It's not how you start but how you finish: David Miller

The Suresh Raina led IPL Gujarat Lions gave a winning start to their IPL campaign after they beat Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets. It was a superb all-round show by the Rajkot-based franchise. The IPl debutants chose to bowl first after winning the toss and did a to restrict the Punjab side for 161/6. Dwayne Bravo (4/22) was the destructor in chief tonight for the Lions. In reply, the Lions got off to a bad start but soon Aaron Finch (74 from 47 balls) and Dinesh Kartik (41 from 26 balls) played decisive knocks and guided Gujarat Lions to their first win.

Australian opener Aaron Finch was adjudged as the Man of the Match for his knock which set the platform for the victory. Finch said: “It’s nice to start the tournament well from the team’s point of view. Credit to the bowlers for pulling it back. Beautiful wicket, it had enough grass on it, and the ball just skidded on under lights. We thought it might slow up but it didn’t. You need a bit of luck in this format when you are trying to go hard at the top of the order. Very happy to be here [in the GL franchise]. Great owners, and great people involved in Hodgie and Suresh.”

Winning skipper Suresh Raina credited the bowlers for restricting the Kings XI Punjab side to a functional score. Raina said: “It’s a good feeling. We bowled very well – Bravo, PK, Faulkner, Jadeja. At one stage I thought they will get 200, but bowlers did a fantastic job. We do have a lot of foreign captains in our side as well as Hodgie. His experience came in handy. Finch batted well, wicket was very good, and credit goes to all the players. As a game plan, I was batting at No. 3. It was a very good game for us and we will look to stay positive in the next game too.”

Kings XI Punjab captain looked optimistic about the upcoming games. Miller said: “You hit the nail on the head, we didn’t have enough on the board. 180 would have been nice. We were always on the back foot from there. And Finch’s knock made it very difficult. First six overs were rushed to be honest. It’s tough with the ball travelling all over the show. We are not aware of it [our poor home record]. It’s certainly not a mental thing. It’s a good wicket and a fast outfield. We love playing here, but it’s just worked out that way. Still 13 games to go. It’s not how you start but how you finish.