Swashbuckling knock of 68 off 30 balls (3x4, 7x6) by West Indian hands Dhoni & Co unlikely 1-wicket win over Mumbai Indians
It was supposed to be a blockbuster opener. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings were returning after two years. And they were taking on defending champions and hosts Mumbai Indians.
The story on Saturday, the opening night of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), totally lived up to its billing as Chennai romped home to a thrilling one-wicket win at the Wankhede Stadium.
Chasing MI's competitive 165, thanks to timely cameos from Suryakumar Yadav (43) and Krunal Pandya (41), Chennai overhauled the target with one ball to spare.
And if not for all-rounder Dwayne Bravo's heroic 30-ball 68 knock, Chennai would not have been far from crossing the finish line.
The Mumbai crowd turned hostile, demanding sixes from Bravo. And boy did he deliver.
Even as he lost partners at the other end courtesy some crafty bowling from debutant leg-spinner Mayan Markande (3/24) and seamer Hardik Pandya (3/23) that reduced CSK to 118/8, the West Indian played to the gallery by executing some exciting shots.
Bravo took the game close with seven sixes and three fours before he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah in the final ball of the penultimate over.
Needing seven runs in the last over with just one wicket in hand, Kedar Jadhav, who had returned to the dressing room due to cramps, came back to the crease. It was up to the Maharashtra batsman to see the team through with Imran Tahir at the other end.
Unable to run, Jadhav wasted the first three balls before he scooped Mustafizur Rahman for a six in the fine leg region and then hit the winning four through covers.
Earlier, captain Rohit Sharma failed to put up an impressive performance after CSK put MI in to bat.
His opening partner Ewin Lewis of West Indies became the first user of Decision Review System in the IPL when he reviewed his leg-before wicket dismissal but the decision stood.
Mumbai needed a partnership after being 2/20, and the pair of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan took on the mantle to steady the ship.
Once Yadav and Kishan were dismissed, the Pandya brothers took over the show from thereon.
Krunal was more aggressive than his younger brother Hardik as he went hammer and tongs whenever he got the ball in his zone.
In seamer Mark Wood's 17th over, Krunal hit 19 runs that included back-to-back fours and a pull which went over the ropes. The duo were involved in a 52-run partnership in 32 balls which saw MI reach 165/4 in 20 overs.
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 "Dwayne Bravo")
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