Stunning Bravo half-century hands CSK sensational win

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo blasted a stunning half-century as Chennai Super Kings came from behind to beat Mumbai Indians by one wicket with a ball to spare, to make a bright start to the Indian Premier League here Saturday.

Asked to chase 166 in the curtain-raiser at the Wankhede Stadium, CSK were tottering on 118 for eight in the 17th over before Bravo took matters into his own hands with a 30-ball 68, to transform the contest in an instant.

When he perished off the final ball of the penultimate over, CSK still required seven runs from the last six balls. But Kedar Jadhav, who retired hurt in the 13th over on 14, hobbled back to the crease and despite being kept scoreless from the first three balls, belted left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman for a six and a four to end the match emphatically.

Earlier, seamer Bravo had produced a brilliant final over which yielded just five runs as Mumbai were held to 165 for four off their 20 overs, after being sent in.

Suryakumar Yadav top-scored with 43, Krunal Pandya weighed in with an unbeaten while Ishan Kishan got 40.

West Indies teammate Evin Lewis had an inglorious start to his IPL career when he fell for a two-ball ‘duck’, lbw to seamer Deepak Chahar in the third over missing a flick.

His opening partner Rohit Sharma (15) followed at 20 for two in the fourth over but Yadav and Kishan posted 68 for the third wicket before the Pandya brothers, Krunal and Hardik (22 not out) added a further 52 in an unbroken fifth wicket stand, to bolster the innings.

CSK then lost wickets steadily in their run chase as 20-year-old leg-spinner Mayank Markande (3-23) and medium pacer Hardik Pandya (3-24) tore through the innings.

Bravo, a veteran of 376 T20s, arrived to pummeled his 20th half-century, smashing three fours and seven sixes in a 41-run, ninth wicket stand with Imran Tahir (two not out), to put CSK on the front foot.

In a calculated assault, Bravo struck key blows to keep the scoreboard ticking over before raising the tempo by taking 20 runs from New Zealand seamer Mitchell McClenaghan’s 18th over.

The Trinidadian followed up with sixes on either side of the wicket off the first two balls of the 19th over from seamer Jasprit Bumrah before clearing the ropes at mid-wicket with the fifth ball, as the over also went for 20 runs.

He mis-hit the final delivery and was caught at mid-off but Jadhav held his nerve to secure the win for CSK.