Rayudu, du Plessis steer Chennai to win over Mumbai in opener
Du Plessis (58 not out) and Rayudu (71) were involved in a 115-run partnership for the third wicket that ensured the ‘Yellow Brigade’ registered an easy win over the Rohit Sharma-led side
Half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu (71) and Faf du Plessis (58 not out), coupled with a blistering six-ball cameo from Sam Curran (18), helped last year’s runners-up Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by five wickets in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
This is the first time CSK have beaten the MI ater five matches in the IPL.
Ater limiting MI to 162/9 earlier in the evening, the CSK got off to a shaky start to their chase. Openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay were dismissed in the first two overs and the CSK found themselves 6/2 at the start of the third. However, the next wicket came only 14 overs later and during this time, du Plessis and Rayudu put up 115 for the third wicket to practically take the game away from MI.
Rayudu took the atack to the opposition, smashing six fours and three sixes in a 48-ball knock. He was also helped by MI not able to hold on to their catches, surviving a close call in the ninth over when he was on 27 and then later off the second ball of the 16th over bowled by Rahul Chahar. He eventually fell off the last ball of the over, with Chahar taking an impressive catch sprinting backwards off his own bowling.
However, Sam Curran then launched a six-ball blinder to close any chance that MI may have visualised of winning the match. Du Plessis ended the match with consecutive fours off the first two balls of the 20th and last over.
MANY POSITIVES BUT PLENTY OF AREAS TO IMPROVE: DHONI: Meanwhile, enigmatic cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday returned to competitive action ater 437 days -- a period that seemed an eternity to his fans -- with an unusual beard that would be something between a goatee and full-grown one, and a new hairstyle. He looked a litle heavier, but his wicket-keeping was spot-on as he grabbed two catches and did not concede a single bye in Mumbai Indians’ 162/9.
He was all smiles ater his team beat defending champions Mumbai Indians in the first match.
CSK were clinical with both bat and ball but Dhoni feels that there are still plenty of areas to improve.
“You want to assess the conditions and give your best,” Dhoni said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“I felt we took time to gauge how to bowl in these conditions. The MI batsmen bated well, they were able to put pressure on us. Overall, plenty of positives, but plenty of areas to improve,” he said.
Dhoni said that he was relieved that no one was injured considering that most players in the team have retired from international cricket.
“Overall, a very good first game to play and no injuries -- most of us are retired. (Experience) does pay off. Especially these days with three-match series, playing 300 ODIS is a big feat. You need a good mix of youngsters and experience. What really helps youngsters in the IPL is the fact that there are lots of senior players from different countries for 60-70 days,” the skipper said.
MI captain Rohit Sharma said that the difference between the two sides was the fact that none of their batsmen carried on the way Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu did for CSK. The duo put up a 115-run stand for the third wicket with both scoring fities to practically take the game away from MI.
MI were restricted to 162/9 despite being 121/3 at the start of the 15th over.
“None of our batsmen carried on for us, like du Plessis and Rayudu did for CSK. Credit to the CSK bowlers, they bowled well at the end to pull things back,” he said.
“We all want to start really well... it’s crucial in this tournament where momentum is important. Few things for us to learn from this game, we did make a few mistakes. Hopefully we’ll rectify those and come out smarter in the next game,” he added.
TODAY’S MATCH (DELHI CAPITALS VS KINGS XI PUNJAB, DUBAI, 6PM)