(Image source from: Chennai Super Kings Crashes down Mumbai Indians})
It was an extraordinary Twenty20 match and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) once again showed why they are supreme in this format. In a clinical display they chased down the massive 184, set by Mumbai Indians (MI) with ease.
Winning the toss, MI elected to bat at their fortress Wankhede Stadium and got off to a disastrous start as they were reduced to 12 for four in the fourth over. Once again it was Ashish Nehra for CSK who starred with the ball and created the early wrecks in the Mumbai batting. The experienced campaigner who made his international debut 16 years back, proved to be the difference at the end and deservingly won his second man-of-the-match from three matches. Though MI struggled initially, an inspiring effort from captain Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard took them to a match-winning total of 183.
But against the likes of Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, no total is match-winning. The duo set the game up in the Powerplay itself. In the first six overs, CSK got off to a dream start and were 90 for no loss. Their partnership lasted for 109 in 7.2 overs. From hereon, it was just a formality for the other batsmen to complete the chase.
Turning point: Bowling an inexperienced Jagdeesha Suchith in front of the likes of McCullum and Dwayne Smith, that too in the Powerplay, wasn’t the wisest of ideas. He went for 11 runs in the third over and was brought back for the fifth over and that proved very costly for MI. Smith hit him for two sixes and two fours and plundered 22 from it. With 72 on the board after five overs, CSK completely gained an upper hand.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 183 for 7 in 20 overs [Rohit Sharma 50 (31), Kieron Pollard 64 (30), Ambati Rayudu 29 (16); Ashish Nehra 4-0-23-0] lost toChennai Super Kings 189 for 4 in 16.4 overs [Dwayne Smith 62 (30), Brendon McCullum 46 (20), Suresh Raina 43 (29)*; Harbhajan Singh 4-0-44-2] – by six wickets
- Manohar. M
