Chennai – Ruturaj Gaikwad barely paused at the presentation. The Chennai Super Kings skipper wanted one thing clear after the 103-run win at the Wankhede: “Pretty tough on him [Mukesh Choudhary]… I would dedicate this win to him.”
Choudhary’s mother passed away on Tuesday. Two days later he took the new ball, delivered four overs straight and knocked back Quinton de Kock’s off stump with his fifth delivery. Figures of 4-0-31-1 do not quite cover the emotional load.
“We spoke before… we wanted to win the game and glad everyone chipped in and wanted to be there for him,” Gaikwad added. The dressing room, by all accounts, stayed quiet until late in the evening.
Key facts first
• CSK 207 for 5 (Samson 101*) beat Mumbai Indians 104 all out by 103 runs
• Largest CSK margin over MI in the IPL
• Akeal Hosein 4 for 17, Noor Ahmad 2 for 24, combined 8-0-41-6
Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 101 from 54 balls set up the total. At halfway, Gaikwad still thought the pitch had a sting in it. “Me and Sanju felt it was not coming on nicely,” he said, pointing to a dryish surface that scuffed under lights. Handy twenties from Kartik Sharma and Dewald Brevis nudged the run-rate, but it was Samson, unfussy and clinical, who hauled CSK past 200.
Mitchell McClenaghan, on television duty, called the innings “a master-class in reading length early”. Ambati Rayudu, scratching a beard that grows quicker than most powerplays, went simpler: “If not for Samson, CSK would have struggled.”
Hosein’s spell sliced through Mumbai’s middle. “We’re kind of heading in a direction where we’re trying to cover all bases,” Gaikwad noted. With Khaleel Ahmed unavailable, Choudhary’s first over “really set the momentum”. Anshul Kamboj’s cutters kept Suryakumar Yadav prodding, while Jamie Overton and Gurjapneet Singh offered pace if the surface woke up. Hosein and Noor then closed the door.
Analysis without the jargon
CSK’s attack works because the left-arm orthodox (Hosein), wrist-spin (Noor) and right-arm pace all do different jobs. Bowling three overs from Choudhary in the powerplay freed Hosein to operate at batters re-setting. Mumbai, stuck between the hard new ball and slower middle overs, never found rhythm; a required rate above 12 quickly became academic.
Room for improvement? Gaikwad thinks so. “I feel we [should] start from zero,” he said, reminding team-mates there is a day game next. The league table is tight, and dew – or lack of it – can flip plans.
For now, though, a modest celebration. Choudhary flew home after the match. Team-mates lined the dressing-room door, pats on the back, no grand speeches. Respect first, points second.
