Dwayne Bravo helps Gujarat claim maiden win

Dwayne Bravo, the purple cap holder from the 2015 edition of the Indian Twenty20 league, was at it again and claimed four wickets to help his new team, Gujarat, outclass Punjab by five wickets in their opening encounter on Monday.

Gujarat's captain, Suresh Raina, won the toss and opted to bowl first on a lively Mohali track. It was a decision that looked to have backfired as Punjab's openers, Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra, laid a solid 78-run platform in 8.2 overs.

The duo first attacked fast bowler, Pradeep Sangwan and later tore into Australia international James Faulkner. Vohra raced to 38 from 23 balls before he was dismissed in the ninth over. At that stage, Punjab had motored along at over eight runs an over and looked good to set Gujarat a target nearing 200.

Captain David Miller then hit a four and a six in his 10-ball 15, as he looked to continue his side's dominance. But, he lost his inform partner, Vijay, in the 11th over. His departure brought Glenn Maxwell to the fore and Punjab looked to the experienced Maxwell-Miller combine to rebuild their innings.

But they were wrong, as Bravo made it difficult for the duo to score freely. He foxed Maxwell in the second over of his spell and breached his defences, with a yorker, as Maxwell looked to guide it through point. His departure triggered a collapse, as Miller fell two-balls later.

The double blow brought Gujarat back into the contest, as they looked to make further inroads. Punjab's wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha and Marcus Stoinis added some stability with a 55-run stand for the fifth wicket, before they fell to Bravo in the 20th over. Punjab managed 161 runs in their innings.

Bravo conceded just one four in his match-winning display, that also helped him beat Lasith Malinga to become the highest wicket taker in Twenty20 matches, with 302 wickets.

Gujarat lost opener, Brendon McCullum, in the first over of the chase, but Aaron Finch' 47-ball 74 helped them stay on course for their first win of the competition. Dinesh Karthik added 41 and Suresh Raina 20. Gujarat won the match with 14 balls to spare.

"I think the bowlers did a very good job to restrict them to 160," Bravo said. "The [dipping] slower ball is a new ball I've been working on, and David Miller is a dangerous player, happy to get his wicket. As a bowler you always have to keep coming up with new variations, so no one can get accustomed to the way you bowl. I knew I was close to 300 [wickets], but I was not exactly sure. Malinga is the best T20 bowler in the world, and I can't put myself next to him."