IPL 2018, CSK vs MI: Rohit Sharma star in Mumbai Indians 8 wicket win vs CSK

Pune: Mumbai Indians led by fine half century from Rohit Sharma( 56 runs of 33 balls) defeated Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets to keep their play-off chances alive in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL). Suryakumar Yadav (44 runs) and Evin Lewis (47 runs) were the other contributors with the bat.

Mumbai got off to decent start with openers Even Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav playing cautiously and putting together partnership. CSK suffered a huge blow when their star bowler Deepak Chahar walked of the field due to some discomfort

The Men in Yellow got their first breakthrough in the 10^th over. Harbhajan Singh dismissed Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 44 runs before giving catch to Ravindra Jadeja.

After Yadav’s wicket Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis continued to rotate strike with ease  as both of them put on partnership of . With 42 runs needed of the final four overs, Lewis and Rohit had to change gears to achieve the target.

Bravo worked his magic in the 17^th over as he got the breakthrough for CSK. Evin Lewis who looked set for half century, sliced ball straight into the hands of Shardul Thakur at Long-off to end 59 run partnership.

With 22 needed of 12 balls, Rohit Sharma smashed four boundaries of Shardul Thakur’s final over to score 17 runs in the 19^th over. He also completed his half century in the process.

In the end Mumbai sailed to comfortable victory with out further trouble.

MI are 173-2 after 19.4 Overs:

WICKET! The strategic time out has worked for CSK. Bravo gets rid well set Evin Lewis for 47. Big blow for Mumbai.

MI are 123-1 after 15 Overs:

After Suryakumar Yadav's wicket, Skipper Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis have put on  run partnership between them as Mumbai look in total control to chase down the target.

MI are 71-1 after 10 Overs:

After good start to the innings, Chennai Super Kings got their first wicket courtesy Harbhajan Singh who dismisses the opener for 44 runs as he was brilliantly caught by Jadeja who sprinted across from deep mid-wicket.

MI are 41-0 after 5 Overs:

Mumbai Indians openers Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav have provided steady start to the innings. CSK suffered a huge blow as their opening bowler Deepak Chahar walked of the field due to some discomfort.

CSK are 169-5 after 20 Overs: Suresh Raina smashed an unbeaten 75 of 47 balls as Chennai Super Kings  scored 169/5 allotted 20 overs. Rayadu was the other major contributor with the bat scoring 46 runs of 35 balls.

After being asked to bat first, Mumbai bowlers kept things tight as CSK openers Rayadu and Watson were hardly given the freedom to go for shots . Watson was the first to be dismissed by Krunal Pandya for just 12 runs. Rayadu and Raina then put on 71 run stand for the 2^nd wicket as CSK scored at 9 runs per over in first 10 overs.

Rayadu was next to go caught by Ben Cutting of Krunal Pandya’s bowling . Dhoni and Raina put on 46 run partnership for the 3^rd wicket as both the batsmen were well set for the onslaught in the final five over’s.

McClenaghan pulled thing back for Mumbai in the 18 over as he picked up 2 wickets in 1 over.  Dhoni ( 26 runs of 21 balls) was the first to go as he was caught by Evin Lewis and then DJ Bravo went for golden duck as he gave away catch in the very first ball he played.

Billings joined Raina for the final flourish but he also couldn’t score big and was dismissed for 3. Raina finished the innings with six of Hardik Pandya's final ball as CSK managed to score just 62 run sin the final five overs.

WICKET! Thats 2nd wicket of the over for  McClenaghan. DJ Bravo dismissed for golden duck. Extra bounce for the bowler as Bravo slices the shot to Markande at backward point

WICKET! McClenaghan  gets rid of MS Dhoni. The CSK skipper holds onto Lewis at deep cover

CSK are 117-1 after 15 Overs

Mumbai bowlers have so far done decent job of keeping CSK batsman quiet and not allowing them to free their arms. With Dhoni and Raina at crease in last 5 overs, things can change any moment.

WICKET! Big blow for CSK, Ambati Rayadu fells short of his half century by 4 runs. Rayadu tries to slog sweep the ball off Krunal Pandya's bowling. only to find Cutting at deep mid-wicket. Krunal gets his 2nsd wicket of the match

CSK are 91-1 after 10 Overs

Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayadu are taking attack to the opposition bowlers. Both the batsmen have put on 50-run stand and look like taking the game away from Mumbai Indians 

CSK are 39-1 after 5 Overs

Mumbai have kept things steady in the powerplay as they have managed to pick up crucial wicket of Shane Watson, who was caught by Mayank Markande of Krunal Pandya's bowling

Playing XI:

TOSS:

Mumbai Indians have won the toss and elected to field first.

Pollard and Mustafizur have been left out, Ben Cutting and JP Duminy comes in.

Preview: The stage is all set for yet another intruging clsh between MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings and Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians , when both teams collide at Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune on Saturday.

Both the teams had earlier clashed against each other in the opening game of 2018 Indian Premier League at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, when Dwayne Bravo and Kedar Jadhav handed the  Mumbai side a 1 wicket defeat.

MI, who played Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game at Wankhede were embarrassed in front of their home crowd. The home side, chasing 119 runs to win were bowled out for just 87 runs, losing the game by 31 runs.

Chennai Super Kings are coming back into the match after fantastic win against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Chasing 206 runs for victory,  Skipper MS Dhoni (70 runs of 34 balls)and Ambati Rayadu (82 runs of  53 balls) took the team past the finish line for comfortable victory.

Todays game will be make or break for MI, who are currently at the bottom of the table. One more loss will make it difficult for the Men in Blue to reach the playoffs. While Batsmen have been among runs for MI, the bowlers have certainly failed to defend huge total in quite a few mathches. All-rounder Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard have failed to perform with the bat, which is a cause of concern for the  team and it wont be surprising if the coach decides to bring in few changes in the side.

Chennai Super Kings are currently sitting at top of the table with 10 points form the six games winning 5 and losing . It has been a memorable comeback after two years. The team silenced their critics , who had  raised fingers on the ageing squad. The experienced players have raised the ame, whenever the team needed it the most. Dhoni was again back in form in the last and would look to carry on the form he is in currently.

The match is expected to be a fierce contest and nail biting finish could be on cards.

When is the match?

The match is scheduled to start at 8 P.M. IST on Saturday (April 28).

Where is the match?

The match will take place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune.

Live telecast and timings:

With Star India now acquiring the media rights from Sony Pictures Network India for the upcoming season, the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports channels.

Live streaming:

The matches can be viewed live on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app.