IPL 2016

MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies all-rounders, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, both failed, but new boys Gujarat Lions remained unbeaten with a three-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians off the last ball, in the Indian Premier League here yesterday.

Needing one run off the final delivery in pursuit of 144 at the Wankhede Stadium, Australian Aaron Finch lashed a boundary to seal Lions’ third straight win in the tournament.

Opener Finch top-scored with an unbeaten 67 off 54 balls with seven fours and a six while captain Suresh Raina chipped in with 27, in a 53-run, second wicket stand.

Bravo, batting at number five, made just two before he got himself in a tangle to the sixth delivery he faced and fell to a catch at the wicket in the 13th over from seamer Jasprit Bumrah, at 83 for four.

Earlier, Bravo’s fellow Trinidadian Pollard also failed, falling for one as Mumbai tallied 143 for eight off their 20 overs, after being asked to bat.

Opener Parthiv Patel top-scored with 34 while number nine, Tim Southee, struck a breezy 25 from 11 balls.

Ironically, Bravo had a hand in Pollard’s dismissal, taking a skier at long-off as the big-hitting West Indies teammate holed out of 44-year-old leg-spinner Pravin Tambe in the 11th over at 59 for four.

Bravo’s four overs of medium pace went for 39 runs and yielded just one wicket.

In the other game played in Hyderabad, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell endured mixed fortunes as his Kolkata Knight Riders completed an uncomplicated eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He produced a brilliant spell of one for 19 from four overs to help limit Sunrisers to 142 for seven off their 50 overs. England T20 captain Eoin Morgan top-scored with 51 from 43 deliveries.

The game was marked by the return of champion West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine, who finished with nine for 26 from his four overs, in his first international game since being banned by the ICC last November for having an illegal action.

He was cleared to return to action after his remodelled action was approved by the ICC last month.

In reply, KKR were propelled by captain Gautam Gambhir who stroked an unbeaten 90 from 60 balls, in a 92-run, first wicket stand with Robin Uthappa who struck 38.

Russell, sent at three, lasted only five balls and scored two before he had his middle stump removed by a yorker from 20-year-old left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman.

Half-centuries from openers M Vijay and Manan Vohra gave Kings XI Punjab their first win of the IPL season after their bowlers had kept Rising Pune Supergiants to 152 in good batting conditions. There were a few hiccups towards the end, when the legspinner M Ashwin took three wickets in the space of eight balls, but Glenn Maxwell calmed Kings XI's nerves with an unbeaten 14-ball 32 and took them home with eight balls remaining.

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