There is no stopping Chennai Super Kings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men continued their winning run in the Indian Premier League as they defeated Mumbai Indians by 6 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
Chasing a huge 184, Chennai rode on Dwayne Smith's 62 and Brendon McCullum's 46 to get off to a flying start. And even after their exit, Suresh Raina stood firm, playing an unbeaten knock of 43 to help Chennai reach home safely. For Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan scalped 2-44.
With this win, Chennai Super Kings remained unbeaten in the tournament.
Mumbai Indians, who are off to a disastrous start with four successive defeats, rode on Kieron Pollard's quick fire 64 off 30 balls to put up 183-7.
After winning the toss, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bat first as they locked horns with two-time title winners and in-form Chennai Super Kings. And it certainly wasn't a good start as they lost three wickets early in the innings. But then, with captain Rohit (50) and Pollard joining the party, things changed for the better.
What looked like a cakewalk for Chennai soon turned in favour of Mumbai Indians with the West Indies star Pollard blazing all guns. Even as Ashish Nehra picked up three wickets, it didn't cause any further trouble for Mumbai as they posted a huge total.
The home team, which has lost all four matches it played so far to remain the only side without a point in the ongoing eighth edition of the cash-rich event, are under a lot of pressure to turn things around quickly.
Back-to-back defeats to defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals have left Mumbai Indians gasping for survival. And, Friday's defeat have just made the matters worse!
- Manohar