Bravo’s Chennai beats Pollard’s Mumbai as IPL resumes

Veteran West Indies all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, lashed an eight-ball cameo and returned to take a three-wicket haul as Chennai Super Kings rebounded to beat Mumbai Indians by 20 runs as the Indian Premier League resumed here Sunday following a four-month break.

In dire straits on seven for three in the third over after electing to bat first, Super Kings recovered to reach 156 for six off their 20 overs at the Dubai International Stadium, with 24-year-old opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad spearheading the rival with an unbeaten 88 off 58 deliveries.

Ravindra Jadeja struck 26 from 33 balls at number seven while Bravo arrived at number eight to smash three sixes in a crucial 23.

In reply, Mumbai slumped to 94 for six in the 15th over despite Saurabh Tiwary’s unbeaten 50 off 40 balls, before collapsing to 136 for eight off their 20 overs, as Bravo snatched two wickets in the last over to end with three for 25.

Captain Kieron Pollard managed only 15 as Mumbai never really recovered from seamer Deepak Chahar’s (2-19) two-wicket burst which reduced the innings to 37 for three in the sixth over.

Halted last May due to a deadly COVID-19 surge in India, the tournament resumed with fireworks when the New Zealand pace duo of Adam Milne (2-21) and Trent Boult (2-35) rocked the innings with their new-ball spells.

Boult removed South Africa’s Faf du Plessis without scoring with the fifth ball of the innings, Moeen Ali fell three balls later in the next over to Milne also without scoring before Ambati Rayudu (0) was felled by a short ball to his elbow in the same over, and forced to retire hurt.
When Suresh Raina perished in the third over at the hands of Boult and captain MS Dhoni followed in the sixth over at 24 for four, Super Kings were up against it.

However, Gaikwad belted nine fours and four sixes to put on 81 for the fifth wicket with Jadeja and a further 39 for the sixth wicket with Bravo to haul Super Kings back into the game.

Facing a required run rate of nearly eight an over, Mumbai watched as Chahar knocked over openers, Anmolpreet Singh (16) and Quinton de Kock (17), before Suryakumar Yadav (3) and Ishan Kishan (11) also followed cheaply to leave the run chase in peril at 58 for four in the tenth over.

Tiwary, who punched five fours, then put on 29 for the fifth with Pollard and a further 40 for the sixth with Milne, leaving 24 needed from the last over.

However, Bravo struck twice and conceded three runs as Super Kings finished the contest clinically.