IPL 2022: 3 best bowling spells by Dwayne Bravo in all of IPL
Dwayne Bravo made his IPL debut way back in 2008 and has been one of the most consistent players ever since. His all-round abilities, entertainment skills, and strategic approach to the league have made him a crowd favorite over the years.
The dancing superstar has played 152 games in the IPL and has scored 1,537 runs with a high score of 70*. Coming to his bowling, Bravo has collected 170 wickets with a best of 4/22. His hard work and diligence has made him the joint-highest wicket-taker in all of IPL, tied with the great Lasith Malinga.
If, in today's (March 31) game against the Lucknow Super Giants, the champion manages to pick one more scalp, he will be the sole owner of the title of highest-wicket taker in the IPL.
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Bravo's ability to bowl the slow, dipping yorker, pick crucial wickets and control runs at the death has truly changed the league for good. We are yet to see what the champion pulls off in this edition but, in the meantime, let's look back on three of his best bowling spells in the previous editions combined.
#1 2/10 CSK vs Mumbai Indians in IPL 2012 Eliminator
The famous flight send-off originated in this match dating back to IPL 2012. Chennai Super Kings were up against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator with the winner to face Kolkata Knight Riders in the final.
CSK posted a total of 187/5 with some brilliant batting by Mike Hussey, S. Badrinath, MS Dhoni and a quick cameo of 33*(14) by our own DJ Bravo. Mumbai came into bat and were looking good at the start but as soon as the great Sachin Tendulkar fell, the wickets kept tumbling.
Bravo went on to take the wickets of all-rounder James Franklin and the dangerous-looking Keiron Pollard to ensure CSK crossed the line. If Pollard had been left unchecked that day, the result would have been different. As Pollard walked back to the pavilion Bravo accompanied him, gesturing at him with the now-famous flight send-off - a little banter between thick friends!
CSK won the game by 38 runs and Bravo finished with a very crucial 2/10. Though the Men in Yellow went on to lose the final against KKR later, this match certainly left its mark on the history of the league.
View the IPL 2022 orange cap here.
#2 4/22 Gujarat Lions vs KXIP in IPL 2016
CSK were out of the picture in 2016 and with two new franchises emerging, Bravo became part of the Gujarat Lions team. It was Match 3 of IPL 2016 between GL and Kings XI Punjab.
Punjab batted first, with the opening pair Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra smashing the ball in all directions. David Miller and Glenn Maxwell were yet to come in at a time when the two were in their prime. Vohra got out and was followed soon by Vijay, bringing Miller and Maxwell together at the crease. It looked like they would go past 200 and change the whole game.
This was when Bravo came in. With slow, dipping yorkers, Bravo cleaned up both Maxwell and Miller, thus eliminating the major threats to his IPL team. He then went on to dismiss Wriddhiman Saha and the settled Marcus Stoinis to restrict the Kings to 161/6. The Gujarat Lions successfully chased down the total, winning by five wickets. Bravo finished with a career-best 4/22 and the rest, as they say, was history.
Watch video: https://www.iplt20.com/video/9931/m3-kxip-vs-gl-dwayne-bravo-4-wickets
#3 3/24 CSK vs RCB in IPL 2021
The 35th match of IPl 2021 was CSK's second clash versus RCB. Chennai had already thrashed Bangalore in their first meeting with an all-round performance by Jadeja.
In the UAE leg, RCB batted first with openers Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal posting a partnership of over 100. To break the partnership, Dhoni threw the ball to his go-to man Dwayne Bravo.
Bravo picked up the wicket of then-skipper Virat Kohli, then dismissed Glenn Maxwell before he could settle down, and finally got Harshal Patel to restrict RCB to a total of 156/6. CSK registered an easy six-wicket win with Bravo bagging 3/22 and the Player of the Match trophy.