IPL 2012: Bravo Wins It For Chennai With Last-Ball Six

IPL 2012: Bravo Wins It For Chennai With Last-Ball Six

Dwayne Bravo hit the last ball of a pulsating match for six to win it for Chennai Super Kings

©REUTERS / Action Images

Chennai Super Kings 160-5 (Hussey 56) beat
Kolkata Knight Riders 158-6 by five wickets
Indian Premier League 2012, Kolkata
Scorecard

Dwayne Bravo hit the last ball for six to win game 63 of the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings over Kolkata Knight Riders in thrilling fashion at Eden Gardens.

With five needed to win, and four to tie, Bravo smacked a Rajat Bhatia full toss over long on to put themselves into fourth place in the table with one game remaining.

Kolkata remain in third place but could easily have won this game after Chennai were charged with scoring nine from the final over to win it.

It wasn't to be for the home side, as despite Bhatia bowling Mahendra Singh Dhoni with a slower ball, Bravo came out on top.

Gautam Gambhir (62) for Kolkata and Michael Hussey (56) for Chennai had earlier top scored before both sides suffered batting collapses.

Gambhir and Brendon McCullum (37) added 99 for the first wicket but they were unable to push on and closed on 158 for six, losing five wickets for 29 along the way as Shadab Jakati returned two for 26 and Ben Hilfenhaus, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja all taking a wicket apiece.

Chennai openers Hussey and Murali Vijay (36) then played some wonderful strokes as they put on 97 for the first wicket in quick time and Chennai appeared to be on course for a routine win.

Sunil Narine removed both men, returning outstanding figures of two for 14 from four overs without conceding a boundary, and Suresh Raina was run out for eight.

When Francois du Plessis was caught in the deep for 13 attempting to break the shackles, the game was well and truly in the balance.

Dhoni took Marchant de Lange to pieces in the penultimate over with some typically robust hitting down the ground and his 28 in 21 balls set things up at the death.

Bhatia bowled with excellent control for the first five balls, preventing any boundaries and then removing the Chennai captain but his control deserted him with the full toss that offered Bravo the chance to claim the glory.

Having lost his grip on his bat the previous ball, sending it sailing towards midwicket, this time he held on, connected, and sparked scenes of jubilation in the Chennai dug out as Eden Gardens fell virtually silent.

© Cricket World 2012