Darren Bravo, McCullum turn tables on Stars in breathtaking chase
With 85 needed off 30 balls, the duo launched an unsparing assault on the Stars bowlers to help Knight Riders raze the target down with a ball to spare
With 85 needed off 30 balls, the duo launched an unsparing assault on the Stars bowlers to help Knight Riders raze the target down with a ball to spare
Commentator: Akshay Gopalakrishnan
11.35pm After a point, it didn't matter who was bowling and where they bowled. Knight Riders needed 85 off five overs and they have won it with a ball to spare. Like, how does that happen? Utterly poor lines and lengths from the Stars bowlers, feeding exactly to the strengths of Brendon McCullum and Darren Bravo. Ball after ball was pitched in the same region, and well, unless the opposition is especially adept at looking a gift horse in the mouth, you don't often get away with such tripe. To be honest, the last five overs seemed an utter mismatch. It really didn't seem like a game between two sides playing at the same level. To sum it up, 13 fours and 18 sixes in the innings. Twelve of those sixes came in the last five overs - that's a six every 2.5 balls. Did we just see a 20-over Super Over? Are we playing corporate cricket here?
Darren Bravo is Man of the Match. Like, duh! "He (McCullum) knew his strengths, I knew mine," he says. "There was a strong wind blowing across, so he took one end and I took the other."
Kieron Pollard: "When we got 212, you would think that's enough to defend, but TKR showed their class. I stand there and take the responsibility. I backed myself with the ball, but sometimes you just have to sit back and appreciate the batsmen."
Dwayne Bravo: "It felt like they had taken the momentum away. The innings that my brother played and the innings Brendon McCullum played, brought us back into the game. Those are innings you cannot plan for. We as a team don't change much. We back our players and back their skills as a management, allow players to develop their skills. It feels good to win cricket games."
Right then, that's it we have from this game.The end was as ridiculous as it was fleeting. But let's take a moment to truly appreciate how brilliant Bravo and McCullum were. This was a breathtaking chase in every sense. It's what makes T20 what it is. Let's see if the remaining games come close to this one! As of now, this is all we have. Thanks, as ever, for your company and comments, and be back here tomorrow. Off you go.
Two off five
Obed McCoy with the highly unenviable task of defending three in the final over.
Alex97: "A glimpse of how talented darren bravo is "
What an over from Mitch McClenaghan! Two wickets and just two off it, but is it too little too late?
With 85 needed off 30 balls, the duo launched an unsparing assault on the Stars bowlers to help Knight Riders raze the target down with a ball to spare