Gaikwad, Kartik guide CSK to complete double over MI

With a convincing eight-wicket victory at Chepauk on Saturday (May 2), CSK completed a league double over Mumbai Indians thanks to composed half-centuries from Kartik Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Despite a determined fifty from Naman Dhir, Mumbai Indians lost steam and posted a disappointing 159/7 on the board in a batting innings of two halves. CSK suffered early setbacks, but the third-wicket pair paced the chase well to earn the two points available, despite the equation not being particularly tight. The perilous Will Jacks was eliminated for one run when Anshul Kamboj struck off his second ball. However, Dhir and Ryan Rickelton quickly made a course correction, combining for 58 runs in 32 balls to keep MI's Powerplay strong. Rickelton was the more aggressive of the two, beating Mukesh Choudhary and Prashant Veer with five sixes each after surviving a run-out scare. Before Noor Ahmad made the crucial breakthrough for the hosts on a pitch with two paces, he raced to a quick 37 off 23. Thanks to a quick cameo from Suryakumar Yadav, MI were up to a commanding 90/2 by the halfway point, scoring 21 off 12 balls. After that, however, the innings came to a halt. Dhir led by one run, but he lost too many partners for the innings to falter. Tilak Varma left quickly, and Noor got his second as his scratchy knock came to an end. The skipper, Hardik Pandya, then had trouble getting going. Dhir scored a fifty off 34 balls, broke the shackles with a six immediately after, and Overton lost his wicket all in the same over. The lowest order could only manage a finish of 150 or higher, which felt subpar even in light of the circumstances. MI only managed 69/5 from 90/2 in the first ten. When Sanju Samson was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah in his first over, CSK, like MI, lost a wicket quickly. Gaikwad, on the other hand, hit Trent Boult in the face. He started the third over with a pretty drive and ended it with a pull and a flick to the legside for four and six more. When Urvil hit big sixes at either end of the 18-run over, Krish Bhagat, who took the place of the New Zealander in the attack, was immediately thrown out of the game. The CSK skipper welcomed AM Ghazanfar into the attack with a six of his own, but the spinner was able to end the perilous partnership. Urvil fell for a 24-run cameo at a 200 strike rate after dragging one, a carrom ball, onto his stumps. CSK, on the other hand, won the Powerplay at 62/2. Gaikwad anchored the innings after the 49-run stand was broken, and Kartik Sharma searched for the occasional boundary or six. The partnership performed just enough to keep up with the asking rate while moving at a rate that was slightly faster than run-a-ball. At the beginning of the 14th over, Gaikwad scored a fifty off 34 balls and then scored two boundaries in a row, his first since the Powerplay, to accelerate the chase's back end. When Kartik faced the returning Ghazanfar and scored 4,0,6,0,4,0 to almost secure the two points for his team, the ask was 22 off the final four overs. He promptly scored his first fifty points, assisting CSK in relegating Delhi Capitals to sixth place in the standings. Mumbai will return home tomorrow for their Monday match against the Lucknow Super Giants, giving them a quick turnaround. Before playing DC at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, May 5, CSK gets an additional day off.