Chennai thump Mumbai

Fiery knocks by Chennai Super Kings openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum set the foundation for a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians who suffered their fourth defeat on the trot in this edition of the IPL in their clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai yesterday.

Chennai chased down the stiff 184-run victory target in 16.4 overs thanks largely due to the swashbuckling start given by Smith and McCullum.

Smith top scored for his team with a 62-run knock that came off 30 balls and was studded with four sixes and eight fours.

McCullum smashed two sixes and six fours in his 46-run knock that came off 20 balls.

Suresh Raina struck two sixes and four fours in his 43-run knock that came off 29 deliveries to ensure that there was no panic in the Chennai run chase after the dismissals of Smith and McCullum.

Chennai almost made a mockery of a big run chase and won the game with 20 balls to spare. Mumbai didn’t have answers to the onslaught from McCullum and Smith as the duo muscled the ball to all corners.

The fact that even Lasith Malinga was smashed for 33 runs in his first two overs tells about their brutal hitting.

Smith completed his fifty off 22 balls and although Harbhajan Singh removed both the openers in the same over, CSK had the match in their bag with the start they got. Raina then got some runs and sealed the game alongside Dwayne Bravo.

Chennai were 90/0 in 6 overs, the second best powerplay score in the history of IPL.

Earlier, blistering half-centuries from captain Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard enabled Mumbai Indians recover from a shaky start and post 183/7.

Opting to bat, Mumbai plunged to a sorry-reading 12/3 and then 57/4 before they were revived by Sharma (50 off 31 balls), Pollard (64 off 30) as the duo put on a pulsating stand of 75 runs off just 33 balls for the fifth wicket.

While Sharma batted in his usual forthright manner to hit five fours and a six, Pollard collared the Super Kings attack to strike five sixes and four fours.

The initial recovery work was laid by a quick 24 off 21 balls by Harbhajan Singh, who was surprisingly promoted ahead of the big West Indian.

Towards the end Ambati Rayudu too came up with a cameo knock of 29, inclusive of three sixes and a four, in the company of Pollard. Both fell to catches in the deep in the last over bowled by Dwayne Bravo.