IPL 2018: Match 27, CSK vs MI- Rating of the Match

Prior to the game, Mumbai Indians (MI) found themselves in a stage where a single defeat could invariably pull the curtains down on their aspirations of defending the title. In their previous match, their batsmen imploded. It was more of a psychological defeat for them. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) isn’t the kind of opposition one would like to face following a mental drubbing.

MS Dhoni’s men has been in red-hot form and were playing at the MCA Stadium where they decimated the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Bravely enough, Rohit Sharma elected to chase. He was also lucky for the fact that they weren’t up against the CSK- the chasing side, which was a positive to start with, especially on a wicket which had peanuts to offer for the bowlers.

Krunal Pandya- Mumbai’s spearhead?

Krunal Pandya is one player for Mumbai, who has calmly emerged as a silver lining in the dark clouds of Mumbai’s dismal season. The franchise used the Right to Match (RTM) card on him, and he hasn’t let the team down. Probably, that’s the reason why he was entrusted to bowl inside the field restrictions. The notion that Shane Watson doesn’t like facing the spinners validated the decision even more.

Watson cleared his front leg, wound up to send the ball into the orbit, and pulled the ball with all his might. Pandya was clever enough to spear the ball at the batsman devoid of any loop. Resultantly, Watson mistimed the ball, but fortunately, the ball didn’t go in the air and Watson survived. He didn’t stop and the next ball accounted for his dismissal.

Pandya churned out his deceptive pace variation from his sleeve. Watson is a batsman who doesn’t like to hold back. This time, he stretched forward to bring out the sweep shot. Pandya spotted his intentions and gave a ball a fair amount of loop. While playing the sweep, an extra bit of bounce can catch the batsman napping. The ball found the leading edge and Mayank Markande finished the formalities.

Rohit compensates for bizarre Lewis  

On a general day, Evin Lewis would nearly accomplish his century after playing 43 balls. Today, he played those many deliveries and fell short of a half-century. It was hard to comprehend the nature of the knock as the pitch had no demons whatsoever. Nevertheless, his sheer presence was an assurance for the Mumbai Indians that they would eventually breach Chennai score.

However, Lewis’ stay at the wicket became a painful one as the run chase progressed. An initial required rate of 8.5 is a doddle with Lewis staying till the 20th over, but when he perished, Mumbai required 42 runs off 23 balls. Someone had to come to the party and rescue Mumbai from what seemed like yet another defeat and probably an elimination from the tournament.

Rohit Sharma’s form has been horrendous, but on the eve of the game, he iterated to exhibit a fearless brand of cricket and subsequently, he promoted himself at number three, ahead of Ishan Kishan, who had been in much better form than the Mumbai skipper. The move turned to be a masterstroke and he played probably his most valuable knock in the series and lifted Mumbai to the sixth position in the table.

Rating of the Match- 4.5