MUMBAI: Shivam Dubeโs fiery fifty, debutant Ayush Mhatreโs impressive cameo, and a late blitz from Ravindra Jadeja helped Chennai Super Kings post 176/5 against Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Sunday.
After being put in to bat by MI at the Wankhede Stadium, CSK got off to a steady start. Mhatre provided early momentum, Dube set the tempo with a half-century in the middle overs, and Jadeja finished strong with an unbeaten 53 to give Chennai a competitive total.
The match began with Rachin Ravindra and Shaik Rasheed attempting to get going, but Mumbaiโs sharp fielding restricted them in the first two overs. Rasheed eventually found the first boundary with a pull shot through mid-wicket. However, Rachin Ravindraโs stay was cut short at 5(9) after Ashwani Kumar drew an edge that was caught behind.
๐๐๐๐ง๐ก๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ค๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐คฉ
How about that for a start ๐ฅ
Ayush Mhatreโs #TATAIPL career is up and away in some fashion ๐#CSK 52/1 after 6 overs.
Updates โถ https://t.co/v2k7Y5sIdi#MIvCSK | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/UVvmdWotvY
โ IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 20, 2025
CSKโs youngest debutant, Ayush Mhatre, then stepped in and immediately made an impact at his home ground. He struck a boundary off just his second delivery and followed it up with a six. Ashwani tried to respond with a short ball, but Mhatre read it early and pulled it into the deep square leg stands.
Thanks to Mhatreโs aggressive approach, CSK reached 48/1 at the end of the powerplay. Even after the fielding restrictions were lifted, he kept the scoreboard ticking, punishing Deepak Chahar with a flurry of boundaries. He drove one through cover and then beat MI skipper Hardik Pandya for another four.
However, Chahar bounced back, deceiving Mhatre with a short ball. The youngster went for a pull but miscued it, sending the ball high into the air, where Mitchell Santner completed the catch. Mhatre departed after a quickfire 32 off 15 balls. Following his dismissal, the CSK innings slowed down. Santner got Rasheed stumped for 19(20) in the next over.
Jadeja and Dube then stitched together a valuable 79-run partnership in 8.2 overs. Dube took on Ashwani in the 16th over, hitting back-to-back sixes and bringing up his fifty with a single. One of his sixes narrowly escaped Jasprit Bumrah, who nearly pulled off a stunning catch. Jadeja ended the over with a towering six, collecting 24 runs from it.
Dubeโs innings came to an end in the 17th over when he failed to clear the field and was caught by Will Jacks for a well-made 50 off 32 balls. MS Dhoni attempted to accelerate but fell to Bumrah in the penultimate over. Jamie Overton opened his account with a boundary, and thanks to Jadejaโs late surge, CSK collected 16 runs from the final over, finishing at 176/5. (ANI)
