MUMBAI: Excellent execution by the Chennai Super Kings bowlers in the middle and death overs proved to be the difference in their IPL game against the Mumbai Indians at Chennai’s M A Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
In a game where both teams needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, CSK took control of the innings with a clinical display in the last 10 overs, restricting MI to a below-par total of 159/7.
Pacer Jamie Overton hurried the batters, bowling four of the last 10 for figures of 4-0-23-1; Anshul Kamboj had a fruitful outing with three wickets for 32 runs while spinner Noor Ahmad made the difference with prized scalps of opener Ryan Rickleton and Tilak Varma. CSK’s new pace bowler, Ramakrishna Ghosh also made an impressive start by picking up the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav after taking a terrific diving catch off the dangerous Will Jacks in the outfield .
After electing to bat, MI received a good start from Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dhir, who smashed seven sixes between them. – the highest percentage of runs scored through sixes in the first six overs in the IPL.
At the 10-over mark, both teams were in a similar position. To MI’s 90/2, CSK had reached 92/2. But, MI’s poor batting in the second half of their innings meant there was no scoreboard pressure on CSK.
They needed just 68 from the last 60 balls. Playing sensibly, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (67* off 48 balls) anchored the chase along with 20-year-old Kartik Sharma (54* off 40 balls). They added 98 runs for the unfinished third wicket partnership to take their team home with eight wickets and 11 balls to spare. It is CSK’s fourth win, helping them stay alive in the playoff race while their seventh defeat in nine matches ended MI’s qualification hopes.
The way the CSK bowlers throttled MI in the second half of the innings was very impressive. The Hardik Pandya-led side could add just 69 runs to finish on a below-par total.
To defend a small total, MI needed early wickets. Jasprit Bumrah created the chance when he had Samson edging behind in his first over. However, Burmah’s effort was also wasted due to a lack of support.
New-ball operator, Boult, couldn’t keep up. He released the pressure by conceding 17 runs in the third over. Gaikwad targeted the veteran left-arm pacer for two fours and a six. Bumrah came back with a seven-run second over but rookie pacer Krish Bhagat was smashed for two sixes and a four by the dashing Urvil Patel to bring up the 50 in five overs by collecting 18 runs in the over.
The equation was down to 105 runs from 90 balls, meaning a win was there for the taking.
Earlier, after Rickleton’s wicket in the seventh over, Dhir didn’t find the necessary support. Suryakumar Yadav again couldn’t build on his start, getting out for a 12-ball 21. Captain Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma and Robin Minz disappointed. Varma was done in by the guile of Noor Ahmad for a 8-ball five.
Pandya played a forgettable innings. Despite spending ample time at the crease after walking in during the 13th over, he couldn’t find his timing. It made for painful watching for the MI supporters to see their captain struggle.
Against Jamie Overton, in the penultimate over of the innings, he looked like a cat on a hot tin roof, managing just four runs. The CSK pacer bowled his first four balls at a sharp pace between 149 to 143 kph and delivered three dot balls. The fifth slower, full ball, gets a double. He laboured to 18 off 23 balls at a strike rate of under 80 before holing out in the last over.
Dhir, who came in to bat in the second over of the innings, completed his fifty (57 off 37 balls) in the 17th over. It was an example of how far behind MI are in this year’s IPL where the pace-setting top four teams are going full blast. Dhir and Suryakumar delivered old-fashioned T20 accumulation and in a season where the winds of change have blown, that was never going to be enough.