MI vs CSK: From the 2019 IPL final finish to MS Dhoni’s last-over heroics against Unadkat in 2022, here is a look at the best Mumbai Indians – Chennai Super Kings IPL finishes. The Indian Premier League’s most notorious contest will renew on Saturday when Mumbai Indians hosts Chennai Super lords in an IPL 2023 match at the Wankhede Stadium.
While MI and CSK are the most successful brigades in the history of the event, five- time winner Mumbai finished at the bottom of the table last season. CSK was hardly better as it ended ninth.
In a return to the home and down format after three seasons, Mumbai opened its crusade on a horrendous note with an eight- gate defeat against Royal contenders Bangalore in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, four- time champion CSK lost the event nature against Gujarat elephants before bouncing back with a 12- run palm over Lucknow Super titans at home.
MI and CSK have historically engaged in some of the most iconic clashes in the IPL, including thrice in the final. Ahead of their 35th meeting in the IPL, then’s a look at the closest and most memorable homestretches across the last 15 editions
The spark for the CSK- MI contest was lit at their first IPL meeting. A piled CSK fur order fired to rack up a massive 208 for five in its first game at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Nature Matthew Hayden’s truculent 46- ball 81 set the base before Suresh Raina’s fifty( 53) and commander MS Dhoni’s 16- ball 30 gem put MI under pressure.
Mumbai, still, hovered to chase down the target with benefactions through the order but none could capitalise to play a match- defining knock. MI needed 19 to win in the final over, but only managed 12 as CSK scrounge out the caller by six runs.
In their alternate group clash of the IPL 2012 season, Mumbai decided to coliseum first against Chennai at home. Dhoni’s men racked up a respectable 173 for eight.
MI lost its first gate for eight runs in the chase before commander Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma put up a 133- run stage to seamlessly propel MI towards the palm. still, a dramatic CSK comeback saw MI losing four of their crucial batters- Sachin( 74), Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu and Rohit( 60)- within 13 balls. The chase slipped out of MI’s grip when Dwayne Bravo picked up two lattices in the penultimate over, leaving a 16- run deficiency for the last six balls.
Australian attachment Ben Hilfenhaus was assigned with the final over and he was on the plutocrat with the first three deliveries- 1, W (Lasith Malinga), 1- with Dwayne Smith gaining strike for the last three balls. With 14 needed from three deliveries, Smith clobbered a full toss over long- on for six. He also turned the crowd into a delirium as he blasted another low full toss for four over the bowler. Smith also limited off his gem with a sonorous smack for four to long- off to produce one of the topmost IPL finishes
Fur first on a sluggish Chepauk pitch, CSK posted 158 for five against MI. The caller got its chase off to a superb launch with openers Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel hoisting an 84- run cooperation. still, Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the openers within four deliveries in the 11th over before Dwayne Bravo run out Kieron Pollard. The asking rate shot up as MI captain Rohit Sharma too departed in the 18th over. CSK was forcefully in the driving seat with MI taking 30 runs in the last two overs, egging a surprising adventure from Dhoni to hand the ball to left- arm incentive Pawan Negi.
Still, a shock was in store as a fairly unknown Hardik Pandya stepped up to turn the drift for Mumbai. Featuring in just his fourth IPL game, Hardik wrapped three sixes off Negi in the 19th over before Ambati Rayudu minced in with a fourth in the same over. MI also comfortably gamboled home with four balls to spare.
The Yellow Army returned to the IPL with a bang. In its first match back after a two- time suspense, CSK took on nemesis MO at the Wankhede Stadium in the season nature of IPL 2018.
The home side posted 165 for four and bolted through the CSK top order with a flurry of lattices. An injury also forced Kedar Jadhav to retire hurt on 14 before CSK tottered to 118 for eight in16.3 overs. Meanwhile, Dwayne Bravo played a lonecounter-attacking knock to stretch the game deep. still, Bravo’s blitz ended on 68 in the 19th over with Jasprit Bumrah claiming the ninth gate, leaving MI with five to defend in the final over.
Jadhav trudged back in to stage a fight. While MI seamer Mustafizur attachment sailed three consecutive fleck balls, Jadhav, with his injured hamstring, scuffled across the wholes and ramped the bowler for six over fine leg to position the scores. A resounding return was etched as Jadhav smashed the coming ball through the covers for four, handing a one- gate palm for CSK in the humdinger.
Many can match the drama that the 2019 IPL final offered the suckers when MI and CSK met in the peak clash for the third time. Dhoni’s men putatively had the edge when Mumbai’s decision to club first ended with a tepid finish at 149 for eight. Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 25- ball 41 helped MI salvage some ground to try and defend.
A spirited bowling fightback rattled the CSK top order indeed as nature Shane Watson kept begirding the bowlers left and right. Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and captain Dhoni offered negligible support to Watson who had raised his fifty in 44 balls. The Aussie also lifted his strike rate with three sixes and a four to help CSK defend its crown.
The situation was palpable for MI when it had only eight runs to defend in the final over. MI commander Rohit Sharma turned to his trusted arm Lasith Malinga, who had a lacklustre game up until that moment, conceding 42 runs in three overs. Malinga brought up his delicacy and variations in equal measure to force Watson into a hopeless redundant run. A quick gamble from Krunal Pandya in the deep pronounced Watson’s early run out on 81. New man Shardul Thakur reeled in two runs off his first ball and CSK needed two from the last ball. still, Malinga had reserved his stylish for the very end as he trapped Thakur leg- ahead with a deceiving slower ball to hand Mumbai an unthinkable come- from- behind palm for the jewel.
The chasemaster’s chances were slim given his form, and 17 runs from the final over sounded to be a altitudinous ask despite his possibly rich figures against left- armer Jaydev Unadkat. Unadkat removed Dwaine Pretorius with his first ball and new man Dwayne Bravo managed a single, leaving Dhoni to do the heavy lifting. Unadkat hit the niche and Dhoni clobbered it past the bowler for a massive six.
A short ball followed and Dhoni swatted it over short fine- leg for four and stole two runs off the coming ball. With four demanded off the last ball, Unadkat tried a low full toss. A steely Dhoni nimbly scuffled across and scythed it past the short fine- leg fielder for a boundary and added another memorable chapter to his and CSK’s appointment with last- ball homestretches. Know More latest IPL News…
