Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians faced off in the opening game of the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The men in yellow outplayed the Mumbai Indians in every department as they won the game by 20 runs. With this win, CSK goes to the top of the table with 12 points to their name.
The day started with CSK skipper MS Dhoni winning the toss and electing to bat first. Kieron Pollard was leading Mumbai Indians as Rohit Sharma was deemed unfit. The decision to bat first backfired for CSK as they had the worst possible starts as the UAE demons came haunting back. Trent Boult and Adam Milne wreaked havoc as they picked quick wickets upfront. Opener Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali departed without troubling the scorers. In the second over, Ambati Rayudu was retired hurt. The batsmen failed miserably as the Chennai-based franchise was reeling at 24-4 at the end of the power play.
Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja started the recovery work for the men in yellow. Gaikwad played some sublime strokes and Jadeja supported him from the other end. He along with Bravo played some lusty blows in the end to power CSK over 150. Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 88 (58) as CSK finished their innings on 156/6. Boult, Milne, and Bumrah picked two wickets each.
Mumbai Indians had a new opening pair in de Kock and the debutant Anmolpreet Singh. They started cautiously and Deepak Chahar trapped de Kock in the third over. The middle-order failed to adapt to the conditions as they lost 3 wickets in the powerplay. Saurabh Tiwary was the lone fighter for the Mumbai Indians as his teammates failed to support him. Pollard looked good but his departure meant that it was an uphill task for them. Tiwary remained unbeaten on 50 (40) but failed to take his side across the line. Dwayne Bravo was the pick of the bowlers for CSK, picking three wickets in his four overs, giving away only 25 runs. Deepak Chahar too chipped in with two wickets. With this win, CSK seek revenge for their loss against MI on May 1 in the India leg of the IPL.
CSK vs MI: Who won the Man of the Match award?
Ruturaj Gaikwad was awarded the player of the match award for his outstanding knock of 88* (58)- his highest score in IPL. His innings helped CSK post 156 on the board. Despite losing wickets at the other end, Gaikwad stood tall against MI bowlers as he played some sublime strokes in his innings. He played some scintillating shots in death overs against the likes of Bumrah, Boult, and Milne. His innings proved to be the difference between the two sides as the Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 20 runs.
