MUMBAI: Dwayne Bravo hit a blazing 68 to help Chennai Super Kings pull off a thrilling chase and open the 2018 Indian Premier League season with a one-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
After a glitzy opening ceremony in the Bollywood capital, it was Bravo who set the stage on fire with his 30-ball blitz that allowed Super Kings chase down 166 with a ball to spare.
West Indies’ Bravo was out on the last ball of the penultimate over and it was Kedar Jadhav who sealed the game for Super Kings with a six and a four against Mustafizur Rahman.
Jadhav, who suffered a thigh strain in the middle of his innings and will be out of action for a few weeks, hit 24 off 22 deliveries for Super Kings who are returning to the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament after an illegal gambling ban.
“CSK-MI is one game that people wait to watch. We’re coming back after two years, that’s also the reason that people are eager to watch us in action,” Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni said after the win.
“The way Bravo batted, it was really good to see him take the responsibility.”
Paceman Hardik Pandya and debutant leg-spinner Mayank Markande claimed three wickets each to hurt the Super Kings’ chase but Bravo had other ideas.
The big-hitting West Indian hit three fours and seven sixes after coming in to bat in the 13th over of the innings with his side struggling at 75-5.
Bravo took away 20 runs off the 18th over from New Zealand paceman Mitchell McClenaghan to set up an exciting finish as Super Kings needed 27 off 12 deliveries and Jadhav finished it off in style.
Markande, 20, returned impressive figures of 3-23 including the prized scalp of Dhoni for five.
Hardik, who twisted his ankle while batting in the first innings, returned with the ball to get Australia’s Shane Watson, for 16, and Suresh Raina, for four, in his opening burst.
Earlier Krunal Pandya, who was the costliest uncapped buy in IPL auction at $1.38 million, hit a 22-ball 41 during his unbeaten 52-run stand with brother Hardik (22) as Mumbai posted 165-4 after being put into bat first.
Suryakumar Yadav top-scored with 43 but it was Krunal’s late blitz that included five fours and two sixes and got Mumbai a crucial 48 runs in the last five overs.
Watson claimed two wickets including skipper and opening batsman Rohit Sharma for 15 with his medium-pace bowling.
“Not feeling good at the moment. We have to give the credit to Bravo. We tried to get the yorker but we couldn’t get it. We need to improve our execution,” said Sharma.
“We were in the game till the 17th over. Anyway, good learning for all of us. With the dew coming, it was difficult for the bowlers. We felt we were 10-15 runs short.”
Coming on the heels of the Australian ball-tampering scandal, the world’s most popular T20 league is keen to avoid any controversy in the 51 days of the league where 60 matches will be played across nine venues.
With $8 million in prizes at stake — including $4 million for the winning team — the final takes place on May 27 in Mumbai.
Indian Premier League kicks off with a Dwayne Bravo-inspired win for Chennai over Mumbai
Indian Premier League kicks off with a Dwayne Bravo-inspired win for Chennai over Mumbai
- West Indian hits 68 off 30 balls
- Mumbai skipper Sharma felt his side were '10-15 runs short'
Two own goals save Arsenal blushes against Wolves
LONDON: Arsenal avoided a major embarrassment against Premier League bottom club Wolves on Saturday, benefiting from two own goals — one in stoppage time — to win 2-1 and move five points clear of Manchester City.
Manager Mikel Arteta admitted that his team had struggled to create clear chances and that the win should have been much more comfortable.
But he said that the manner of the victory would give the team a major boost.
“That gives you belief that regardless of how the game goes, you can always find a solution to win it,” he told TNT Sports.
“But now we’re going to have a clean week. We need to start to train certain aspects slowly, because if you don’t train them, you start to deteriorate a little bit.”
Arteta’s men were blunt in the first half, failing to muster a single shot on target as Gabriel Martinelli wasted a clutch of chances.
The Arsenal boss made three changes shortly before the hour mark, bringing on Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino for Martinelli, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi.
The Gunners mounted wave after wave of attacks, and Declan Rice’s shot midway through the second half — their first on target — was well saved by Sam Johnstone.
But in the 70th minute the sheer weight of pressure told to the enormous relief of an impatient and nervy Emirates crowd.
Johnstone flicked Bukayo Saka’s corner onto a post as he scrambled to reach the ball but it rebounded back onto his arm and into the net for an own goal.
Gabriel Jesus came on for Viktor Gyokores for his first home match after 11 months out injured.
Astonishingly, Wolves pulled level in the 90th minute, when Mateus Mane’s flat cross was headed in by Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare.
But just as the Arsenal fans contemplated a damaging draw, the Gunners benefited from a second own goal.
Saka delivered a perfect cross which Jesus attacked but the ball was diverted into his own net by Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
Winless Wolves, with a ninth league defeat in a row, have mustered just two points from their 16 games so far and are on course for the worst season in Premier League history.
Pep Guardiola’s City travel to in-form Crystal Palace on Sunday seeking to close the gap to Arsenal, who have not won the Premier League since 2004.
