Mumbai: Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav delivered a scintillating masterclass under lights at the Wankhede Stadium as Mumbai Indians flattened Chennai Super Kings by nine wickets in their IPL encounter on Sunday, chasing down 177 in a mere 15.4 overs.
The chase was sealed in emphatic fashion — Suryakumar Yadav (68* off 30 balls) finishing things off with back-to-back sixes off Matheesha Pathirana, the last a nonchalant loft over long-off that had both SKY and Rohit (76* off 45) beaming as they embraced mid-pitch, the Wankhede spectators on its feet in rapture. Their unbroken 114-run stand off just 52 balls was a statement of dominance as MI flexed their title credentials with a performance for the ages.
Earlier, it was Chennai who had posted 176/5 after being put in to bat, thanks to a late surge led by Ravindra Jadeja (53* off 35) and Shivam Dube (50 off 32). The pair added 79 runs for the fourth wicket after a promising start, which included a fearless cameo from debutant Ayush Mhatre — his 15-ball 32 laced with four boundaries and two sixes briefly putting MI on the back foot.
Jasprit Bumrah was once again clinical, picking up 2/25 and removing the well-set Dube and CSK skipper MS Dhoni (4). Mitchell Santner was miserly with 1/14 from three overs, while young Ashwani Kumar had an expensive outing despite claiming a wicket.
But the night truly belonged to Mumbai’s batting unit. Rohit set the tone early, launching Jamie Overton into the second tier and following it with two exquisite drives off Khaleel Ahmed. Rickelton too got going with crisp boundaries before falling to a well-judged catch by Mhatre at deep mid-wicket off Jadeja.
From 63/1, Rohit and Suryakumar shifted gears with ruthless precision. Rohit brought up his first fifty of the season with a punch to long-off, playing with poise and power.
Suryakumar unleashed an array of sweeps, lofts, and wristy flourishes — bringing up his half-century with an inside edge, but following it up with fireworks: a sweep off Noor Ahmad, a flick over long leg off Jadeja, and a scorching drive past point off Pathirana.
The carnage in the final overs was brutal. In the 14th over, Rohit heaved a dipping full-toss from Pathirana over fine leg to bring up the 100-run stand. SKY then tore into Noor and Pathirana with dismissive sixes — one over extra cover, the next a thumping blow to finish the match.
Mumbai reached the target with 26 balls to spare, their most convincing win of the season so far. With Rohit rediscovering form and Suryakumar in peak touch, MI's batting juggernaut looks ominous heading into the business end of the tournament.
