Living legend MS Dhoni celebrated his 250th game for the Chennai Super Kings with a 20-run victory over their biggest rivals, the Mumbai Indians – despite a Rohit Sharma ton – in their Tata IPL match at a packed Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Dhoni played a valuable part in the win, CSK's first away triumph in the competition, smashing 20 off four balls in the final over of the innings – exactly the margin of victory for his team.
But probably the main hero for CSK was their “Slinga Malinga”-style fast bowler, Matteesha Pathirana, who claimed a magnificent 4-28 off his four overs to put the skids on the Mumbai innings just when it looked at its most threatening.
Captain @Ruutu1331 called him "Baby Malinga" and he - Matheesha Pathirana - bagged the Player of the Match award for his brilliant 4⃣-wicket haul as @ChennaiIPL seal a win over #MI 👏 👏
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2024
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/2wfiVhdNSY#TATAIPL | #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/9sDGUNMGVO
Chasing a challenging 207 for victory after CSK made 206 for four in their innings after losing the toss and being into bat, Mumbai had raced to 70 without loss in seven overs with centurion Rohit Sharma – who finished unbeaten on a superb 105 in 63 balls, including 11 fours and five sixes – and Ishan Kishan going great guns.
I. C. Y. M. I
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2024
It was some knock!
It was some HUNDRED!
It was not to be tonight but Rohit Sharma - Take A Bow 🙌 🙌
Recap the match on @StarSportsIndia and @JioCinema 💻📱#TATAIPL | #MIvCSK | @ImRo45 | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/ARFd3GmMuI
It was at this key moment that Pathirana came on.
With his first ball he had Kishan (23) caught at extra-cover and with his third, the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav who was brilliantly caught on the third man boundary by Mustafizur Rahman, who somehow caught the ball, threw it up in the air as he crossed the boundary rope and then collected it again in the field of play.
In his second over, Pathirana had Tilak Varma (31) holing out to deep extra-cover and in his third he broke Romario Shepherd’s leg stump with a sizzling yorker.
Defending 34 in his final over was a breeze although Sharma was able to reach his second IPL century, a magnificent effort in a losing cause as his team finished on 186 for six.
2⃣nd win on the bounce
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2024
4⃣th win of the season @ChennaiIPL bag 2⃣ more points after a victory over #MI, despite a heroic Rohit Sharma TON!
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/2wfiVhdNSY#TATAIPL | #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/5mZMPulaNn
In general, the CSK bowling was more strategic than Mumbai’s with Pathirana well supported by Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande who bowled to their fields more effectively.
DHONI DELIGHTS
Earlier, nothing that happened during the Chennai innings quite matched what happened at the end of it as Dhoni walked to the wicket with four balls left in the innings.
The captain of the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya, was bowling. He had just had Daryl Mitchell caught on the boundary.
Dhoni was greeted by a deafening roar from the packed spectators, which wasn’t even his home crowd.
He smashed his first ball over long-off for six, the second over long-on for the same and the third wristily clipped over square leg for his third maximum in a row.
DO NOT MISS
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2024
MSD 🤝 Hat-trick of Sixes 🤝 Wankhede going berserk
Sit back & enjoy the LEGEND spreading joy & beyond 💛 😍
Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia 💻📱#TATAIPL | #MIvCSK | @msdhoni | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/SuRErWrQTG
The crowd, delirious with joy, almost exploded with delight and they cheered him all the way back to the dressing-room with an unbeaten 20 off four balls to his name and CSK a challenging 206 for four.
The man at the other end when Dhoni was running amok, Shivam Dube, deserved plenty of applause himself.
The left-hander finished unbeaten on 66 off 38 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes, a superb innings.
Scintillating Shivam 😍😍
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2024
Relive how Shivam Dube took the attack to Romario Shepherd 💥💥
He continues his good form with the bat with yet another half-century 👏👏
Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia 💻📱#TATAIPL | #MIvCSK | @IamShivamDube | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/1Uopr5gFBX
Dube had helped Ruturaj Gaikwad (69 off 40 balls) add 90 in 45 balls for the third wicket in a high-class partnership as the pair took the somewhat fragile Mumbai attack to the cleaners.
This, after Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra had set the innings up with a second wicket partnership of 52 in 37 balls.
Mumbai’s only bowler of real class was Jasprit Bumrah.
The great fast bowler went wicketless on this occasion but showed his immense ability in the penultimate over in which he conceded just seven runs, bowling six consecutive yorkers.
Bumrah’s economy rate for Mumbai is around the 6 mark while the rest of their bowlers are over 12.
In this instance, however, his efforts were in vain.