The Chennai Super Kings couldn’t have asked for a better start to the second leg of the IPL 2021 in UAE. The MS Dhoni-led side beat Mumbai Indians by 20 runs in Dubai to move to the top of the points table. The Chennai bowlers dominated the MI batting line up and restricted them to 136/8 in 20 overs while chasing a target of 157 runs.
The Mumbai side had a disappointing start after they lost some early wickets and were reduced to 58/4 with the likes of Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan back in the pavilion.
Later, Saurabh Tiwary and stand-in captain Kieron Pollard joined hands and tried to provide resistance to the side as the two batsmen put 29 runs for the fifth wicket before Pollard was undone for 15 off 14 after he was trapped in front of the stumps by Josh Hazlewood.
Mumbai Indians then lost Krunal Pandya in a short span of time, courtesy, a confusion while running between him and Tiwary. Pandya was run out for 4 by Bravo and was replaced by Adam Milne in the middle.
Tiwary and Milne stitched a partnership of 40 runs but it went in vain as the side eventually fell short of the target. Saurabh Tiwary went on to score a fifty during the course.
For CSK, it was Deepak Chahar and Dwayne Bravo who were the pick of the bowlers. While Chahar returned with figures of 2/19 in 4 overs, Bravo scalped a three-for at the cost of 25 runs in 4 overs.
Earlier, in the day, the CSK had a horrific start to the proceedings after they were left tottering at 24/4. But opener Ruturaj Gaikwad along with Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo saved the day and helped the side put up a decent total on the board.
Gaikwad remained unbeaten at 88 off 58 while Jadeja scored 26 in 33 deliveries. But Bravo totally turned the tables and struck 23 off just 8 balls that included three maximums. CSK gathered a total of 49 runs in the last three overs.
Adam Milne picked up a couple of wickets for MI while Rahul Chahar only gave 22 runs in 4 overs.
Experts’ Opinion
Mumbai Indians regular skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya had missed this match against CSK due to injury issues. Acknowledging the same, former India opener Aakash Chopra said that the absence of the two players can create some problems for the MI side.
“MI is a solid team and you’d expect them to find ways to bounce back. But the absence of Rohit and Hardik isn’t helping their cause. If they aren’t available for a little longer, they’ll find it tough to make it through…they still need 4 wins from 6 games,” he tweeted.
Chennai made a solid comeback after losing early wickets in the match and former fast bowler Irfan Pathan lauded the side’s performance.
“It was a fantastic comeback from a very experienced team CSK especially after losing early 4 wickets. MI missed the trick not bowling their attacking bowlers in the middle over phase,” Pathan pointed.
Commentator Harsha Bhogle said that the MI batsmen didn’t go all guns blazing in the earlier stage of the chase and the team had to face the struggle later on.
“Afraid MI have left it till too late. Really had to get a move on earlier. Needed the set batsman to hit the big shots earlier. Hasn't really been a chase,” he said.
Former India player Kris Srikanth also hailed the way CSK made a comeback to win the match. “One of the best victories for CSK! What a comeback! Can't wait to see the mentor, MS Dhoni, in Indian colours in the upcoming t20 world cup, if he can do what he did today on the field I think we will see a repeat of 2007 coming Oct,” he wrote on Twitter.
Former India fast bowler RP Singh lavished praise on Deepak Chahar for his bowling performance in the game, especially in the powerplay overs.
“Deepak Chahar is such a predictable bowler! Again 2 wickets in his 3 overs in power-play. With a new ball , Deepak is not deepak but Suraj,” RP tweeted.
MI will now face KKR on Thursday in Abu Dhabi while CSK will be up against RCB on Friday in Sharjah in their next respective match.