Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings (207/6 in 20 overs) thrashed Mumbai Indians (104 all out in 19 overs) by 103 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, climbing above Mumbai in the points table. The home side suffered a one-sided defeat without putting up any real resistance.
After opting to field, Mumbai had no answer to CSK opener Sanju Samson, who smashed an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls (6 sixes, 10 fours). Later, Caribbean left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein dismantled Mumbai’s batting with figures of 4/17, triggering a collapse.
A 73-run partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (35) and Tilak Varma (37) was the only highlight for Mumbai, but both fell to Hosein’s spin. Noor Ahmad took two wickets, while Mukesh Choudhary, Kamboj, Overton and Gurjapneet Singh chipped in with one each.
Mumbai Batting Collapse and Unique CSK Celebration
Mumbai’s batting line-up crumbled completely, with failures from Quinton de Kock (7), Danish Malewar (0), Naman Dhir (0), Hardik Pandya (1), Sherfane Rutherford (0) and Shardul Thakur (6).
CSK players marked each wicket with a distinctive hand gesture celebration, adding flair to their dominant performance.
Mukesh Plays Despite Personal Loss
In an emotional moment, pacer Mukesh Choudhary played the match despite losing his mother on April 21. He made an impact by dismissing de Kock early. CSK players wore black armbands as a tribute.
Samson Anchors with Multiple Partnerships
This was Samson’s second century of the season, following his unbeaten 115 against Delhi on April 11. He stitched crucial partnerships throughout the innings:
32 with Ruturaj Gaikwad
40 with Sarfaraz Khan
19 with Shivam Dube
31 with Dewald Brevis
43 with Karthik Sharma
16 with Jamie Overton
26* with Akeal Hosein
First MI-CSK Clash Without Rohit or Dhoni
For the first time in IPL history, a Mumbai vs Chennai match featured neither Rohit Sharma nor MS Dhoni, both sidelined due to fitness issues. Thousands of fans who turned up expecting at least one of the legends were left disappointed.
CSK’s Rare Win Without Dhoni
In front of a packed 33,000-plus crowd at Wankhede, CSK posted 207/6 thanks to Samson’s century. This marked only their third win in Dhoni’s absence this season.
CSK dominated the powerplay, scoring 83 runs despite losing two wickets. Contributions from Gaikwad (22), Sarfaraz (14), Dube (5) and Brevis (21) came in phases, but wickets kept falling at intervals.
Hardik’s Bowling Decision Raises Eyebrows
Samson reached his fifty in 26 balls and his century in 54 balls. For Mumbai, Ghazanfar and Ashwani Kumar picked up two wickets each, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Santner took one each.
Interestingly, Hardik bowled only two overs, conceding 38 runs, while Krish Bhagat was trusted in the death overs — a decision that backfired.
Brevis Falls After Reprieve
Brevis (21 off 11 balls) failed to capitalize on a dropped catch, getting dismissed in the same over. Meanwhile, Samson remained unbeaten till the end, anchoring a commanding CSK total and sealing a comprehensive victory.
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