The hosts at Match 38 of the IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League), a massive T20 cricket competition, the Mumbai Indians (MI) faced the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Mumbai. Notably, MI skipper Hardik Pandya chose to go out first after winning the toss. This exciting match was played on a popular Sunday, April 20.
Talking Points
1. MI has a little amount of CSK.
Chennai Super Kings were held to 176 by the Mumbai Indians. Even though Wankhede is a place where many runs are scored, CSK’s batting was not too intense generally. For almost the whole game, they were unable to find rhythm. Shivam Dube (50 runs off 32 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (53* runs off 35 balls) hit fifties to steady the ship, while debutant Ayush Mhatre played a valiant knock (32 runs off 15 balls). One of Mumbai’s standout bowling performances was when spinner Mitchell Santner and pacer Jasprit Bumrah combined to give up just 91 runs in 14 overs.
2. Mumbai’s tactical mastery
By permitting their top bowlers of the day, Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Santner, to bowl the vital 17th and 18th overs in the closing moments of the innings, MI demonstrated the accuracy of their bowling strategies. In these two overs, the pair did not let CSK escape and did not give up a single boundary. MI sent out Trent Boult to deliver the final over after MS Dhoni was dismissed in the 19th over. However, Chennai finished with a decent score because of Jadeja’s late charge. Unexpectedly, Ashwani Kumar and Boult bowled their entire allotment of four overs each, while captain Pandya just bowled two overs, which proved costly for the team.
3. Middle-over problems and rising star Mhatre
Ayush Mhatre, a 17-year-old batting sensation, made an impression on his CSK debut with an exciting knock during the powerplay phase. However, Chennai’s lack of effort in the middle overs cost them dearly, as Shivam Dube took his time getting going, preventing CSK from scoring a single boundary for 27 balls. The batting depth of the Chennai Super Kings was also revealed by this.
4. A strong beginning statement establishes MI’s tone
The Mumbai Indians got off to a quick start against the Chennai Super Kings in response to the run chase. With a fluid 45* runs off 32 balls, impact player and star batsman Rohit Sharma supported MI’s batting and kept attacking the bowlers. Ryan Rickelton, his opening partner, helped to provide some initial steadiness when he was dismissed for 24 runs by Ravindra Jadeja after facing 19 deliveries.
5. Rohit-Suryakumar’s performance wins the match.
Mr. 360, also known as Suryakumar Yadav, showed up at the crease following Rickelton’s dismissal. With 151/1 on the board after 14.3 overs, MI was in a dominant position. The CSK bowlers were unable to halt the run flow. After surpassing the 50-run milestone, Rohit discovered his batting rhythm. The Mumbai Indians defeated the Chennai Super Kings by nine wickets after the two eventually stitched an undefeated partnership of 114* runs. Suryakumar scored an undefeated 68* off 30 balls, while Rohit remained undefeated at 76* from just 45 balls.
Regarding tonight’s IPL 2025 match, the captains and POTM (Player of the Match) said the following:
Who Made What Remark?
Hardik Pandya, MI (Winning captain) said,
The way we are playing the sport. We knew it was going to be high-scoring. The way Rohit and Suryakumar bat, it is a relief from outside. You don’t have to worry about Rohit’s form. He’s gonna come good like this. We knew when he comes good, the opposition will be out. SKY complemented him. People are stepping up.
We have been sticking to basics. Percentage cricket is high, we are not trying magical stuff and sticking to simple cricket. Knew they were behind the game and wanted to keep it tight. The fast bowlers went for runs and we knew 175 was below par. We were not far from a good game. We had to figure out about closing the couple of balls that were costing us games.
MS Dhoni, CSK (Losing captain) said,
We were quite below par. Knew dew would come in the second half. Bumrah one of the best death bowlers in the world, MI started their death bowling early, we should have started our slog early. We should have capitalised and got those runs. [Mhatre] Batted well, he picked his shots well. Wanted to play his shots, we also haven’t seen him much. Odd ball was gripping.
They played spin well. We never had a par score. If you give away too many in the first six. It wasn’t like it was coming on nicely. We need to realise, we are successful because we play good cricket. But we need not get too emotional. We need to see if we are playing the right form or cricket, trying to put right amount of runs. A few more catches will help, we are trying to plug in the holes. Take one game at a time. Look at the combinations for the next season, if we don’t qualify.
Rohit Sharma, Player of the Match said,
Wankhede wants to enjoy good cricket. After being here for a long time, it’s easy to start doubting yourself and start doing different things. It was important for me to practice well, hit the ball well. When you are clear in your mind, things like this can happen. It has been a while but if you doubt yourself, you put pressure on yourself. It is important to balance how you want to play. Today I wanted to hit the ball but was also important to hold the shape and extend the arms.
And then if the ball is in the arc, I wanted to try what i always do. It has not been happening consistently but I am not going to doubt myself. [Impact Player] Something we spoke about. Two or three overs doesn’t make a huge difference. I came in in a few games and it doesn’t help, if you are not switched on. Don’t mind going for 4-5 overs as well, or if the team wants to me stay in the dugout and just bat. [Rohit Sharma Stand] Looks pretty far! Huge honour. I used to come here as a kid and watch the game.
We were not allowed to come here at some stage. Grown up playing at this ground, now to have that stand, huge honour. Don’t know how I will react when it actually comes up. Satisfying part was to finish the game. We are peaking at the right time, winning three on the trot. Winning back-to-back is important, we stand in a good position.
India
