CSK Clinch Thriller Against MI: Pathirana Steals Show After Dhoni's Fireworks
Young Pacer's Breathtaking Spell Seals 20-Run Win Despite Rohit Sharma Ton
If Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the star of the Chennai Super Kings' first-inning show, Matheesha Pathirana made sure to carry on the good work for the rest of the game on Sunday at the Wankhede against the Mumbai Indians.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (69 off 40 balls) and Shivam Dube (66 not out off 38 balls) set the groundwork for the Super Kings, who reached 206/4 thanks to an innings-ending 20th century from former skipper Dhoni, making his 250th appearance for his team.
With his sling-arm motion, Pacer Pathirana then produced an amazing spell of bowling to help the Super Kings win the match by 20 runs, despite a masterful effort from Rohit Sharma (105 not out off 63 balls).
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings play cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, April 14, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Matheesha Pathirana of the Chennai Super Kings bowls during the match.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings play cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, April 14, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Matheesha Pathirana of the Chennai Super Kings bowls during the match.
Even though MI lost Suryakumar Yadav for nothing, they were still very much in the game because of their former captain Rohit. Once he had taken care of Ishan Kishan, Pathirana was the one to get rid of Surya (23).
Mustafizur Rahman, a left-arm seamer from Bangladesh, was one of CSK's primary ball-wielding weapons, but Rohit neutralized him with his trademark strokes. Along with making ensuring the necessary run rate for MI remained within sight, Rohit also had excellent help from Tilak Varma (31).
However, things started to turn around in the 13th over of MI's run chase when Ravindra Jadeja gave up just six off six balls. After that, MI lost Varma, captain Hardik Pandya, and its two best hitters, Tim David and Romario Shepherd, for very little run. The runs also stopped coming in.
Tushar Deshpande dismissed Pandya, Mustafizur picked up David, and Pathirana tricked Varma by changing up his tempo before smashing a longer ball that covered Shepherd. When his partners ran out, Rohit had too much work on his hands.
Despite the efforts of Gaikwad and Dube, Dhoni's devastating 20th over against Pandya—which saw him hit a hat-trick of sixes—turned out to be a significant factor in the outcome. The quantity of freebies MI bowled is also their own fault, as Rohit destroyed Gaikwad when the CSK captain was on 39.
That played a role as well since shortly after the let-off, Gaikwad and Dube began to fire away.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
