Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 46 runs on 26 April at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai to move up to the second spot on the points table.
Leading the side in the absence of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina won the toss and opted to bowl. Batting first on a sluggish pitch, Mumbai lost Quinton de Kock early. Rohit Sharma came into his own and slammed 67 off 48 deliveries. This was his first fifty for Mumbai Indians this season.
Rohit’s innings, coupled with that of Evin Lewis’ 32 off 30 balls, and Hardik Pandya’s 23 off 18 powered Mumbai to a competitive total of 155/4 on a pitch which had assistance for spinners.
Chasing 156, Chennai didn’t really get going at any point of time. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually lost the match by 46 runs.
Team Standings
Despite the loss on Friday, Chennai still lead the IPL standings with Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad occupying the second, third and fourth places respectively.
Kings Xl Punjab are placed at the fifth position after winning 5 out of their 11 games.
Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore are placed at sixth, seventh and eighth spot respectively. All three of them have 8 points against their name, and all of them can still qualify for the play-offs. But it will take a Herculean effort from here on to change their fortunes.