Mumbai Indians succumbed to a 20-run defeat at home against Chennai Super Kings in the first El Clasico of the season, despite a valiant century from former captain Rohit Sharma (105*). The difference between a win and defeat for CSK was a certain MS Dhoni whose four-ball 20-run cameo provided the momentum that the five-time champions needed to get over the line and turned out to be the exact deficit margin for MI.
Apart from Dhoni, it was the spell from Matheesha Pathirana, aka the ‘Baby Malinga’ that turned the tide in CSK’s favour. Chasing the daunting target of 207, MI were off the blocks in a blistering manner as Sharma and Ishan Kishan (23) pummeled absolutely everything out of the ground.
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Such was the nonchalance in the duo’s strokeplay that MI raced to 63 in the powerplay phase. However, Pathirana, summoned into the attack in the eighth over, struck on the first ball as Kishan flicked a length ball straight to Shardul Thakur at short midwicket.
Dangerman Suryakumar Yadav departed a ball later as Mustafizur Rahman on the third-man boundary rope took a brilliant, balancing catch. Having lost two quick wickets, the MI scoring rate witnessed a slump. Sharma joined forces with Tilak Verma (31) and stitched a small partnership but it never really threatened to take the game away from CSK.
Post the sixth over, CSK had a change in strategy and forced the MI batters to go towards the longer side of the park – a trick that ultimately paid rich dividends.
Dhoni’s heroics at Wankhede yet again
MS Dhoni turned back the clock and unleashed his powerful self at the Wankhede yet again – rekindling memories of the 2011 World Cup where he scored a tournament-winning 91-run knock in the final.
CSK were nowhere near the 200-run mark, necessary on the flat deck of Wankhede after getting a slow start to the innings. However, Dhoni, who came in the final over changed the game on its head after Daryl Mitchell got out, playing an attritional innings.
The ex-CSK captain, who has only faced a handful of deliveries throughout the tournament, deposited the first ball over long off for a massive six. He followed it up with a couple more maximums before settling for a couple on the final delivery.
Apart from Dhoni, useful contributions from Shivam Dube and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad ensured that CSK stayed in the contest and eventually landed the sucker punch to their arch-rivals.
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