TATA IPL 2023 has been on a roll, and today's match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium was no exception. The Chennai Super Kings led by the legendary MS Dhoni put up an impressive performance, registering their second consecutive victory in the tournament by beating Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in a thrilling encounter.
Winning the toss and electing to bowl, the Super Kings made four changes to their side, replacing Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar with Dwayne Pretorius, Sisanda Magala, Tushar Deshpande, and Ajinkya Rahane. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians made two changes as Jason Behrendorff and Tristan Stubbs replaced Jofra Archer and Nehal Wadhera.
The Mumbai Indians got off to a flying start with Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan taking the attack to the Super Kings' bowlers from the get-go. Rohit hit a couple of lofted fours off Deepak Chahar in the first over, while Kishan welcomed Sisanda Magala with three fours in the second over. MI reached 61/1 in the first six overs.
The momentum shifted when CSK captain Dhoni introduced spin into the attack. Ravindra Jadeja struck in his first over, dismissing Kishan for a quickfire 23-ball 34. MS Dhoni then produced a moment of magic with an excellent take and review as he had Suryakumar Yadav caught behind off Mitchell Santner in the next over. Jadeja made it three wickets in two overs as he pulled off a brilliant reflex catch on his own bowling to send back Cameron Green, and Santner struck in the next over again to trap Arshad Khan LBW and reduce MI to 76/5.
MI's momentum was suddenly shattered, and the scoring slowed down as CSK's bowlers kept a tight leash on the opposition's batsmen. The turning point came when Jadeja bowled a momentum-changing spell of 3/20, including the wickets of Kishan, Green, and Stubbs. He finished with figures of 4-0-20-3 and was rightly adjudged the player of the match.
Defending 157, Jason Behrendorff struck in the first over, making Devon Conway chop one onto the stumps. But the real show began when Ajinkya Rahane stepped up to the crease. He went on a stunning counter-attack, hitting a six to Behrendorff, and then took the attack to Arshad Khan, hitting him for four fours and a six in the fourth over, amassing 23 runs. Rahane continued his onslaught in the next over, flicking one over deep square leg for a six off Cameron Green. He brought up his fifty off just 19 balls, the fastest fifty of TATA IPL 2023 so far, as he cracked consecutive fours off Piyush Chawla.
MI introduced Kartikeya Singh as their Impact Player in place of Tim David, but he couldn't break the 82-run partnership between Rahane and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who played a valuable knock of 40* off 36 balls. With 46 needed off 42, Shivam Dube hit a six and Ruturaj cracked a four off Shokeen to bring the required rate below six. Kartikeya then broke the 39-run stand as Dube dragged one onto the stumps in the 15th over.
Ambati Rayudu, CSK's impact player, came out to bat at No.5, replacing the injured Deepak Chahar.
Rayudu and Ruturaj showed great composure and finished off the match with 11 balls to spare. Ruturaj remained unbeaten on 40 off 36 balls, while Rayudu remained not out on 20 off 16, sealing the victory for CSK.
It was a fantastic performance by CSK, and they will be delighted to have registered their second win in a row. The match had everything, from stunning batting performances to excellent bowling spells and brilliant catches. It was a treat for the fans, and they will be looking forward to more such thrilling encounters in the TATA IPL 2023.