Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took on Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 29th match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 14 .
Mumbai Indians won the toss and as expected opted to bowl first in the match. They fielded an unchanged playing XI, unlike CSK who made one change by bringing in Matheesha Pathirana for Maheesh Theekshana.
Batting first, Chennai Super Kings posted a monstrous total of 206/4 on the board thanks to half-centuries from Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad as well as a classic finish from MS Dhoni.
Chasing the target, Rohit Sharma stood like a wall in front of the Chennai Super Kings bowlers and smoked them all over the park. However, after the dismissal of Ishan and Tilak Varma, no batsman provided the much-needed support to Rohit Sharma and in the end, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 186/6, facing another humiliating defeat in the ongoing edition of the tournament.
Rohit Sharma completed his century by scoring 105 runs off 63 but did not celebrate as his team lost the match by 20 runs. For CSK, Matheesha Pathirana was the hero as he took 4 wickets for 28 runs.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, Ruturaj Gaikwad was asked what he was most happy about the victory. Ruturaj Gaikwad was at his hilarious best with the reply and said that young wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni smashing Hardik Pandya for a hat-trick of sixes was what made the difference. Ruturaj Gaikwad: he said:
“The young wicketkeeper who hit those three sixes helped us a lot, that turned out to be the difference. We needed those extra 10-15 runs for this kind of venue. In the middle over, Bumrah bowled very well. I feel we got it right with our execution with the ball even though they scored some great shots, it would have taken 6 overs 60 in the powerplay. You have to be on the mark with bowling and batting at this place.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad also acknowledged Matheesha Pathirana’s bowling performance and said that she bowled brilliantly in the match. Ruturaj Gaikwad stated:
“Our Malinga played very well today, he got those yorkers right. Don’t forget that Tushar and Shardul also did well.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad also revealed the reason behind Ajinkya Rahane opening the innings and said that the veteran batsman had a problem so they wanted him to open. Ruturaj Gaikwad said:
“(On future plans) I think we should keep it simple, encourage everyone to be in a good mental space and continue in the same way. Jinks had a little problem, so I thought it was best for him to open. “I’m good hitting anywhere, plus I have an additional responsibility as team captain.
Chennai Super Kings journey in Indian Premier League 2024 ahead of match against Mumbai Indians
Under the leadership of newly appointed captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started their Indian Premier League 2024 on a high. They beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first match of the tournament on March 22 by 6 wickets with 8 balls remaining.
In their second match on March 26, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by 63 runs in a repeat of last year’s final. After a wonderful start to the season, CSK suffered a downward spiral as they faced consecutive defeats in their next two matches. On March 31, Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 20 runs, and on April 5, Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won by 6 wickets with 11 remaining balls against the 5-time champions.
However, Chennai Super Kings ensured that they did not face a hat-trick of losses as they bounced back strongly in their match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). On April 8, CSK hosted the Knight Riders at home and completely outplayed them to register a brilliant 7-wicket win with 14 balls remaining.