Chennai Triumphs Over Mumbai by 6 Wickets, Bags Two Crucial Points

Two of the greatest sides in the Indian T20 League, Chennai and Mumbai met each other on Sunday, 23rd March at Chepauk. The hosts and five-time IND T20 League winners Chennai defeated their arch-rivals Mumbai by six wickets, securing two crucial points in their opening league match of the 18th edition.

After being asked to bat first, the five-time league winners Mumbai did not have an ideal start as Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck after facing four balls, falling victim to Khaleel Ahmed. Shortly after, Ryan Rickelton managed only 13 runs off seven balls before becoming Khaleel's second victim. 

Left-handed batter Tilak Varma was Mumbai’s top scorer with 31 runs, while Will Jacks was dismissed after contributing 11 runs. Stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav scored 29 runs off 26 balls. Robin Minz scored three, and Naman Dhir added 17 runs off 12 balls. Kiwi all-rounder Mitchell Santner scored 11 runs, while his countryman Trent Boult managed just one. Deepak Chahar remained unbeaten with a quick 28 runs off 15 balls.

At the end of 20 overs, Mumbai posted a total of 155 runs for the loss of nine wickets. For the Hosts, 20-year-old Afghan bowler Noor Ahmed delivered a terrific performance, taking four wickets while conceding just 18 runs in his four overs. The left-handed pacer Khaleel Ahmed also shone with three wickets, giving away 29 runs.

While chasing the target, the Yellow Army comfortably secured the win, scoring 158 runs for six wickets in 19.1 overs. Kiwi all-rounder Rachin Ravindra led the charge with an unbeaten 65 runs off 42 balls, guiding his side to victory. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad played a blistering knock of 53 runs off 26 balls, including six fours and three sixes. The surprise performer for Mumbai was 24-year-old Vignesh Puthur, who took three wickets while conceding 32 runs in his three-over spell.

Notably, Mumbai has failed to win its opening match for the last 13 seasons.