04 April,2019 08:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Harit N Joshi
Mumbai Indians players celebrate a Chennai Super Kings wicket during an IPL match at Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate yesterday. Pics/Atul Kamble
Mumbai Indians scripted history last night when they became the first Indian Premier League team to complete 100 victories in the tournament after they beat Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
Defending a fighting total of 170-5, CSK managed 133-8 in 20 overs to suffer their first loss in this edition. MI's bowlers bowled beautifully on a pitch that looked conducive for strokeplay.
Lasith Malinga and Hardik Pandya claimed three wickets while Jason Behrendorff consumed two CSK batsmen. Jasprit Bumrah impressed with figures of 4-0-27-0. Both teams lost their three batsmen cheaply before the middle order had to indulge in a rebuilding process. MI debutant Jason Behrendorff had a wicket on the fourth ball off the first over, dismissing Ambati Rayudu, caught behind for a duck.
MI's Kieron Pollard is ecstatic after taking a superb catch to dismiss CSK's Suresh Raina yesterday
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In the next over, Lasith Malinga had Shane Watson, who scored a hundred in the IPL final last year at the same venue, caught in the cover-point region. The enthralling and jaw-dropping Pollard moment of the season arrived when he pulled off a one-handed blinder just inches from the point boundary rope to send Suresh Raina packing for 16.
At the halfway stage, both teams were placed in a similar position. MI were 57-3, while CSK were just nine runs ahead of their opponents with equal number of wickets lost.
It was Suryakumar Yadav, who held one end for MI during his 59-run knock. He was well-supported by Krunal Pandya, who put his luck to serious test during his scratchy innings of 42. For CSK, it was Kedar Jadhav who anchored the innings with 58 runs. Jadhav and MS Dhoni put on a 54-run fourth wicket partnership.
While MI flourished late, thanks to some crazy hitting by Hardik Pandya (25 not out in eight balls) along with Pollard (17 not out off seven balls) as they scored 45 runs off the last two overs, CSK could not manage to gather any momentum after losing skipper Dhoni (12) and Ravindra Jadeja (1) in Hardik's third over.
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