New Delhi: The Mumbai Indians-Chennai Super Kings clash in the so-called El Cassico of the IPL did not disappoint the fans. Mumbai’s thrilling four – wicket victory in a classic that kept the fans’ heart pounding till the last ball. Kieron Pollard (87 * off 34 balls) gave Mumbai an impressive innings victory. His innings consisted of eight sixes and six fours.
Mumbai chased down a huge total of 218 in the final over. It is also the second largest run chase ever in the IPL. Quinton De Kock (38), skipper Rohit Sharma (35), Krunal Pandya (32) and Hardik Pandya (16) were the other major Mumbai scorers. Only Suryakumar Yadav (3) and James Neesham (0) disappointed. Score: Chennai 218 for four, Mumbai 219 for six in 20 overs. Pollard is the man of the match.
Mumbai needed 16 runs in the last over to win. Dhawal Kulkarni, a newcomer to the crease was with Pollard. Pollard, who faced a strike, had a chance to take a single on the first ball. But he was not ready for it. Pollard scored a boundary on the next two balls. No run in the fourth ball. It takes eight runs off two balls to win. In the fifth ball, Pollard hit a six to put Mumbai on the verge of victory. Pollard scored two more runs in the last ball to give Mumbai an unforgettable victory.
The openers gave Mumbai the desired start as they batted towards a record victory. Rohit and De Kock put on 70 for the opening wicket in seven overs. Shardul Thakur gave CSK a decisive breakthrough as the partnership progressed dangerously. Thakur handed over Rohit to Ruthuraj. He hit four fours and a six off 24 balls in his innings. Mumbai lost two more wickets as they added 10 runs to the team score. Suryakumar Yadav (3) was gifted to Dhoni by Ravindra Jadeja. De Kock was caught by Moin Ali in his own bowling and Mumbai were 81 for three. Pollard took over and started smashing the bowlers all around the park.
It was followed by a barrage of sixes and boundaries. Pollard fired three sixes in each of Jadeja’s overs. He did not miss a single CSK bowler since. Pollard found his fifty in just 17 balls. It was also the fastest fifty in the IPL this season. Pollard and Krunal Pandya put on 89 for the fourth wicket. By the time Krunal returned at a team score of 170, the game was in Mumbai’s favor.
CSK lost the toss and opted to bat, scoring 218 for four. It is also CSK’s highest score in the IPL against Mumbai. Ambati Rayudu (72 *), Moeen Ali (58) and Faf Du Plessis (50) were the top scorers for CSK.
Rayudu hit 72 off just 27 balls, including seven sixes and four fours. Ali, who made his first fifty in the CSK jersey, hit five fours and a six off 36 balls. Du Plessis hit 50 off 28 balls, including four sixes and two fours. Only Ruthuraj Gaekwad (4) and Suresh Raina (2) have disappointed in the CSK batting line-up. Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 22 with Rayudu.
The beginning of CSK was a collapse. CSK lost Ruthuraj Gekwad in the fourth ball of the first over. Hardik Pandya caught him of Trent Boult to put Ruthraj back in the dugout. But this did not shake CSK. Ali, who came to the crease in the third, defended Mumbai attack through a counter-attacking game. Du Plessis, who started slow, later joined Ali and CSK runs started flowing.
Du Plessis and Ali put on 108 for the second wicket. The pair also laid the foundation for the CSK innings. Bumrah gave Mumbai the much-awaited breakthrough. Ali was handed over to wicketkeeper Quinton Decock. The score was 112 for two. CSK lost two more wickets in the blink of an eye. Pollard stunned CSK by knocking Du Plessis and Suresh Raina off consecutive balls. The score was 116 for four.
But Rayudu smashed around teh bowlers and built a strong partnership for the fourth wicket with Jadeja who played a slow innings. He completed his fifty in just 20 balls. It is also the second fastest fifty of the season. Rayudu and Jadeja put on 85 runs in the last five overs. The Rayudu-Jadeja duo put on 102 off 49 balls for the fifth wicket. The pair also had a mesmerizing performance that helped CSK cross the 200 mark. Kieron Pollard took two wickets for Mumbai. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah took one wicket each.
