Rohit’s century goes in vain as Chennai beat Mumbai by 20 runs

Rohit Sharma's brilliant century could not steer Mumbai Indians to victory as they fell short by 20 runs against Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Sunday. Chasing a formidable target of 207, Mumbai ended at 186-6 despite Rohit's unbeaten 105 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Chennai’s innings featured strong performances from Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored 69, and Shivam Dube with an unbeaten 66. MS Dhoni also played a crucial role, scoring 20 runs off just four balls at the end, including three sixes in the final over bowled by Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya.

“Our young wicketkeeper scoring three sixes down the order helped a lot, and I think that was the difference,” Gaikwad commented on Dhoni’s performance.

Chennai’s bowler Matheesha Pathirana, known for his slinging action, took four wickets, significantly impacting Mumbai’s chase. Pathirana’s performance disrupted Mumbai’s momentum, particularly with the dismissals of Ishan Kishan and then Suryakumar Yadav for a duck.

Pathirana was named man of the match, and Pandya also said, “The Sri Lankan was the difference.”

Gaikwad had his fourth win as captain after he set the pace for his team with his 40-ball knock laced with five fours and five sixes. He put on 90 runs with Dube before falling to Pandya, but Dube and then Dhoni's cameo ensured Chennai finished strongly.

Mumbai started well with Rohit and Ishan Kishan putting on 70 runs for the first wicket before Pathirana hit back. After dismissing Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Romario Shepherd, Pathirana left Mumbai struggling.

While Rohit was solid at one end, wickets kept falling at the other end.

Tushar Deshpande got Pandya out, and the home crowd cheered, a sign of the growing unpopularity of Mumbai's choice of captain.

This season has seen changes in leadership for both teams, with Pandya taking over from Rohit as Mumbai's captain, while Gaikwad has assumed captaincy responsibilities for Chennai. Under Gaikwad's leadership, Chennai has secured four wins, suggesting a successful transition.

In another IPL match, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets, reaching their target in just 15.4 overs after Phil Salt’s rapid 89 and Mitchell Starc’s three wickets limited Lucknow to 161-7.

(AFP)