In match no.44, the two arch-rivals of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took on the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. This was the reverse fixture as the two teams met each other previously at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, where CSK had the upper hand, and they made a double tonight, winning by 8 wickets.
Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat first in a must-win game for both sides. The away side made two changes, with Krish Bhagat and Raghu Sharma making their debut for the five-time winners. CSK also made a couple of changes, with Ramakrishna Ghosh making a debut, and with Prashant Veer coming in.
Hardik Pandya's men yet again disappoint
They did not have the best of starts while batting first, losing Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton, and Naman Dhir stitched a small partnership. The South Africa opener was dismissed for 37 runs, and Dhir scored his half-century in 34 balls and stuck at one end as the wickets kept on tumbling.
Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form continued as he was back after getting a start of 21 runs. Dhir was back after 57 runs, and Hardik Pandya did not get going as his bat was also silent, scoring 18 off 23 balls. After Hardik Pandya’s wicket, the team could not much runs as they finished off with the score of 159/7 in their 20 overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is leading CSK from the front
Coming out to chase, CSK lost Sanju Samson in the second over, despite being dropped off Jasprit Bumrah’s first ball, the former was taken in the final ball of the over by Rickelton. Urvil Patel played a fiery knock of 24 off 12 balls and put the accelerator on the run chase, and he was dismissed by Allah Ghazanfar.
CSK skipper brought his second fifty of the season, scoring the half-century in 34 balls and stitching a partnership with Kartik Sharma. The two then kept on scoring runs and kept the required run rate below the current run rate, and finished the game with 11 balls to spare. Ruturaj scored 67* and Kartik Sharma finished the game with a four, scoring 54*.
They played better- Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya was not happy with the overall performance and felt that the season was over for the Mumbai Indians. He credited the whole CSK team as they dominated them in all departments.
Hardik Pandya, after the loss, said, "Not the season. They played better, they bowled better, they fielded better and they batted better. 180-190 should have been a good total. We couldn't get the momentum. It was more about taking calculative cricket. Overall, as a bowling unit, they were better and as a batting unit, we weren't better. The bowling options which we had, we went with it."
The Mumbai Indians are more or less out of the IPL after this loss; they remain in 9th position on the table. Hardik Pandya's side would like to finish the season on a high note by winning some of their upcoming games. They will face the bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants in their next match.
Also Read: IPL Points Table 2026: Updated Standings, Orange Cap, Purple Cap After CSK vs MI Match 44
from Cricket Addictor https://ift.tt/gPtzVBY
