IPL 2019: Five talking points from Mumbai’s jubilant win over CSK
The crowd at the Wankhede Stadium was on its feet yesterday as the home team cruised to a 37-run win over Chennai Super Kings. End over slogs from Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard carried Mumbai Indians to 170/5. The score proved more enough as CSK crumbled to 133/8 in reply. For his three wickets and unbeaten 25(8), Hardik Pandya won the Man of the Match Award. Here are five talking points from yesterday’s game.
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MI’s late assault on Bravo
CSK throttled Mumbai Indians’ batting lineup early, and kept the run rate under control. Krunal Pandya tried forcing the pace, but MI still found themselves at 125/5 in 18 overs. Pollard and Pandya struck sixes in the penultimate over bowled by Shardul Thakur. In Darren Bravo’s last over, both the batsmen went on a rampage and smashed 29 runs in the 20th over. This included three sixes and one four.
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Hardik’s helicopter
Before IPL 2019 began, Hardik Pandya posted a video of himself practicing the helicopter shot in the nets. Yesterday, the wiry all-rounder used the shot to perfection and smashed CSK bowlers over the boundary ropes. Pandya’s 25(8) helped MI reach a solid score at the end.
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Rayudu in run drought
A few months ago, Ambati Rayudu was the frontrunner in the race of India’s number four for the World Cup. However, repeated failures damaged Rayudu’s chances and he soon fell out of the favor. The IPL was supposed to be his chance of redemption. In the first four matches, the 33-year old has scored only 34 runs. His last three scores are 5,1 and 0.
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Pollard takes a stunner
Before this match, there were a few calls for dropping Kieron Pollard from the side. After showing his batting muscle in the 7-ball 17 runs knock, the West Indian all-rounder displayed his importance in the field. Standing at sweeper cover, Pollard plucked a stunner and sent back dangerous Suresh Raina. The blinding catch helped MI gain an advantage over CSK.
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Bravo and Kedar fail to repeat heroics
The inaugural match of IPL 2018 was a blockbuster. Chasing 166 runs, CSK was languishing at 118/8. Dwayne Bravo and Kedar Jadhav took the Wankhede stadium by the storm and secured a famous win for the Yellow Army. Yesterday, the same duo was at the crease with CSK trapped in a similar position. However, they failed to recreate last year’s magic and the Super Kings ended up with a 37-run defeat.
