Chennai Super Kings made a dream comeback in the Indian Premier League with a thrilling one-wicket victory against defending champions Mumbai Indians at Wankhede stadium on Saturday, 7 April 2018.
Batting first, the Mumbai Indians posted 165/4 in 20 overs against Chennai super Kings (CSK) in the opening match of the 11th Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav (43 off 29 deliveries), Krunal Pandya (41 not out off 22), Ishan Kishan (40 off 29) and Hardik Pandya (22 not out off 20) were the main contributors for three-time champions Mumbai.
After a tense few overs, with Captain MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu and Deepak Chahar’s wickets being taken by Mayank Markande, Dwayne Bravo brought the Super Kings back with five sixes in two overs, reinvigorating hope for the team that was on the backfoot.
Needing 7 off the last over, an injured Kedar Kadhav (24 no) unable to run due to hamstring problem played three dot balls before playing lap shot over fine leg off Mustafizur Rahaman followed by a cover drive to end the match on a winning note.
Chasing a tricky target of 166 on a track that had seam movement and bounce, CSK were down in the dumps, but Bravo's incredible 68 off 30 balls with seven sixes turned it in favour of the 'Canary Yellow' brigade.
The 18th and 19th overs bowled by Mitchell McLenaghan and Jasprit Bumrah were taken for 20 each including five sixes as Bravo once again showed why MS Dhoni values him so much.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians: 165/4 (Krunal Pandya 41 off 22 balls, Ishan Kishan 40 off 29 balls, Suryakumar Yadav 43 off 29 balls)
Chennai Super Kings: 169 for 9 in 19.5 overs (Dwayne Bravo 68 off 30 balls, Mayank Markande 3/23, Hardik Pandya 3/24).
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