Mumbai: An all-round show by Hardik Pandya (25 n o off 8 balls; 3/20) helped Mumbai Indians defeat defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 37 runs in their IPL encounter at the Wankhede Stadium here, Wednesday.
Chasing a challenging 171 runs to win, CSK lost both their openers – Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu – inside first eight balls as the visitors were reduced to 6/2. Kedar Jadhav (58, 54b, 8×4, 1×6) and Suresh Raina (16) tried to make amends with a 27-run third wicket stand.
The two were just starting to bring back the momentum for CSK, and that’s when Raina’s eagerness for some big hits cost them dearly as Kieron Pollard took a blinder, a one-handed catch at the boundary which could have been a maximum, off Jason Behrendorff (2/22).
However, Jadhav, along with skipper MS Dhoni (12), tried to take the team close to the target, but the latter also got out as pressure got over him. Ravindra Jadeja too dismissed in the same over off Pandya. CSK were tottering at 89/5 in 14.4 overs. Later, Lasith Malinga (3/34) dismissed Jadhav and Dwayne Bravo to dash the CSK hopes and handed the defending champions their first defeat in four matches this season as CSK finished at 133/8.
Earlier, riding on Pandya’s (25 n o, 8b, 1×4, 3×6) blitzkrieg, Mumbai Indians creamed 29 runs in the final over to reach 170/5.
Sent into bat, Suryakumar Yadav (59, 43b, 8×4, 1×6) compiled a half century to lay the foundation for Mumbai Indians. Before Hardik and Pollard’s (17 n o, 7b, 2×6) electrifying partnership, Yadav stroked his way to a wonderful knock against the CSK attack that kept the MI batsmen on a tight least till the last few overs. Yadav also put on a half century stand with Krunal Pandya (42, 32b, 5×4, 1×6) to revive MI’s floundering innings.
MI had a slow start and also lost the wicket of Quinton de Kock in the third over with only eight runs on the board. The arrival of Yadav to the crease quickened the run rate.
Thanks to the stroke-filled start by Yadav, MI ended with 40 on the board at the end of power play, but then lost skipper Rohit Sharma off the first ball of the eighth over, caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja (1/10).
Yuvraj Singh, too, flopped, caught just inside the boundary line to leave MI at 50/3 in the ninth over. Yadav and Krunal revived the sagging innings with a stand of 62 in 49 balls for the fourth wicket.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 170/5 (Suryakumar Yadav 59, Krunal Pandya 42; Ravindra Jadeja 1/10) bt Chennai Super Kings 133/8 (Kedar Jadhav 58; Lasith Malinga 3/34, Hardik Pandya 3/20, Jason Behrendorff 2/22) by 37 runs.
