IPL 2023, CSK vs. MI: Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane lead CSK to their first victory over MI in five years at Wankhede.
MI vs. CSK in IPL 2023: Riding on Ajinkya Rahane's blitzy 61 and Ravindra Jadeja's twist bowling masterclass, Chennai Super Rulers gave Mumbai Indians one more devastating loss at the Wankhede Arena on Saturday, April 8.
Ankush Pandey
In an IPL 2023 match on Saturday, April 8, MS Dhoni led the Chennai Super Kings to a dominant victory over their archrivals, the Mumbai Indians, returning to one of his favorite hunting grounds, the Wankhede Stadium. As they chased down a 158-run target in just 18.1 overs, CSK registered a 7-wicket victory thanks to a fantastic batting performance from debutant Ajinkya Rahane as well as a spin-bowling masterclass from Mitchell Santner and Ravindra Jadeja.
Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his form after Ajinkya Rahane's second-fastest fifty for CSK, hitting an unbeaten 40 off 36 deliveries as CSK breezed past the finish line.
After losing their season-opening match to the defending champion Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings won two straight games against Lucknow Super Giants at home and Mumbai Indians away from home to move into the top four of the IPL 2023 points table.
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It was also the Chennai Super Kings' first win in five years against their archrivals at the Wankhede Stadium; their last victory there was in April 2018. In the past five years, CSK and MI have played two matches, both of which they lost, before Saturday's brutal performance.
The CSK captain managed his troops admirably on a night when the Wankhede Stadium was packed with Dhoni fans. Dhoni was at his best as he made the most of his resources and helped CSK put an early marker in the IPL 2023 season with the crushing of MI, despite not having Ben Stokes or Moeen Ali due to injury or illness and losing strike bowler Deepak Chahar in the powerplay due to a hamstring injury.
As the senior campaigner, wearing the CSK yellow for the first time in his distinguished IPL career, Ajnkya Rahane turned back time and mesmerized cricket fans with his silly touch. He hit 61 runs, including three sixes and seven boundaries, in just 27 balls.
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Ajinkya Rahane tore into a Mumbai Indians bowling attack that was without Jofra Archer, who was rested as a precautionary measure. Chennai Super Kings got off to a shaky start in their chase for 158 when they lost Devon Conway to left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff, but Rahane tore into the Mumbai Indians bowling attack.
As he helped shift the momentum in the powerplay, Rahane struck young left-arm pacer Arshad Khan for 23 runs in one over. With his pull shots and trademark straight drive, Rahane was at his best, leaving fans and former commentators in awe.
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Although Rahane was run out in the eighth over after being caught at long on, he had caused a stir among the Mumbai Indians, who had little to defend.
Shivam Dube had a good cameo (28 off 26), and Ruturaj Gaikwad never got out of second gear in his 40-not-out performance with assistance from Ambati Rayudu, who was unbeaten on 20 at the conclusion.
The Mumbai Indians got off to a flying start earlier in the day, with Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan displaying a lot of determination. However, in the powerplay, Tushar Desphande opened the door with Rohit's big catch.
Suryakumar Yadav fizzled with the bat once more, as he was gotten behind by MS Dhoni, who took a splendid DRS call after the on-field umpire gave it not out.
Ravindra Jadeja was CSK's star with the bat, finishing with 20 for 3, including the crucial wicket of in-form Tilak Varma.
The Mumbai Indians failed the spin test on Saturday, and Mitchell Santner contributed with figures of 2 for 28.
CSK will expect to make it 3 out of 3 when they next face the Rajasthan Royals at Chepauk on Wednesday, April 12.
