Mumbai canter to victory to send message across the league as they chased CSK’s total of 176 with destructive ease.
Mumbai canter to a rather lopsided victory against Chennai Super Kings to all but knock out MS Dhoni’s men from playoff contention.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated a Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team without striking power to win the IPL 2025 for the third time in a row. Their extremely cagey style of cricket, which primarily targeted specific pockets and conceded matches without complaint, was a clear indication of their lack of batting. In the 17th and 18th overs, which were bowled by MI’s greatest bowlers that evening, Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Santner, they finished without hitting a boundary after taking three overs to do so and going 27 balls in the middle overs without even trying one.
With the victory, MI not only increased their run rate and moved up to eight points from eight games, but they also welcomed Rohit Sharma back to the field. They pulled together their first half-century opening stand this IPL, Rohit recorded his maiden fifty (his previous high being 26), while Suryakumar Yadav defeated CSK’s spin threat with a variety of sweeps.
The field where this game was played saw RCB and MI score 430 runs. At Wankhede, the toss was a significant advantage. Therefore, it should be crucial to aim for above-average scores; nonetheless, CSK adopted the sensible stance that you shouldn’t risk all in search of 200. As a result, their openers timed shots directly to fielders and tested the waters for too long.
By this point, Rachin Ravindra felt compelled to go after the change bowler without a sighter. He edged Ashwani Kumar’s opening ball as he attempted to go big down the ground. The 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre, who replaced him at the wicket and is CSK’s youngest player ever, gave the innings some vitality with a Dwayne Bravo-esque flair. Only 48 runs were scored in the powerplay, though. The legcutter that sent Mhatre out for 32 off 15 came after the unfazed MI remained with Deepak Chahar for a fourth consecutive over.
Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja were brought together by Santner’s stunning eight-over, which saw Rasheed stumped on the defence at 77 kmph. They have Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, and MS Dhoni batting behind these two. Therefore, despite Santner being taken off despite the 2-0-8-1 numbers, these two chose not to hit anything.
To their credit, CSK performed admirably when they targeted Ashwani and Boult, scoring 85 runs in the six overs they bowled. While Jadeja remained at a run a ball, Dube sped from 16 off 19 to a 30-ball fifty. However, MI was able to introduce Santner for the 18th over when Bumrah got Dube with a slower ball.
Only a late burst from Jadeja off Boult in the last over got CSK to a semblance of respectability after Santner bowled the 18th without a boundary.
Despite MI’s recent comeback, they may believe this was the last piece of the puzzle that was lacking. Rohit continued after a strong start, and the opening partnership was sizable. He smashed three well-timed sixes and harrowed away to 32 off 18 in the powerplay, punishing the quick bowlers for their early mistakes. Only R Ashwin was able to silence him. He eventually defeated Ashwin, though, slog-sweeping him for a six in the ninth over.
It wasn’t just Rohit who was overcoming his enemies. With just 50 runs and four wickets off 65 Jadeja deliveries, Suryakumar came into this game. After taking Ryan Rickleton out in the eighth over, Jadeja was the one who moved Suryakumar into the middle. Surya hit his first career six against Jadeja in the ninth over after driving him over extra cover for four and then sweeping six.
Surya scored an incredible 35 runs in nine sweeps overall. Four of them wound up on the billboards, while three of them soared over the ropes. He easily overtook Rohit, and his flourish ensured that they gained a little extra run-rate as Mumbai canter to an easy win, winning with 4.2 overs remaining.