IPL 2018: Bravo, CSK! Mumbai Indians lose opening match by 1 wicket

The opening match of the 11th season of Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), which was expected to be a thriller from the start – given that arch rivals Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings were clashing – ended up being just that. Thanks to some lone fireworks by Dwayne Bravo, Chennai Super Kings, returning to IPL after serving a two-year ban, beat Mumbai Indians by 1 wicket in a nail-biter finish in the last over of the game.

Earlier in the day, batting first, Mumbai Indians scored an average-looking total of 165/4. In their chase of 166 at a required run rate of 8.3, CSK lost its way in the middle, losing cheaply its top-rung batsmen Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, captain M S Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav (retired hurt). Dwayne Bravo ploughed the lonely furrow, but ran out of partners in quick succession, with Deepak Chahar and Harbhajan Singh losing their wickets while trying to accelerate.