a batsman alone

Quite inexplicably, on several occasions throughout this season, Raina has turned to Dwayne Smith to fill in a few overs in the middle. However, Smith has only gone on to deliver expensive spells that have cost them in crucial junctures of the game.

Against the Daredevils, Raina introduced Smith into the attack as early as the last over of the Powerplay. Delhi had lost two early wickets and Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer were new at the crease when Basil Thampi conceded 15 in the fourth over.

It would have been ideal in this scenario for Raina to turn to one of his strike bowlers. Instead, he chose Smith, who then went on to concede 17 in the over. As it panned out, Daredevils, who were reeling at 32/2 at the end of 4 overs, doubled their score in the matter of these two overs. Smith’s gentle medium pace has not helped Lions’ cause throughout the season.