5 best knocks in MI vs CSK matches in the IPL ft.Sanath Jayasuriya
The biggest rivalry in the IPL will resume at the Wankhede Stadium on April 14, 2024. Mumbai Indians (MI) will play host to defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a much anticipated high-voltage match.
MI and CSK have played each other on 36 occasions in the IPL with the former winning 20 games. CSK, on the other hand, have tasted success in 16 matches. MI dominates CSK at the Wankhede Stadium, winning seven of the 11 matches.
There have been quite a few scintillating knocks witnessed over the years in MI-CSK matches. Here is a look at the five said knocks:
#5 Ruturaj Gaikwad - 88* off 58 balls in IPL 2021
Current CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad carried his bat and played an unbeaten knock of 88 from 58 balls during a group match in IPL 2021 in Dubai. While the rest of the batters from both teams struggled to get going, it was difficult to dislodge Gaikwad who played a mature knock.
His innings included nine boundaries and four maximums and he scored more than 56 percent of the team's score. Riding on his knock, CSK posted 156 runs in 20 overs before restricting MI to 136 runs.
Gaikwad was only one of the two players across both teams to have scored a half-century.
#4 Ambati Rayudu - 72* from 27 balls in IPL 2021
Rayudu had an astounding strike rate of 266.67 during this clash in 2021. He smashed a hapless MI bowling attack to all parts of the ground at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Coming in to bat at number five, Ambati Rayudu was on the attack from ball one and played a blinder of an innings. His 72-run knock included seven maximums and four boundaries.
Riding on his knock, CSK scored 218 in 20 overs. However, MI won the game on the last ball, with Kieron Pollard smashing a brilliant unbeaten 87 from just 34 balls.
#3 Dwayne Bravo - 68* from 30 balls in IPL 2018
The opening game of IPL 2018 was no short of entertainment and the MI-CSK rivalry lived up to its expectation. The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai witnessed a thrilling contest in which CSK won with a ball to spare.
Chasing a target of 166, Chennai were down and out, losing seven wickets with just 105 runs on board. Mark Wood did not last long and CSK were eight down with the scorecard reading 118 runs in 16.3 overs.
The next 15 balls were special and Dwayne Bravo went on a rampage. The West Indian smashed 19 runs in the 18th over of the innings bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan. The 19th over was bowled by Bumrah and Bravo smashed 20 runs, including three sixes. He was dismissed on the last ball of the said over but had set the platform for a CSK win. The Super Kings won the game by one wicket and a ball to spare.
#2 Kieron Pollard 87* from 34 balls in IPL 2021-
A target of 219 was a stiff challenge even for the MI team that had a star-studded batting line during IPL 2021. The then-skipper Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Quinton de Kock were dismissed during the first 10 overs of the chase and the target seemed even more daunting.
However, Kieron Pollard had other plans and wreaked havoc in Delhi that night. The West Indian all-rounder first added 89 runs with Krunal Pandya before the latter was dismissed. Hardik Pandya did not last long and then Pollard took complete control of the innings.
With 48 runs required from the last three overs, Pollard went out full guns blazing. Despite losing Hardik and James Neesham in the 19th over, he single-handedly guided MI to a win.
He ended up unbeaten on 87 from just 34 balls, including eight maximums and six boundaries, at a strike rate of almost 259.
Pollard also picked up two wickets with the ball during CSK's innings and was undoubtedly named Player of the Match.
#1 Sanath Jayasuriya - 114* from 48 balls in IPL 2008
The former Sri Lankan batter created absolute havoc at the Wankhede Stadium on May 14, 2008. His century against CSK is the only century in MI-CSK matches to date.
Santh Jayasuriya ripped apart the CSK bowling lineup comprising Muthiah Muralidaran, Manpreet Gony, Albie Morkel, Lakshmipathy Balaji, and Joginder Sharma. He smashed 11 maximums and nine boundaries and was unbeaten on 114 from just 48 balls. He had an astounding strike rate of 237.50 and smashed the CSK bowlers to all parts of the ground.
Riding on Jayasuriya's innings, MI chased down a target of 157 in just 13.5 overs and the southpaw was rightly awarded Player of the Match for his match-winning innings.