Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Suryakumar Yadav guided Mumbai Indians to defeat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets in the Qualifier 1 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
With the win, Mumbai have entered in the finals of the 12th Indian Premier League (IPL).
Chasing a below-par target of 132, Mumbai lost its skipper Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock in quick succession. Deepak Chahar trapped leg before Rohit (4) and Harbhajan Singh dismissed de Kock (8).
Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan revived their team’s innings well in time and built a solid 80-run partnership to inch closer to seal the win. Imran Tahir tried to become the game changer as he picked two wickets in an over – bowled Kishan (28) and dismissed Krunal Pandya for a nought on a return ball.
However, Suryakumar proved too much for Chennai to handle and the batsman took Mumbai over the line with nine balls to spare. Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya finished 71 and 13 unbeaten.
Earlier, a crucial 66-run partnership between MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu helped Chennai to a respectable total of 131/4 after opting to bat. The host faced an early dent as Rahul Chahar dismissed Faf du Plessis, who played it straight but Anmolpreet Singh stationed at the point made no mistake and sent the South African (6) back to the dugout.
Jayant Yadav caught Suresh Raina (5) off his own delivery and then completed an easy catch at mid-on to dismiss Shane Watson (10) off Krunal Pandya, leaving Chennai under great pressure at 32/3. Rayudu and Murali Vijay tried to recover their team but Rahul Chahar returned and removed Vijay (26), who got stumped by de Kock.
Dhoni adjusted himself before changing the gears alongside Rayudu. The duo towards the end displayed their onslaught especially against Lasith Malinga in the penultimate over. In the final over off Jasprit Bumrah, Dhoni tried to go big on the first ball but Ishan Kishan caught him at the point while his bat flew over his shoulder into the leg side. However, Bumrah’s front foot strayed and Chennai got a free-hit. Dhoni and Rayudu finished 37 and 42 unbeaten, respectively.
Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad will meet for Eliminator on May 8. The winning team will lock its horns with Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 2 on May 10 to book its seat for the final on May 12.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 132/4 (S Yadav 71*, I Kishan 28, I Tahir 2-33) beat Chennai Super Kings 131/4 (A Rayudu 42*, MS Dhoni 37*, R Chahar 2-14) by 6 wickets.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]