Match Center

That is it from this game and it is Chennai who have made it two wins on the trot whereas Mumbai have lost two in a row. On Sunday, the 9th of April, there's another doubleheader lined up for the fans. First up, it will be Gujarat taking on Kolkata in Ahmedabad and that game will begin at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). That game will be followed by a clash between Hyderabad and Punjab in Hyderabad beginning at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but our build-up for both those games will begin much sooner. Do join us then. Till then, take care and goodbye!

Ravindra Jadeja (4-0-20-3) is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his brilliant spell of spin bowling. Jadeja says that when they were bowling, the odd ball was spinning and they had a chat about bowling in the good areas. Adds that every time they come here, the wicket plays differently as sometimes it is flat and sometimes it is sticky or dry and they have to prepare for that. Mentions that he and Mitchell Santner keep talking in between overs about how the wicket is playing and how should they vary their pace and lengths.

MS Dhoni, the skipper of Chennai, says that it feels good to get the win. Adds that it was a different challenge losing Deepak Chahar in the first over and with Sisanda Magala playing his first game. Feels that the spinners bowled really well and adds that it was a two-paced wicket. Shares that the wicket wasn't turning initially but once it did, the spinners made good use of it. Mentions that Sisanda Magala bounced back well and it was a good effort to restrict Mumbai to under 160. On Tushar Deshpande, he says that they believe in him and he has the potential to be more consistent. On Ajinkya Rahane, he says that he had a chat with him at the start of the competition and had discussed his role and adds that he wants him to back his strengths. Ends by saying that all games are important in the competition and the first target is to win enough games for qualification.

The presentation ceremony...

The man of the moment, Ajinkya Rahane is down for a quick chat. He says that he really enjoyed it and he got to know just before the toss that Moeen Ali is unwell and he would get to play. Adds that he wants to play to his strength which is playing proper cricketing shots and looking to time the ball rather than slog it away. Mentions that you have to be ready for your opportunity as the tournament is a long one. Says that he always enjoys playing at Wankhede and it's all about playing proper cricketing shots. Adds that the thing about MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming is that they back their players and luckily he was ready.

Rohit Sharma, the captain of Mumbai, starts by saying that they lost their way in the middle and could not capitalize on the start. Feels that they were 30-40 runs short considering the start they got. Credits the Chennai spinners for keeping them under pressure. Shares that they need to try out different things and need to be brave. Mentions that it is important to give the young guys some time and back them by showing trust. Also says that senior guys need to step up with the bat. Feels that getting momentum at the start of the tournament is important. Ends by saying that they need to learn from these two games and need to be braver.

Earlier in the game, Mumbai were put into bat by MS Dhoni and they got off to a sensational start as well. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan both looked in the zone but once Rohit fell, the Mumbai innings started going downhill. Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner stemmed the flow of runs and some excellent catching allowed them to pick up wickets at regular intervals. Tilak Varma and Hrithik Shokeen played decent little innings and it was Tim David who hit a few lusty blows to take Mumbai over the 150-run mark. Jadeja picked up three wickets and took a stunning catch off his own bowling whereas Santner picked up two and Tushar Deshpande showed his class with a couple of wickets as well. Coming to the chase, after the early hiccup, Chennai never looked back and went on to seal a dominant victory thanks to Ajinkya Rahane who broke the back of the chase inside the Powerplay itself.

Mumbai started their campaign off with a loss and have now gone on to lose their first game at home as well. They threw away a bright start with the bat and after picking up a wicket in the very first over, they failed to capitalize as well. Jason Behrendorff was solid up top but Arshad Khan was taken to the cleaners by Ajinkya Rahane and the spinners too weren't able to control things in the middle phase. The Impact Player, Kumar Kartikeya did bowl well and picked up a wicket as well but by then the game was pretty much out of Mumbai's reach. They will now look to bounce back quickly and try to get a win in their next game.

Chennai didn't have a big target at hand but lost Devon Conway in the very first over which might have put them on the back foot. But, Ajinkya Rahane had other plans as he came in and simply timed the ball to perfection finding boundaries with utmost ease. Ruturaj Gaikwad, generally the aggressor, played second fiddle as Rahane brought up the fastest fifty of this year's tournament before eventually getting out for 61 off just 27 balls. Shivam Dube then came in and built a nice partnership with Gaikwad and it was the latter who stayed on till the end and remained unbeaten on 40 as Ambati Rayudu finished things off in style.

Chennai have taken the bragging rights in the first El Classico of the season that too away from home and have made it back-to-back wins. A dominant display from the away side and they will be pretty content with it.

FOUR! THAT'S IT! Ambati Rayudu finishes things off in style! Full and angling across outside off by Arshad Khan. Ambati Rayudu frees his arms and drills it in the air towards long off. The fielder puts in a full-length dive to his left but the ball beats him to the fence. Chennai win by 7 wickets.

WIDE! Arshad Khan comes into the attack and starts with a loosener. Sprays it well wide outside off, Ruturaj Gaikwad lets it pass. Ishan Kishan dives to his right but does not manage to hold onto it. Parries it to short third man and batters sneak in a bye.

Tries to go full but ends up bowling a full toss on off, Ruturaj Gaikwad clips it to long on for another single. Chennai are now 5 runs away from a victory.

Full and wide outside off by Jason Behrendorff, Ambati Rayudu slices it in the air towards deep point for a single.

Fuller and on off, Ambati Rayudu knocks it straight back to the bowler.

Full and on off, Ambati Rayudu thumps it back over the bowler's head. Does not get it from the middle of the bat but collects a couple towards the long off region.

FOUR! Streaky but Ambati Rayudu and Chennai will take it. Bowls it full and at the stumps from 'round the wicket, Ambati Rayudu looks to whip this one but gets an outside edge. The ball flies past short third man for yet another boundary.