IPL 2017: Gujarat Lions vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 5 talking points

#5 The toothless Gujarat bowling needs help

The likes of Shivil Kaushik were brutally hammered all over the pitch

No doubt T-20 is a batsman’s game but the short structure of this format, in fact, puts more onus on the bowlers. Flat wickets and shorter boundaries to some extent make batting line-ups from both sides fearsome and hence it is the quality of bowling attack that decides the winner. And Gujarat Lions seems to have learnt this lesson the hard way.

In this game, Lions loaded their batting with four high-quality overseas batsmen. However, in this process, they had to compromise on their bowling department and were forced to play five Indian bowlers who had limited international success to their name.

The result was devastating as Chris Lynn tore apart their bowling unit and cruised to KKR’s target of 184. Gujarat’s bowling was so toothless that they couldn’t even pick up a single wicket in 15 overs.

Suresh Raina and team management will have to consolidate their bowling department before taking the field for the next game otherwise the result of the first match is sure to repeat.