STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsThe expectation of an el-clasico is never a let-off. The two heavyweight teams of IPL, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) locked horns in the resumption of IPL 2021. CSK were off to the worst possible start after their skipper MS Dhoni, elected to bat first. However, a spirited effort by Ruturaj Gaikwad and a fiery cameo by Dwayne Bravo saw CSK post a total of 156.
On the bowling front, Deepak Chahar was at his best removing Quinton de Kock and Anmolpreet Singh early. Shardul Thakur joined the party with a wicket and MI were reduced to three wickets in the first six overs. Despite a fighting knock by Saurabh Tiwary (50*), regular strikes hampered MI’s charge. Hence, handing CSK a win by 20 runs. CSK are at the top of the table with 12 points and a healthy net run rate of 1.223. Gaikwad starred in a record win for CSK and here are some of the notable stats from the match:
Dhoni’s early exit
CSK were in deep trouble by the second over of the innings. Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali departed for ducks and Ambati Rayudu was retired hurt after suffering a blow to the elbow. Suresh Raina also joined the parade with a loose shot. This saw MS Dhoni coming into bat in the powerplay overs. However, his stay was also a short one as he was dismissed on the last ball of the powerplay. Adam Milne became the second bowler to dismiss Dhoni in the first six overs after Dirk Nanes in 2010.
Only two bowlers completing in the powerplay
It was the pair from New Zealand that created havoc for CSK in the first six overs. With both Trent Boult and Milne picking up wickets in their first over and hitting the deck hard, Kieron Pollard decided to give a prolonged spell. The decision to continue was a perfect ploy as both bowlers bagged two wickets each. This was only the fifth instance for MI in the IPL where only two bowlers were used in the powerplay. The previous one came in 2016 against the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants. Interestingly, only once have they won in the five matches.
CSK’s powerplay woes against MI
In the IPL since 2019, CSK have won only twice against MI including today. One of the biggest reasons behind their losses has been their start. Though they won today, CSK lost four wickets in the first six overs. In the aforementioned time, CSK have lost three or more wickets in this phase in five matches out of eight played against MI.
Gaikwad’s dream run on UAE soil
At the end of the 2020 IPL season, Dhoni had mentioned Gaikwad as one of the finds. In IPL 2021, Gaikwad had scored two fifties in seven innings. The shift to U.A.E was a blessing in disguise for the CSK opener. Already with three consecutive fifties in IPL 2020, Gaikwad continued his merry way with another unbeaten knock of 88. With four 50+ scores on the trot in U.A.E, he is on a roll.
Highest score for a CSK batsman against MI
It just gets better and better for Gaikwad. His unbeaten knock of 88 broke an eight-year-old record for CSK. Previously, Michael Hussey had scored an unbeaten 83 in 2013 in Delhi , which was the highest score for a CSK batsman against MI. Gaikwad not only registered his highest IPL score, he also registered the highest score for a CSK batsman against MI.
CSK’s last 10 overs mayhem
Batting in the powerplay might be a hurdle for CSK, but in the last ten overs, they have been beasts this season, especially when batting first. CSK have batted first in six matches and in all six matches they have scored 100+ runs in the last 10 overs of the innings. Today, they scored 112 runs in the second half of the innings. CSK have scored at a run rate of 11.7 in this phase while batting first this season.
Bravo equals Malinga
With 159 wickets in IPL, Bravo is one of the most successful overseas bowlers. In the match against MI, he bagged three wickets and took his count of wickets to 31 against MI. This is the joint most wickets taken by a bowler against an opposition in IPL. Lasith Malinga against CSK also has 31 wickets.
Rising back from the ashes
Generally, a team that loses four wickets in the first six overs for less than five runs per over in the first innings have a very less chance of winning the match. In fact, only once had a team won from this scenario. Thanks to collective performances from Gaikwad, Bravo and Chahar, CSK rose from the ashes like a phoenix to register their first ever win after losing four wickets in the first six over while batting first in IPL.
