Smith, Kishan stand dents Punjab's hopes of making playoffs

Dwayne Smith pounded a 39-ball 74, and alongside Ishan Kishan added a 91 run opening stand which helped Gujarat beat Punjab by six wickets, denting their hopes of making the playoff, in the Indian Twenty20 competition at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Chandigarh on Sunday.

A depleted Gujarat, without Andrew Tye, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo and Jason Roy, took the field, but their absence from the side didn't deter Smith, who attacked from the onset. Kishan hit a four in the first over of the chase, before Smith took charge and thumped eight fours in the next five overs. Punjab added to their own woes, when David Miller and Gurkeerat Singh dropped Smith, in the sixth and eighth over respectively. The onslaught helped Gujarat post 103 in the first ten overs.

The aggressive opener clubbed three more sixes before he finally departed in the 12th over, just two overs after Kishan had fallen. The opening duo scored at 9.75 runs in the 9.2 overs that they batted together and ensured a platform that helped Gujarat, already out of contention for a playoff berth, complete their fourth win from eight matches.