Chennai Super Kings stopped a resurgent Mumbai Indians on their track, and that too, at the Wankhede Stadium, as they secured a 20-run triumph in the 29th match of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Defending a total of 206/4, Chennai restricted Mumbai to a score of 186/6.
For the third consecutive match, the tone of Mumbai Indians’ innings was set by the opening pair of former skipper Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, as it took them only five overs to cross the 50-run mark. Mustafizur Rahman, who has been among Chennai’s trump cards with the ball this season, was expensive, conceding 23 runs in his first couple of overs.
After the first seven overs, with the scoreboard reading 70/0, the win predictor algorithms were draped in blue, albeit in just three deliveries, Matheesha Pathirana gave the hosts an almighty jolt. The Sri Lankan pacer dismissed Ishan Kishan in his first delivery, before sending Suryakumar Yadav back on a duck in his third.
Holding the fort from one end was Sharma, who brought up his half-century in the eighth over, and then took the attack to Ravindra Jadeja in the tenth, hitting a four and a six on consecutive deliveries.
Alongside Tilak Varma, Sharma built a 60-run third-wicket stand, but Pathirana delivered a thunderbolt for the third time in this match. Varma could not capitalise on the start he got off to, as he was dismissed when batting on 31.
The next couple of overs tipped the scales completely in favour of the visitors. Shardul Thakur conceded merely a couple of runs on his last over, whilst in the 16th over, Tushar Deshpande was not only miser but got the crucial wicket of Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya.
Re-introduced in the bowling attack on the 17th over, Mustafizur Rahman dismissed Tim David, albeit he also conceded 19 runs in that over. Requiring 53 runs from the last three overs, Mumbai needed to go all guns blazing in the 18th over, albeit Pathirana had other plans. The 21-year-old completed a four-fer by dismissing Romario Shepherd, and conceded just six runs.
Rohit Sharma completed his century in the last over, and remained unbeaten on a 63-ball 105, albeit in ended in a winning cause as Mumbai could only reach 186/6.
Vintage Dhoni Enthralls Wankhede Stadium
Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube blasted quick-fire half-centuries while MS Dhoni blazed to a four-ball unbeaten 20 as Chennai Super Kings posted 206/4 in 20 overs.
CSK sprung a surprise by sending Ajinkya Rahane instead of skipper Gaikwad to open the innings with Rachin Ravindra. But the move did not yield the desired result with Rahane getting out for five at his home ground.
Though CSK head coach Stephen Fleming had said in the pre-match press conference that Gaikwad's slow batting at the top was not an issue for them as he was anchoring the innings, the move to send Rahane ahead of him belies that confidence.
He swept Mohammad Nabi over short fine leg for a boundary in the second over but fell to Gerald Coetzee in the next, mistiming a pull shot straight to Hardik Pandya at mid-on.
The stands appeared more yellow than the traditional blue, despite many fans, who were wearing yellow jerseys of CSK lining up to take free jerseys given by the home team, and families walking into the stadium with one member wearing yellow of the visiting team while another wearing the blue of the hosts.
In the middle too, CSK started prospering with Gaikwad hammering Coetzee for a massive six over long-on in the third over and following that up with four and six off successive balls in his next over, making room for a cut but managing only a thick inside edge past short fine-leg and backing away again on the next ball to uppercut a short one over third man for six.
CSK could still manage only 48/1 in the Power-play. However, with both Gaikwad and Ravindra helping themselves to a four each off Akash Madhwal and the New Zealand opener carting Shreyas Gopal for a six with a clean swing over long-on, they completed fifty of their partnership for the second wicket off 36 balls.
Gopal had his revenge on the next delivery as he induced a faint edge as Ravindra attempted to cut and missed. Keeper Ishan Kishan goes up in appeal and Mumbai Indians review it after it is turned down. Ultra edge shows a small spike as the ball passes the bat and Mumbai get their man. Ravindra got out for 21 off 16, hitting two fours and a six and CSK were down to 60/2 in the eighth over.
While Jasprit Bumrah kept things tight at one end by conceding only 10 runs in his first two overs, CSK continued to prosper from the other with Shivam Dube helping himself to three boundaries, two of them off successive deliveries, off Hardik Pandya's first over, which cost Mumbai Indians 15 runs.
Gaikwad, who was dropped by Rohit Sharma off Madhwal when on 40, went on to smash a six each off Madhwal and Coetzee in successive overs to complete his half-century off 33 balls, hitting three fours and as many sixes. He and Dube also raised fifty runs in their partnership for the third wicket off 30 balls.
Dube, who started with three fours off Pandya, slapped and pulled Romario Shepherd for two boundaries and then in the 14th over, Shepherd for back-to-back sixes, two superb efforts that were followed by a boundary off a short ball past the deep midwicket which left the fans delirious in the stands. Gaikwad then scythed a low full toss off his wrists for another boundary as the over cost Mumbai Indians 22 runs. Dube bought fifty off 28 balls.
Gaikwad struck Madhwal for a six and four off successive balls, advancing down the wicket to blast a six off Madhwal despite the bowler going wide. With runs flowing easily, skipper Hardik Pandya brought himself into the attack and was rewarded for his courageous decision when he got his counterpart with an off-cutter, inducing a mishit that went straight to Nabi at long-on. Gaikwad's superb innings produced 69 runs off 40 balls and was studded with five boundaries and as many sixes. He and Dube added 90 runs for the third wicket in quick time.
Daryl Mitchell was out for 17 off 14 but Mahendra Singh Dhoni hammered Pandya for a hat-trick of sixes in the final over that cost 26 runs as CSK posted a par score of 206/4 in 20 overs. Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 66 off 36 balls while Dhoni finished on 20 not out off four deliveries as CSK set Mumbai Indians a target of 207.
Though Bumrah was at his usual frugal self giving 27 runs in his four overs, Pandya ended with 2-43 courtesy of Dhoni's three sixes.
(With inputs from IANS)
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