The tournament opener of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was a heartbreaking one for the hosts as the Mumbai Indians (MI) lost the match against their biggest rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by just one wicket. They were in complete control of the game till the 17th over of the second innings but, it was DJ Bravo, who turned the game on its head in the next two overs and took his team in the winning position.
Bravo not only slammed seven sixes and scored 68 in just 39 balls but also bowled crucial overs. Unlike his Carribean counterpart, Kieron Pollard didn’t have a great day on the field. He did not get a chance to perform either with the bat or with the ball. However, there was one common thing between both the Carribean all-rounders, their jersey numbers. Despite the fact that they played for different teams, they were united by jersey numbers as the two wore 400 number jerseys.
Also read: Match 1 (MI vs CSK) – Reasons of loss
Asked about his jersey number, DJ, who won the Man of the Match award for his all-round show, said, “Pollard is the first player to play 400 T20 games. So he has 400 on his back. And I’m the first bowler to get 400 wickets. So the both of us said, ‘ if we both play the first game in the IPL, let’s do something different.’ It’s a great milestone for both of us personally.”
He further added, “Pollard spoke to Mumbai. I spoke to CSK and they allowed us to play in this game. Moving forward in the tournament, we both will go back to our respective numbers – 47 and 55. I’m happy that 400 is a lucky performance.”
Also read: Match 1 (MI vs CSK) – Hits and Flops
Pollard is the first cricketer to feature in more than 400 T20 games while Bravo is the first bowler to pick 400 T20 wickets. Interestingly, Bravo and Pollard started off their IPL campaigns with the Mumbai Indians. Bravo featured for the Mumbai Indians for the first three seasons after which he was picked by the Chennai Super Kings Franchise. On the other hand, Pollard was picked by Mumbai following his heroics in the Champions League T20 and Big Bash in 2009. He played his first game for MI in 2010.
