Results in brief: Chennai Super Kings (207/6) beat Mumbai Indians (104 – all out in 19 overs) by 103 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
MI vs CSK: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
There was a time, not too long ago, when anything around 200 at the Wankhede felt like a starting point, not a winning score. The country has seen too many chases, too many counter-attacks, too many nights when the other team’s batting refused to blink. There are evenings when 200 doesn’t feel safe. And then there are the nights when it seems so far away.
This was one of those nights. Chennai Super Kings not only defended 207 but controlled the game for most of the evening, dismantling Mumbai Indians with calm decisions, clear roles and players coming on at the right moments.
It ended up being Mumbai’s biggest defeat by runs in IPL history with Sanju Samson and Akeal Hosein delivering a memorable El Clasico win. It also came without MS Dhoni, but the way CSK went about their work, there was no indication that anything was missing.
SAMSON LIGHTS UP WANKHEDE
It started with Sanju Samson playing an innings that held everything together when it could have easily fallen apart. CSK had a bright start. Ruturaj Gaikwad looked more like himself, finding the middle finger early and taking on Hardik Pandya. There was a flick of the wrist, a pull that flew over and suddenly 19 runs overturned from one. Samson at the other end was already settling in and opened the offside with ease.
But just when it looked like CSK might run away with a power play, the innings slowed down. After getting to 22, Gaikwad tried to go inside out and failed. Tilak Varma judged it well in the deep and that wicket opened the door for Mumbai.
From there it became one of those passages where the flesh went but did not stay. Sarfaraz Khan showed intent but was undone by a drop from Mitchell Santner. Shivam Dube, who was given permission to attack, was bowled by a drift from AM Ghazanfar. Dewald Brevis suddenly came and went.
Through it all, Samson hasn’t changed. He didn’t try to force the pace when the wickets were falling and he didn’t get stuck either. He just kept playing the ball on merit. The border when it was there, the only one when it wasn’t. The shift was quietly growing.
By the time the final overs arrived, he had his work cut out for him. And then he finished it off in style, lifting one over cover for a six and pulling on the last ball to bring up his hundred. Unbeaten 101 off 54 ballswith 10 fours and six sixes, but more importantly an innings that gave CSK something solid to defend. They had a total of 207 for six. Not massive, but enough if it rolls well.
What followed showed how well they understood the situation.
AKEALU’S WINNING IMPACT
The chase started badly for Mumbai and never really recovered. Akeal Hosein struck in the very first over to remove Denmark’s Malewar for a golden duck. That set the tone. Quinton de Kock tried to loosen up early, even getting off the mark with a six, but Mukesh Choudhary quickly pulled things back and cleaned him up for 7. These were not easy transitions. Mukesh and Kamboj held firm and by the end of the powerplay, Mumbai had their lowest score of the season at that stage.
There was a brief period when it looked like they might find a way back. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma got together and started rebuilding. Borders came in patches. Tilak in particular looked confident. He faced Noor Ahmad, reached for the balls well outside off and still managed to find the fence. There was even a moment of celebration, a little fist bump when he started to feel the shift.
RUTURAJ’S CAPTAIN MASTER CLASS
The partnership crossed fifty and CSK were tested for a while. Gaikwad’s captaincy excelled here. He has often been seen as someone who prefers pace in the middle overs, someone who doesn’t always turn to spin as an attacking weapon.
But tonight he read the situation differently. He kept coming back to his bikes, even if the match wasn’t obvious. There has been a lot of talk this season about left-arm spinners bowling to left-handed batsmen.
Earlier, Aaron Finch questioned why Axar Patel stayed away from this match when Abhishek Sharma was strong. Here, CSK did the opposite. They believed in skill, not pattern.
Hosein adjusted his angle. He went around the goal, turned the ball at an angle and threw it faster through the air. Tilak, who had been comfortably stretching until then, tried to cut and eventually pulled it back onto his stumps for 37. It was a simple plan but well executed.
From there, the innings began to slip. Noor Ahmad struck twice in one, removing Hardik Pandya and Sherfan Rutherford off successive deliveries. Suddenly Mumbai was no longer rebuilding, it was collapsing. The pressure that had been building silently now showed in the footage.
And then came the moment that summed up the entire night. Trying to break free, Suryakumar went to sweep against Hosein. The ball went past the top edge and went straight to deep backward square leg where Sarfaraz Khan completed the catch. Hosein had his fourth wicket and finished with remarkable figures of 4 for 17. It was a spell that not only picked wickets but controlled the game.
For all their experience and Mumbai’s history, answers were lacking. Wankhede, usually so vocal in the chase, fell silent as the innings went on. At home, it turned into a cruel night when nothing clicked.
For CSK, it was about getting the basics right for longer. Samson gave them the score when things got dicey. The bowlers did not chase wickets, they built pressure.
And Gaikwad backed his instincts even when the matches suggested otherwise. Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad fully rewarded that trust, combining for six wickets to end the game in the middle overs.
There was also a quiet, emotional layer to the evening. CSK players wore black armbands in memory of Mukesh Choudhary’s mother and Mukesh himself struck with an early wicket and a disciplined spell. It was one of those performances that goes beyond the numbers.
In the end, it wasn’t about one moment or one phase. CSK were simply better throughout the game. They read the conditions well, stayed patient when Mumbai threatened to build something and took their chances when they came.
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– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
23 Apr 2026 23:27 IST
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