MI vs CSK: Mumbai Indians are taking on Chennai Super Kings in their first home encounter of the Indian Premier League. Meanwhile, CSK debutant Ajinkya Rahane smashed a fifty in his maiden game for the Yellow Army. Rahane was simply excellent with the bat as he also smashed five consecutive boundaries to Arshad Khan. Follow IPL 2023 LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN.
IPL Impact Player Rule: BCCI seeks FEEDBACK from franchises & captains on IPL 2023 Impact Player Rule to decide future, Follow LIVE Updates
MI vs CSK: Watch Ajinkya Rahane Perfect Debut for Chennai, Smashes 19-ball Fifty vs Mumbai Indians, Follow IPL 2023 Live
6⃣4⃣4⃣4⃣4⃣
23 runs off the fourth over 🔥🔥@ajinkyarahane88 on song 🎶🎶
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/rSxD0lf5zJ#TATAIPL | #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/deSvY5UkUq
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2023
The veteran batter scored 61 runs off just 27 balls which included 7 fours and 3 sixes. His innings came to an end after he was caught on the bowling of Piyush Chawla. Suryakumar Yadav settled in the deep and took an excellent catch to help Mumbai scalp its 2nd wicket.
“Really enjoyed it. I just got to know before the toss that I am playing. Unfortunately, Moeen was unwell. I had a good domestic season and was batting well in the nets. I was just trying to play good cricketing shots, and not slog it over. It is all about maintaining your shape,” Rahane said after the match
“You want to prepare mentally well, IPL is a very long tournament, and it all about staying positive and knowing your game. Mahi [MS Dhoni] bhai and Flem [Stephen Fleming] have given the freedom to other players. I was just told to focus on my strengths and focus on preparation. I love playing at the Wankhede, I know the ground well. Have not played a Test here, yet,” he added.
Coming back the game, CSK are chasing an average total of 158 and are looking super strong being 68/1 at the end of the powerplay. Devon Conway was dismissed early without scoring by Jason Behrendorff but Rahane (53*) has kept the majority of strike since then and has maneuvered a steady partnership for the third wicket with Ruturaj Gaikwad who has faced just 12 balls and scored 8.
Meanwhile, the five-time champions managed to post just 157 runs in their allotted 20 overs. None of the MI batters managed to post a big score as most of them threw away their wickets. Ishan Kishan (32 runs) and Tim David were major contributors for the home side as Tushar Deshpande and Mitchell Santner also scalped two wickets each.
MI vs CSK: Watch Ajinkya Rahane Perfect Debut for Chennai, Smashes 19-ball Fifty vs Mumbai Indians, Follow IPL 2023 Live
Follow