Chennai Super Kings 206 for 4 (Gaikwad 69, Dube 64, Hardik 2-43) beat Mumbai Indians 186 for 6 (Rohit 105*, Pathirana 4-28) by 20 runs
Sensational bowling from Matheesha Pathirana of Chennai Super Kings did what might have seemed unthinkable: successfully defend a total in the night at Wankhede Stadium. And it was not a huge total: pushed just over 200 by an MS Dhoni cameo of 20 off the last four balls of the innings after Shivam Dube had continued his dream season with an unbeaten 66 off 38.
For large parts it was a contest that fit the billing: between the two most successful teams in the IPL and two of three most popular teams. For large parts, it seemed the defending champions CSK would be outgunned. Jasprit Bumrah restricted them with four overs for just 27, the Mumbai innings looked like it was going smoothly, but Matheesha Pathirana started the comeback with two wickets in his first over.
With Mumbai Indians requiring 89 runs off the last eight overs, Rohit and Tilak Verma were in search of a breakaway over. However, Ravindra Jadeja finished his spell with a six-run over and Pathirana – having struck twice in his opening over – came back to get rid of Tilak in the next.
Shardul Thakur conceded two runs in the next while Tushar Deshpande gave away only three runs and forced captain Hardik Pandya – who was booed a couple of times on the night – to hole out in the deep.
With 72 runs required off the last four overs, it was always going to be a lost battle. Rohit managing to raise his second IPL hundred and reducing the victory margin meant the Mumbaikars returned home with a smile on their face.
And Matheesha Pathirana sealed a famous win for the visiting team in the key match of all Indian Premier League battles.
Pathirana, Player of the Match: When we bowled in powerplay, I was nervous. I then came to do my regular things. I don't think about results and I just think about execution. First of all, I was having a niggle before two weeks and all support staff and players helped me. That's the main thing to have my form.
Dhoni goes 6, 6, 6 to finish off CSK's innings in style
MS Dhoni, at 42 years, has been reserving his energies for the late-overs dash in IPL 2024. And the wait was well worth it for his team-mates and fans alike at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night, where he played four balls in the 20th over and finished with a strike rate of 500.
His three successive sixes off Hardik off the first three balls – over long-off, long-on and square-leg, respectively - helped the Super Kings to cross the 200-run mark against Mumbai Indians, a bare minimum at the Wankhede Stadium at this time of the year, considering the heavy impact dew cover has on the outcome of the game.
Gaikwad, CSK captain: Our young wicketkeeper scoring three sixes down the order helped a lot and I think that was the difference. To start off, on this kind of ground, you need 10-15 extra runs. We were looking at 215-220, but Bumrah bowled well. Bowling-wise, we were spot on with our execution. Even in powerplay, I would have taken six overs for 60. These kinds of venues demand both skills: batting and bowling. Our Malinga bowled exceptionally well and nailed those yorkers. Not to forget - even Tushar and Shardul bowled well. We encourage everyone to be in a good headspace. Nothing, Jinks was carrying a bit of a niggle. Thought it was better for him to open and get away quick runs. I'm fine batting anywhere.
Hardik, MI captain: Definitely, gettable. But they bowled pretty well and Pathirana was the difference. They were smart with their plans and used the longer boundary well. They got the hang of it and they have a man behind the stumps telling them what's working. The ball was slightly gripping and they got ahead of the game. Until Pathirana came, we were on course for the total. It was just about what was best at that point (on whether they could have used a spinner to Dube?). To seamers it was more difficult to hit on this wicket. We are now on the road for the next four games. If we are smart, we can get the goal we want.
Thakur: Much-needed win. Playing against opponents like MI, especially at the Wankhede is not easy. Rohit, Ruturaj and Shivam the way they batted...but at the end of the day, we held our nerve better. We spoke about keeping it simple, meaning we need to have fielders where we bowl. This is a repeated pitch and MI played on it on April 11. We felt we needed to bowl slower ones into the pitch. Pathirana was magical and the way he bowled the yorkers was amazing to see. Not much dew today. When Rohit was going strong, we felt the game was sliding away a little but I wanted to challenge Rohit to hit me on the bigger side. If he can't, it might be the turning point.
Sensational bowling from Matheesha Pathirana of Chennai Super Kings did what might have seemed unthinkable: successfully defend a total in the night at Wankhede Stadium. And it was not a huge total: pushed just over 200 by an MS Dhoni cameo of 20 off the last four balls of the innings after Shivam Dube had continued his dream season with an unbeaten 66 off 38.
For large parts it was a contest that fit the billing: between the two most successful teams in the IPL and two of three most popular teams. For large parts, it seemed the defending champions CSK would be outgunned. Jasprit Bumrah restricted them with four overs for just 27, the Mumbai innings looked like it was going smoothly, but Matheesha Pathirana started the comeback with two wickets in his first over.
With Mumbai Indians requiring 89 runs off the last eight overs, Rohit and Tilak Verma were in search of a breakaway over. However, Ravindra Jadeja finished his spell with a six-run over and Pathirana – having struck twice in his opening over – came back to get rid of Tilak in the next.
Shardul Thakur conceded two runs in the next while Tushar Deshpande gave away only three runs and forced captain Hardik Pandya – who was booed a couple of times on the night – to hole out in the deep.
With 72 runs required off the last four overs, it was always going to be a lost battle. Rohit managing to raise his second IPL hundred and reducing the victory margin meant the Mumbaikars returned home with a smile on their face.
And Matheesha Pathirana sealed a famous win for the visiting team in the key match of all Indian Premier League battles.
Pathirana, Player of the Match: When we bowled in powerplay, I was nervous. I then came to do my regular things. I don't think about results and I just think about execution. First of all, I was having a niggle before two weeks and all support staff and players helped me. That's the main thing to have my form.
Dhoni goes 6, 6, 6 to finish off CSK's innings in style
MS Dhoni, at 42 years, has been reserving his energies for the late-overs dash in IPL 2024. And the wait was well worth it for his team-mates and fans alike at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night, where he played four balls in the 20th over and finished with a strike rate of 500.
His three successive sixes off Hardik off the first three balls – over long-off, long-on and square-leg, respectively - helped the Super Kings to cross the 200-run mark against Mumbai Indians, a bare minimum at the Wankhede Stadium at this time of the year, considering the heavy impact dew cover has on the outcome of the game.
Gaikwad, CSK captain: Our young wicketkeeper scoring three sixes down the order helped a lot and I think that was the difference. To start off, on this kind of ground, you need 10-15 extra runs. We were looking at 215-220, but Bumrah bowled well. Bowling-wise, we were spot on with our execution. Even in powerplay, I would have taken six overs for 60. These kinds of venues demand both skills: batting and bowling. Our Malinga bowled exceptionally well and nailed those yorkers. Not to forget - even Tushar and Shardul bowled well. We encourage everyone to be in a good headspace. Nothing, Jinks was carrying a bit of a niggle. Thought it was better for him to open and get away quick runs. I'm fine batting anywhere.
Hardik, MI captain: Definitely, gettable. But they bowled pretty well and Pathirana was the difference. They were smart with their plans and used the longer boundary well. They got the hang of it and they have a man behind the stumps telling them what's working. The ball was slightly gripping and they got ahead of the game. Until Pathirana came, we were on course for the total. It was just about what was best at that point (on whether they could have used a spinner to Dube?). To seamers it was more difficult to hit on this wicket. We are now on the road for the next four games. If we are smart, we can get the goal we want.
Thakur: Much-needed win. Playing against opponents like MI, especially at the Wankhede is not easy. Rohit, Ruturaj and Shivam the way they batted...but at the end of the day, we held our nerve better. We spoke about keeping it simple, meaning we need to have fielders where we bowl. This is a repeated pitch and MI played on it on April 11. We felt we needed to bowl slower ones into the pitch. Pathirana was magical and the way he bowled the yorkers was amazing to see. Not much dew today. When Rohit was going strong, we felt the game was sliding away a little but I wanted to challenge Rohit to hit me on the bigger side. If he can't, it might be the turning point.
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