Arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) faced each other in the first game of the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 that started on Sunday (September 19) at Dubai International Stadium.
CSK came on top and thrashed MI by 20 runs to register their sixth victory of the ongoing fourteenth season and climbed the top spot in the points table. While Mumbai missed the absence of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, who were rested, Chennai fans witnessed a display of top-class batting by Ruturaj Gaikwad and exceptional captaincy by MS Dhoni.
Ruturaj played a massive role in helping the Super Kings post a respectable total of 156/6 on the board, especially after the worst start. Ruturaj carried his bat through and scored unbeaten 88 runs from 58 deliveries, including 13 boundaries.
Despite a competitive total, it wasn’t a daunting task for a team like MI full of superstars. However, Deepak Chahar and Dwayne Bravo‘s brilliant bowling made the total look too difficult for the five-time champions.
Moreover, Dhoni’s superior tactics also played a huge role in CSK’s tremendous victory. He placed the fielders quite well to help his bowlers to have the upper hand on the batters. During the second innings, Dhoni once again proved why he is regarded as one of the sharpest brains in the cricketing world.
It all happened in the third over bowled by Chahar when he bowled a good length delivery that struck on Quinton de Kock‘s pads, and straightaway, the bowler went for a huge appeal. However, the onfield umpire didn’t look satisfied.
But then Dhoni, after having a chat with his bowler, went for a DRS. With no surprises and MSD’s excellent history with DRS appeals, the replay clearly showed that the ball was hitting the stumps, and the umpire had to reverse his decision to raise his finger.
Here is the video:
https://twitter.com/CowCorner9/status/1439632620568997890
MI could only manage to reach 136/8, losing the contest by 20 runs. With an unbeaten 50 off 40 balls, Saurabh Tiwary was the top scorer for the defending champions. No other batter was able to cross even the 20-run mark. Chahar picked up two wickets for 19 while Bravo bagged three scalps for 25.
Mumbai will play their next game on September 23 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Abu Dhabi. Similarly, CSK shall play their next match on September 24 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Sharjah.
