IPL: Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets

Languishing at the bottom with only one win from six matches, Mumbai Indians restricted Chennai Super Kings to 169/5, mainly built around Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 75-run innings. In reply, Mumbai overhauled the target with two balls to spare and move two places in the table to be placed sixth with four points. Rohit Sharma played a captain’s knock with a 33-ball unbeaten 56 to complete the run chase after Evin Lewis (47 off 43) and Suryakumar Yadav (44) added 69 runs for the opening wicket.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians made heavy weather of the run chase but held their nerves, in the end, to beat table-toppers Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets and return to winning ways in the Indian Premier League match at the MCA stadium on Saturday night.

Earlier, Suresh Raina smashed his way to an unbeaten 75 as Chennai Super Kings produced a disciplined batting effort to post a competitive 169/5 against Mumbai Indians. Raina (75 off 47 balls), who had missed a couple of matches due to a calf injury, hit the fences six times and blasted four sixes in his unconquered innings after Ambati Rayudu (46 off 35 balls) continued his impressive run and set the foundation for Chennai at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also chipped in with 26 off 21 balls which were studded three boundaries and a six but Mumbai Indians bowled well in the death overs to restrict them within 170 in the end. Mitchell McClenaghan (2/26) and Krunal Pandya (2/32) were the picks of the bowlers for Mumbai, while Hardik Pandya (1/39) also scalped one wicket.

Captain Dhoni joined Raina in the middle as CSK crossed the 100-mark in the 13th over bowled by Bumrah, who gave just one run. In the 15th over, Dhoni smashed Hardik for back-to-back boundaries and then slammed Markande for an inside-out shot across the cover boundaries before depositing him over long-on.

McClenaghan then returned in the 18th over to remove Dhoni, who ended up giving an easy catch to Evin Lewis at deep cover as CSK slipped to 143/3 in 17.1 overs. One ball later, Dwayne Bravo was also sent packing with Markande taking the catch at point.

Raina then smashed Bumrah over deep mid-wicket to take CSK across the 150-mark. Sam Billing also tried to score big but ended up hitting straight to cutting at long-on. Eventually, Raina ended the innings with a six off the last ball.