Opener Sharma returns to form with unbeaten 76 of 45 balls, ably assisted by Suryakumar (30-ball 68) as Mumbai Indians thrash fellow five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by nine wickets at packed Wankhede
MI’s Rohit Sharma pulls one for six against CSK at Wankhede yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Former Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma returned to form in style, hammering an unbeaten 45-ball 76 (4x4, 6x6), while middle-order big-hitter Suryakumar Yadav bludgeoned his way to a 30-ball 68 not out (6x4, 5x6) as MI thrashed Chennai Super Kings by nine wickets in an IPL-18 match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Rickleton, the only wicket
Opener Ryan Rickleton (24 off 19, 3x4, 1x6) was the only MI batter dismissed on the night, as the win saw Mumbai rise one place to sixth in the points table. Ravindra Jadeja (1-28 off three overs) was the only CSK bowler to take a wicket, while their Sri Lankan pacer Mathisha Pathirana was the most expensive, giving away 34 runs off just 10 balls (1.4 overs).
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Suryakumar Yadav in full flow vs CSK yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Earlier, in search of their third successive win at IPL-18, MI did well to restrict fellow five-time champions CSK to 176-5. Interestingly, it was the two local boys, playing in yellow jerseys – Shivam Dube (32-ball 50, 2x4, 4x6) and teenage debutant Ayush Mhatre (15-ball 32, 4x4, 2x6) – besides all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (35-ball 53 not out, 4x4, 2x6), who stood out for the visitors.
Put into bat, both CSK openers Shaik Rasheed (19, 1x4) and Rachin Ravindra (5) began cautiously, thanks to MI pacers Deepak Chahar (1-32) and Trent Boult’s (0-43) accurate bowling. Rasheed managed the first four of the innings on the last ball of the third over when he stepped out and pulled Chahar to the fence. Ravindra’s nine-ball knock was ended by left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar (1-42), who had a memorable game against Kolkata Knight Riders when he claimed 4-24 at the same venue. Ashwani had the New Zealander caught by wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton.
However, Mhatre’s fearless approach cost Ashwani 18 runs in his first over. Mhatre, 17, who joined CSK just a few days ago, replacing injured opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, seemed ready for the big stage as he exhibited big shots at ease during his 15-ball stay at the wicket. He came to the crease at No. 3 in the fourth over and made his IPL debut a memorable one as he smashed a four and two of sixes off Ashwani. He dispatched the left-arm pacer first to the mid-off fence with a perfect back foot punch and then finished his over with two successive sixes over deep mid-wicket and square-leg fence respectively.
Poor Powerplay for CSK
After the Powerplay, CSK were 48-1 even as MI’s pace ace Jasprit Bumrah (2-25) was yet to bowl his first over. A confident Mhatre earned two more fours through perfectly timed back foot punches off Chahar. However, Chahar had the last laugh when Mhatre mistimed a pull show and Mitchell Santner made no mistake at long-on. Thereafter, Dube used his experience well, stitching a 79-run stand with Jadeja off just 50 balls. Dube and Jadeja combined to extract 24 runs against Ashwani in the 16th over that included one four and three sixes. Dube reached his 50 off just 30 balls.
Brief scores
CSK 176-5 in 20 overs (R Jadeja 53*, S Dube 50, A Mhatre 32; J Bumrah 2-25) lost to MI 177-1 in 15.4 overs (R Sharma 76*, S Yadav 68*) by nine wickets
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