West Indies fast bowler turned commentator Ian Bishop does not believe recently retired Windies skipper Kieron Pollard is washed-up but insists the time has come for the player to adjust his game.

Typically, a reliable source of runs for five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians, Pollard has struggled mightily to make an impact this season.  In 11 IPL matches so far, the big West Indian has scored just 144 runs at an average of 14.40 and with a strike rate of 107.46.  The ball-striking tally is the player’s lowest since he made his debut in the IPL in 2010.

Having retired from international cricket a few weeks ago, some have suggested that it might be time for Pollard to take another step in moving away from the sport entirely.  While acknowledging that he has struggled in the tournament this season, Bishop believes the player could still have a bit more left in the tank.

"People are saying he's washed, I'm not going to go there. I think he's a player who can reinvent himself,” Bishop told Espncricinfo.

"You look at Pollard's numbers when Mumbai have won the championships: 400 runs in 2013 at 42, up to 2019 and 2020, where he averaged over 30 with a strike rate sometimes in the 160s to 190s - he's been integral to them. You can't forget that as a franchise, so they're giving him every possible chance,” he added.

Despite the franchise choosing to stick with the veteran player, however, Bishop insists it’s up to Pollard to adjust.

"Pollard himself has to reinvent his game, however, he chooses to do that, because he's still got a future ahead of him we hope.”

MS Dhoni was the only Chennai Super Kings player able to hold his head up high as their outside chance of reaching the Indian Premier League play-offs ended with a five-wicket loss to bottom side Mumbai Indians.

Dhoni took over as CSK captain once again after Ravindra Jadeja – who is sidelined with a rib injury – stepped down following just over a month in the role.

India great Dhoni led by example with an unbeaten 36 on Thursday, but the defending champions were skittled out for only 97 from 16 overs, with no other batter making more than 12.

Daniel Sams spearheaded the Indians' bowling attack with 3-16 from his four overs - two of those wickets coming in the first over.

Ishan Kishan fell cheaply as Mumbai's chase started poorly, with Mukesh Choudhary (3-23) drawing an edge and Dhoni taking the catch.

Dhoni caught his counterpart Rohit Sharma (18) from a Simarjeet Singh delivery in the fourth over, before Sams fell to Choudhary, who then sent Tristan Stubbs packing for a duck.

Yet Hrithik Shokeen and Tilak Varma steadied the ship, and although the former was bowled out by Moeen Ali, Varma's 34 not out set Mumbai well on their way, with two sixes from Tim David (16 not out) ensured the Indians got home with 31 balls to spare.

Super Kings unable to make a case for the defence

CSK had four wins from their last seven matches in the IPL prior to Thursday's meeting. However, this is the first season in which CSK have failed to register consecutive wins so far and that run rolled on as they were convincingly beaten.

With only two games to play, the defending champions have no chance of finishing in the top four.

Indians bring up 20 against CSK

Mumbai have now won 20 of their 34 IPL meetings with CSK. Indeed, the Super Kings have lost more times against the Indians than they have any other team in the competition. This was only a third win of the tournament for Mumbai.

Jasprit Bumrah's stunning five-for proved in vain as Kolkata Knight Riders kept their hopes of a place in the Indian Premier League play-offs alive with a 52-run win over Mumbai Indians.

Already out of contention for the top four having won just two of their first 10 games, Mumbai confirmed before the match that batter Suryakumar Yadav would miss the rest of the season with a left forearm injury.

However, Bumrah gave their fans something to cheer with a remarkable display of pace bowling, taking figures of 5-10 as KKR were restricted to 165-9.

Yet that total proved well beyond Mumbai as Pat Cummins and Andre Russell thrived with ball in hand to help KKR to their fifth win of the campaign.

A positive start from KKR that saw Ajinkya Rahane (25) and Venkatesh Iyer (43) put on 60 for the opening wicket eventually gave way to a Bumrah masterclass.

The turning point in their innings came in the 15th over as Bumrah removed Russell (9) and Nitish Rana (43) to reduce KKR to 139-5.

KKR never recovered from there and were helpless in the 18th as Bumrah produced a triple-wicket maiden.

Mumbai failed to deliver a batting effort to match his performance with the ball, the tone set when Rohit Sharma (2) was given out caught behind on review from the sixth ball of the reply.

Ishan Kishan (51) was the only Mumbai batter to score more than 15, Cummins displacing him in the 15th over, which also saw Daniel Sams (1) and Murugan Ashwin (0) caught to turn the tide firmly in KKR's favour.

The final three dismissals all came via run-outs as Mumbai's increasingly desperate chase ended with them bowled out for 113.

Bumrah blitz

India fast bowler Bumrah's figures marked the best of his IPL career, beating the 4-14 he took against Delhi Capitals in 2020.

The highlight was unquestionably the 18th over, in which Sheldon Jackson and Cummins both fell before Bumrah had Sunil Narine caught and bowled. Tim Southee denied him a sixth wicket and a hat-trick.

KKR still in the hunt

Defeat for KKR would have ended their top-four hopes. As it is, they still have an outside chance of making the play-offs. They are one of four teams on 10 points, four points behind fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore.

However, three of those teams have a game more to play, meaning KKR's fate is therefore not in their own hands.

Suryakumar Yadav has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League season with a left forearm injury.

Mumbai Indians confirmed Suryakumar would miss the final four games of the campaign prior to Monday's clash with Kolkata Knight Riders.

Suryakumar has enjoyed a fine season in a poor campaign for Mumbai, scoring 303 runs at an average of 43.28 - including three half-centuries.

But with bottom-of-the-table Mumbai already out of contention having won just two of their 10 games, the news is likely to be of greater concern to India ahead of next month's T20 International series with South Africa.

A brief statement on Mumbai's Twitter account read: "Suryakumar Yadav has sustained a muscle strain on his left forearm, and has been ruled out for the season.

"He has been advised rest, in consultation with the BCCI medical team."

Suryakumar has featured in 14 T20Is for India, scoring three half-centuries and averaging 39.

His 31-ball 65, which featured seven sixes, saw him named player of the series in February when India secured a 3-0 whitewash of West Indies.

India host South Africa for five T20Is next month, the series opener taking place in Delhi on June 9.

Former India cricketer turned analyst, Aakash Chopra, does not believe India Premier League (IPL) club Mumbai Indians will play West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard again for the rest of the season.

The 34-year-old big-hitter has had a difficult campaign to date for the many-time IPL champions, who have themselves struggled to make an impact.  With only two wins and eight losses in 10 games, the five-time title winners are rooted at the bottom of the IPL table.

 In ten matches so far in IPL 2022, Pollard has struggled to score just 129 runs at an abysmal average of 14.33 and a strike rate of just 109.32.  Pollard has been a loyal servant to the Mumbai franchise and despite it being the only IPL club that he has ever represented, since making his debut in 2010, Chopra believes the club is likely to take a chance with young South African Dewald Brevis.  Brevis has scored 124 runs in six games but has an incredible strike rate of 155.

“I feel Kieron Pollard will not play any further this year, that's it, they won't play him anymore because Dewald Brevis is sitting outside and Tim David is doing well," Chopra said via his YouTube channel.

"Don't know why they didn't play a punt on Tim David earlier. They had kept this six-hitting machine sitting outside for a long time. Now they have remembered that they should play him and he has not disappointed them even once since they have played him.”

 

Mumbai Indians claimed back-to-back Indian Premier League wins with a stunning final-ball success against top-of-the-table Gujarat Titans, with Daniel Sams giving up just three runs in a thrilling final over.

Ishan Kishan (45) and Rohit Sharma (43) made it a good start for Mumbai with the bat, but the IPL's bottom side suffered a succession of losses midway through their innings as they reached 177-6.

The Titans appeared to be well on their way to chasing down that target, as Wriddhiman Saha (55) and Shubman Gill (52) fired them to 106 before their first loss.

However, the Titans suffered their own middle-order collapse, with Sams eventually producing a terrific final over to deny them the nine runs they needed for victory.

Having been put in to bat, Mumbai began strongly, with their classy top-order pair holding out until the eighth over before Rohit was dismissed by Rashid Khan following a review.

While Ishan went in the 12th over, Suryakumar Yadav (13), Tilak Varma (21), and Kieron Pollard (four) struggled to make inroads as Khan recorded another wicket and two catches, before Tim David hit 44 off 21 balls to set a respectable target for the Indians, who claimed their first victory of the season last time out after losing their first eight contests.

Having watched the Mumbai top-order produce a strong display, Saha and Gill went even better until the 13th over when both fell to Murugan Ashwin, before Sai Sudharsan and Hardik went for 14 and 24 respectively as Mumbai set up a tense finale.

Having failed to take a wicket in his two previous overs, Sams took the ball for the decisive final moments, denying David Miller (19 not out) a crucial boundary with the final two balls as the Indians belied their dreadful season to limit the Titans to 172, claiming a dramatic win.

Ashwin eliminates dangermen to kick-start comeback

Ashwin's two wickets were crucial in instigating Mumbai's fightback, taking down Saha and Gill when the table-topping Titans looked certain to cruise to victory, recording his seventh and eighth wickets of the campaign.

Indians share the scoring with the bat

Neither Ishan nor Rohit have reached top form this term, averaging just 30.00 and 19.80 respectively, but their combined 88 established a foundation for Mumbai's victory, while David's quickfire 44, his highest score of the campaign, provided just enough impetus to get Mumbai over the line.

Daniel Sams blasted his first ball for six in the final over to finally give Mumbai Indians a first Indian Premier League win of the season over Rajasthan Royals on Rohit Sharma's birthday.

Mumbai had lost all eight games, but finally got up and running with a five-wicket victory at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.

Run machine Jos Buttler yet again top scored with 67 off 52 balls as the second-placed Royals posted 158-6 and that was not enough to consign the Indians to another defeat.

Suryakumar Yadav (51 from 39) laid the platform for the win and with four needed from the last over, Sams stepped up to win it on captain Rohit's 35th birthday after Kieron Pollard fell to Kuldeep Sen.

Hrithik Shokeen claimed the early wicket of Devdutt Padikkal and the Royals were 54-2 in the eight over when Sanju Samson departed.

Buttler had only 28 off as many balls halfway through Rajasthan's innings and Daryl Mitchell was also unable to get into full flow before he was removed by Sams.

The powerful Buttler had not struck a six until he exploded into life in the 16th over, disdainfully dispatching Shokeen over the ropes from four successive deliveries before he was caught in the deep off the last ball of that over.

Ravichandran Ashwin added a brisk 21 before he was dismissed by the impressive Riley Meredith (2-24) and the India spinner claimed the scalp of Rohit for two in the third over of the run chase.

Yadav and Tilak Varma (35) put 81 on for the third wicket, but departed in quick succession to Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna to leave the game in the balance.

The nerves were jangling when Mitchell caught Pollard in the deep from the first ball of the last over, but Sams launched a huge six into the leg side to raise the root and Tim David was unbeaten on 20 off nine balls.

 

Normal service resumed by brilliant Buttler 

It has been an incredible IPL for Buttler, who is comfortably the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 566 at an average of 70.75 with a strike rate of 155.06.

He struggled to get going after making eight against Royal Challengers Bangalore last time out, but brutally took Shokeen part to reach another half-century from 48 balls before departing trying to hit the spinner over the rope for a fifth time in the 16th over.

Yadav a shining light

It has been a nightmare season for Mumbai – the most successful IPL franchise – but Yadav has been a shining light.

While Rohit has been unable to register a half-century in the tournament, Yadav now has three and averages 48.33, sitting sixth on the list of the highest scorers.

Former India players Sunil Gavaskar and RP Singh are among those critical of all-rounder Krunal Pandya kissing former West Indian skipper Kieron Pollard during Sunday’s India Premier League (IPL) encounter between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants.

So far this season, Mumbai, the many-time champions, have failed to gain any traction, losing all eight of the games played so far.  In Sunday’s loss, Pandya found himself at the centre of controversy after running to give Pollard a kiss on the head after dismissing the West Indian.

Despite it being generally known that the men are friends, Gavaskar believes the bowler went too far with his celebration and that his mockery could have provoked a negative reaction from the West Indian. 

“I know he is not going to like it, No! No! However good friends you are, that has to happen once the game is over. He is lucky that Pollard didn’t do anything,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.  Singh agreed, adding that the Lucknow player had gone too far.

“Nobody likes losing. When a player is not doing well, one should avoid such things. You don’t know what emotions he is going through. What if he (Pollard) had turned back and reacted. He was walking back disappointed at being unable to win matches and that reaction was definitely too much.”

 

KL Rahul crafted his second century of the Indian Premier League season against the winless Mumbai Indians as Lucknow Super Giants recorded a 36-run victory on Sunday.

Lucknow captain Rahul finished unbeaten on 103 off 62 balls, reaching three figures with a six off Riley Meredith (2-40), but Manish Pandey (22) was the only other batter to pass 20 in support of his skipper.

Kieron Pollard collected two dismissals for eight runs as the Super Giants posted 168-6 at the Wankhede Stadium, though Mumbai's hopes for their first win of the season diminished after losing regular wickets.

Ishan Kishan (eight) fell in bizarre fashion as he edged onto wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock's foot and into the hands of Jason Holder at slip, before Dewald Brevis (three) followed to Mohsin Khan (1-27).

Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma offered brief impetus with 39 from 31 balls, but he was removed by Krunal Pandya (3-19) before Suryakumar Yadav (seven) was dismissed by Ayush Badoni (1-6) to leave Mumbai 67-4.

Pollard and Tilak Varma posed a late threat to Lucknow with a 57-run partnership, with the latter scoring a quick 38 before holing out to Holder (1-36).

Pandya then dismissed Pollard (19) and Daniel Sams (three) in the final over, either side of Holder running out Jaydev Unadkat (one), as Super Giants eased to their third straight win to move up to fourth.

Captain fantastic

Rahul powered a brisk 56-ball century against Mumbai earlier in the month and again played with remarkable control for his 103, which included 12 fours and four sixes.

Only Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler has scored more runs in this season's competition (491) than the Lucknow captain, who has 368 from his eight matches so far.

Classy Chameera thwarts Mumbai

Mumbai became the first side to lose their first seven games of an IPL campaign after falling to Chennai Super Kings on Thursday, but may have fancied their chances after being set 169 to win at Wankhede.

However, Rahul's bowlers kept things tight and controlled the second innings, with Pandya capably supported by Dushmantha Chameera, who went for just 14 runs from his four overs, including 15 dot balls.

MS Dhoni was the final-over hero as Chennai Super Kings kept Mumbai Indians waiting for a first Indian Premier League win with a dramatic three-wicket victory.

CSK needed 17 off the last over from Jaydev Unadkat in the battle of the bottom two to win only their second match and Dhoni delivered, hitting the four he needed off the last ball to leave the Indians shellshocked.

Mukesh Choudhary (3-19) dismissed Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan for first-over ducks after Mumbai were put in by Ravindra Jadeja at a raucous DY Patil Stadium on Thursday, but they recovered to 155-7.

Teenager Tilak Varma top scored with 51 not out off 43 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav (32) and debutant Hrithik Shokeen (25) also chipped in.

CSK dropped four catches, including Varma being given a life by Dwayne Bravo when he had scored only two, in a sloppy display in the field following such a great start.

All-rounder Bravo took 2-36 before Unadkat added a brisk unbeaten 19 and Daniel Sams dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad with the first ball of the run chase.

Sams (4-30) also saw the back of Mitchell Santner, Shivam Dube and Ambati Rayudu, with Mumbai favourites when Chennai were 106-6 in the 16th over following Jadeja's departure for only three.

Dwaine Pretorius made 22 and the ice-cool Dhoni stepped up when CSK needed him, making 28 not out off 13 balls to leave the Indians rooted to the bottom of the table after losing all seven games.

Choudhary gives CSK dream start

Left-arm seamer Choudhary rocked Mumbai by removing both openers in the first over, with Rohit taken by Santner at mid-on off the second ball and Kishan losing his off stump.

Dewald Brevis became Choudhary's third victim off the final ball of the third over, reducing the Indians to 32-3.

CSK's fielding did not match the standard of their early bowling, captain Jadeja guilty of two of their dropped catches as they let Mumbai off the hook to an extent.

Dhoni still leading by example

He may have handed the captaincy over to Jadeja, but Dhoni showed he will always be a leader as he steered the holders home.

They needed 28 off two overs and 16 from deliveries after Unadkat trapped Pretorius leg before. 

Step forward the 40-year-old Dhoni, who clattered the left-armer for a straight six and struck the next ball for four, then scampered through for two before dispatching the last delivery into the leg side for a match-winning boundary.

KL Rahul knocked a freewheeling century to steer Lucknow Super Giants to an 18-run victory as they inflicted a sixth defeat of the season upon Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

The Super Giants captain muscled 103 not out off 60 balls to guide his side to an unassailable 199-4 on Saturday.

Suryakumar Yadav mustered a side-best 37 for the Indians in response, but their spirited attempts to deliver a first win of the campaign fell short.

Rahul had showcased some typical virtuosity over the past few weeks with the Super Giants, including a patient 68 in victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

But his effort here was of the more explosively entertaining kind, with the tone set by a fifth-over frenzy off Tyrone Mills and capped with an exquisite six.

Able support from Quinton de Kock (24) and Manish Pandey (38) helped drive the Indians, despite Jaydev Unadkat's 2-32 bowling figures.

Any hopes of a response from the Indians looked in jeopardy when they were reduced to 57-3, before Yadav and Tilak Varma mounted a sturdy 64-run fourth-wicket partnership.

Kieron Pollard and Unadkat combined to leave the hosts needing an ambitious 26 off the last over, but three wickets in those final six balls ended any hopes.

Rahul delivers captain's knock

Taking to the crease for the first ball alongside wicketkeeper De Kock, the India star turned in a contender for the performance of the tournament to date with his assured strokes.

With nine fours and five sixes, the opening batsman led from the front, with an impressive strike rate of 171.66, while Avesh Khan led the way with the ball, taking 3-30.

Luckless Indians continue barren run

It has been six games and six losses across the start of the 2022 campaign now for Mumbai, and their hopes of making the playoffs truly look to be in tatters.

On the back of Wednesday's loss to Punjab Kings, it is the second game in a row where their margin of defeat has clocked in under the 20-run mark, but it is still a painful streak they are yet to buck.

Mumbai Indians' winless start to the Indian Premier League season continued, as an exceptional display from Punjab Kings' top order was enough to hold off the five-time champions

Half-centuries from Mayank Argarwal (52) and Shikhar Dhawan (70) established a commanding lead for the Kings, which Mumbai always looked unlikely to reach once Rohit Sharma went for 28. 

Dewald Brevis (49) and Suryakumar Yadav (43) both looked to spearhead an unlikely revival for Mumbai, but fell narrowly short of half-centuries as they suffered a fifth consecutive loss.

Mumbai elected to put the Kings into bat when winning the toss, but Agarwal and Dhawan struck up an excellent partnership as the Mumbai attack struggled to make headway early on.

The Kings reached 97 before Argarwal was caught by Yadav, before Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone were bowled out for 12 and two runs respectively. 

Dangerman Dhawan was finally caught by Keiron Pollard after joining Argarwal in hitting a half-century, after which a decent showing from Jitesh Sharma (30) and a mammoth haul of 28 runs in the 17th over carried the Kings to 198.

Mumbai skipper Rohit was tasked with leading the response with the bat, but their hopes of avoiding another defeat looked slim once he fell for 28, particularly once partner Ishan Kishan went for just three runs shortly after.

Brevis and Tilak Varma subsequently sought to lead a stunning response, with the former smashing four consecutive sixes in a spectacular eighth over before falling to Odean Smith when one run short of his own century.

Tilak was run out by Argarwal soon after, before Pollard suffered a calamitous run-out for just 10 at the hands of Smith as Mumbai's hopes faded.

Yadav looked to lead once last attack for the batting side, but fell for 43 in a thrilling 19th over as the Kings held on for a third victory in five IPL outings, Smith posting three wickets in a comfortable final over.

Kings duo star with the bat

Half-centuries from the Kings' top-order batsmen set them on their way to victory, with Argarwal reaching 52 and Dhawan 70 in an outstanding display, setting a target which proved beyond Mumbai after their own top-order fell in quick fashion.

Stunning finish sees Smith rack up the wickets

Smith, meanwhile, finished with a brilliant four wickets from 30 balls for the victors after accounting for the last three dismissals of the match, as Mumbai collapsed after Yadav fell in the 19th.

Mumbai Indians plummeted to a fourth successive defeat as Royal Challengers Bangalore powered home with seven wickets in hand against the five-time Indian Premier League champions. 

A first IPL half-century for Anuj Rawat, who was run out for 66, helped RCB make light work of chasing Mumbai's 151-6 in Pune. Mumbai had been 79-6 but Suryakumar Yadav clubbed 68 from 37 balls to make it a contest. 

Virat Kohli was unhappy to be given out lbw for 48 in the closing moments of the match, but his disappointment was nothing like the dismay the Indians will be feeling as they await a first win of the campaign. 

Glenn Maxwell finished the match with successive fours as victory was secured with nine balls to spare, RCB reaching 152-3. 

Mumbai began brightly enough as Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma put on 50 for the first wicket. But once Rohit fell for 26, caught and bowled by Harshal Patel, a hapless collapse followed. Dewald Brevis made eight, but he went with the score on 60, and it was soon 62-5 as Kishan (26), Tilak Varma (0) and Kieron Pollard (0) headed back to the dressing room. 

When Ramandeep Singh was caught behind off Harshal by Dinesh Karthik, Mumbai were 79-6 and looking like being humiliated, but the in-form Yadav had other ideas. He set about carrying the team into three figures before cutting loose late on, taking three sixes off Mohammed Siraj in the 19th over before smashing Harshal for another maximum from the final ball of the innings. 

Yadav took the catch that broke up the RCB opening pairing, as he showed safe hands at long-on to remove Faf du Plessis for 16 and give Jaydev Unadkat an early wicket. As with Mumbai, that first wicket fell with the score on 50, but RCB did not crumble as the Indians did. 

Rawat impressed, while Kohli was dropped just inside the deep square leg boundary by Brevis off Basil Thampi at the start of the 15th over, the ball squirting away for four. 

It was rather academic by then, and although Rawat fell to a smart piece of fielding by Ramandeep, and Kohli was unimpressed at being given out, RCB were soon home and hosed. 

Three in a row for RCB, on two counts

RCB have now won three successive IPL games against Mumbai for the first time in their history. They have also won three in a row this season after an opening defeat to Punjab Kings, nudging them up to third in the table. 

Yadav needs support

Yadav cracked a team-high 52 from 36 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday and finished on the losing side. He again showed great quality in the middle order by bludgeoning six sixes in his backs-against-the-wall assault, making it tough on him to finish on the losing side. Others now need to step up when Mumbai face Punjab Kings on Wednesday. 

Pat Cummins blasted an astonishing record-equalling half-century to secure a five-wicket Indian Premier League win for Kolkata Knight Riders over Mumbai Indians.

The Indians posted 161-4 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, Suryakumar Yadav top scoring with 52 off 36 balls with support from Tilak Varma (38 not out) and Kieron Pollard (22no).

Mumbai looked to be on course for their first win of the tournament when KKR were 101-5 in the 14th over, but Australia Test captain Cummins had other ideas.

The paceman matched KL Rahul's record for the fastest IPL half-century from 14 balls and put the Knight Riders top by hitting Daniel Sams for six to seal victory with four overs to spare, Venkatesh Iyer also playing a big hand with an unbeaten 50.

Jos Buttler's second Indian Premier League century helped maintain Rajasthan Royals' winning start in 2022, setting the stage for a 23-run defeat of Mumbai Indians.

The Indians put their opponents in to bat first but no doubt soon regretted that decision as opener Buttler plundered 100 off 68 balls.

That knock did the heavy lifting in the Royals' 193-8 – a total that proved comfortably beyond Mumbai, despite the best efforts of teenager Tilak Varma (61).

Buttler had 26 runs in a dizzying fourth over alone and later put on 82 with captain Sanju Samson (30) for the third wicket in the biggest partnership of the match.

Shimron Hetmyer (35) played his part and the Royals were moving at a blistering pace up until his departure, collapsing from 183-3 with 11 balls remaining.

That shaky finish looked like it could prove costly when Varma joined Ishan Kishan (54) in the middle, but Ravi Ashwin finally got the better of the 19-year-old.

Yuzvendra Chahal (2-26) then set about tidying up the rest of the middle order, getting Tim David and Daniel Sams from consecutive deliveries before creating a hat-trick chance with his ball to Murugan Ashwin, only for Karun Nair to fluff the catch, if not his team's ultimately routine win.

Bumrah bests Buttler after brilliant show

One of the great limited-overs batsmen, Buttler's tally of a single hundred in 66 prior IPL matches was on the light side. He was well on the way to his second century within four overs, though, with 38 runs off 20 balls at that stage.

The England wicketkeeper hit five boundaries in succession – two fours and three sixes – in that fourth over. Although that pace then slowed a little, it still required an elite bowler to eventually get Buttler, with a Jasprit Bumrah beauty among three wickets in the 19th over as he finished with 3-17.

Victory charge ends with Varma wicket

Varma could not join Buttler on three figures, but this was a first fifty and will surely not be his last. It said a lot for Varma's performance that he earned a send off from Ashwin, having sent him for six with a reverse sweep from the previous ball.

Unfortunately for the Indians, already slightly behind in the game, their next boundary did not follow for almost three overs – during which time Chahal took his two wickets.

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