Lasith Malinga commends a wicket.(PTI)
Playing at their home ground, the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, the Mumbai Indians comfortably defeated the Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs in this 12th season of the IPL.
CSK's chase of 171 started in the worst possible way, as they were stripped of both openers in just two overs. Ambati Rayudu was sent back for 0 by Jason Behrendorff, and Shane Watson only managed 5 before being dismissed by Lasith Malinga.
Suresh Raina and Kedar Jadhav tried to stabilize the innings with a quick 27-run stand, but the recovery was short-lived. Raina departed for 16 when Behrendorff induced a mistake that led to a stunning catch by Kieron Pollard.
With MS Dhoni coming in at number five, the batting order finally found some composure. Jadhav acted as the primary aggressor, while Dhoni focused on anchoring the innings and managing the run rate.
The duo shared a promising 54-run partnership, but the momentum shifted when Hardik Pandya dismissed Dhoni for 12. The CSK captain was caught while trying to launch a massive hit, and Ravindra Jadeja followed shortly after, falling to Pandya for just 1 run in the same over.
Kedar Jadhav fought a lonely battle, reaching his half-century in the sixteenth over. Despite his best efforts, his valiant 58-run knock ended when Malinga finally claimed his wicket.
The victory was sealed by the clinical bowling of Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah, whose signature pinpoint yorkers tore through the lower order to secure a 37-run win for Mumbai.
Earlier in the game, strong contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (59) and Krunal Pandya (42) propelled the Mumbai Indians to a total of 170/5. Here are the key statistics from the match.
– Mumbai Indians had a sluggish start in the first ten overs, managing only 57/1, which stands as one of their lowest scores at the ten-over mark against CSK.
– Suryakumar Yadav hit a personal milestone, scoring 59 off 43 balls to record his first-ever half-century against Chennai Super Kings, surpassing his previous best of 44 from the prior season.
– Dwayne Bravo made history as the first bowler to reach 100 IPL wickets. Despite taking the wicket of Suryakumar, he conceded 49 runs in his four-over spell.
– Kedar Jadhav scored 58 off 54 deliveries, marking his first half-century against Mumbai Indians. His innings was highlighted by eight boundaries and one six.
– Lasith Malinga's impressive spell of 3/34 placed him as the bowler with the most total wickets taken against CSK in the history of the league.
– Hardik Pandya enjoyed a career-best IPL performance, claiming three wickets for just 20 runs.