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Super Kings reign in IPL opener

Dwayne Bravo the hero as Chennai come from nowhere to down Mumbai in opening match

The result: Chennai Super Kings 9-169 (Bravo 68, Mayank Markande 3-23) defeated Mumbai Indians 4-165 (Suryakumar 43, Watson 2-29) by one wicket with one ball remaining.

The match in a tweet: Take a bow Dwayne Bravo! His seven sixes from just 30 balls the difference as Chennai scrape home with just one ball to spare to cap off the unlikeliest of victories #MIvCSK

Dwayne Bravo heroics snatches victory from Mumbai


Bravo, Dwayne: Entering at 5-75 after the loss of the dangerous Ravindra Jadeja and an injury to Kedar Jadhav that forced him from the field momentarily, there was a mountain of work left for Dwayne Bravo to do as the Super Kings required 83 runs from the final 48 balls. The West Indian waited just four balls before depositing leg-spinner Mayank Markande over the rope and then launched an assault on Mitchell McClenaghan (1-44) and Jasprit Bumrah (1-37), smashing five sixes in the space of ten deliveries to blast Chennai back into contention. Luck was definitely on his side as he chopped the ball back onto the stumps with the bails refusing to budge, a minor hiccup in an otherwise chanceless knock. He departed in the penultimate over with seven runs required from as many deliveries but the damage had been done, his 68 from just 30 balls the difference between victory and defeat for the Super Kings.


The injured hero: Chennai’s middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav (24no from 22 balls) pulled up after a single and immediately called for medical assistance after injuring his hamstring, bringing Bravo to the crease and leaving a sizable target to get with a man down. Bravo went about his business on-field whilst Melbourne Stars’ physiotherapist Tommy Simsek worked hard off-field to get Jadhav right should he be required. And when Bravo was dismissed, it was up to Jadhav to face Mustafizur Rahman (1-39) and find seven runs to complete the victory. The first three balls of his second batting stint were all dots, leaving the Wankhede Stadium crowd on the edge of their seat. But despite limited mobility the pint-sized batsman got on one knee and lapped the Bangladeshi quick over fine leg for six, with the next ball hitting the cover rope to complete a remarkable victory. Jadhav admitted post-match that he expects his injury to sideline him for at least a few weeks, making his finishing feat all the more unbelievable.

The Kings rise: It was 1050 days since the Chennai Super Kings last played in the Indian Premier League – that fixture also against the Mumbai Indians, a 41-run loss in the final of IPL 8 – with the men in yellow out to prove a point. Coming back from a ban resulting from a corruption and spot-fixing probe, coach Stephen Fleming said this return fixture would hopefully focus on the cricket and not the events of the past. A Mumbai crowd well-known for the one-eyed passion seemingly softened for the return of their fiercest rivals, with Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni thanking the crowd and saying that the cricket community were eager to see his side after a two-year layoff.


The Aussie pack: Shane Watson was the lone Australian to take the park at the Wankhede Stadium, making a sizable contribution with both bat and ball. He opened the bowling after MS Dhoni won the toss and was instrumental in restricting Mumbai with the wickets of Rohit Sharma (15 from 18 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (43 from 29 balls), finishing with tidy figures of 2-29 from his four overs. He then opened the batting, a boundary and a stunning six over extra cover the highlights before he found the boundary rider at mid-wicket, his 16 from 14 balls handy in his side’s eventual victory. Aussie quick Pat Cummins and allrounder Ben Cutting sat on the sidelines for Mumbai, as the reigning champions opted for Bangladeshi quick Mustafizur Rahman and big-hitting duo Mitchell McClenaghan and Keiron Pollard.

The next stop: After their opening win, Chennai fans will get to see their team in action at home for the first time in more than two years when they take on Chris Lynn's Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday, whilst Mumbai will look to bounce back on Friday when they take on Billy Stanlake and the Sunrisers Hyderabad.