Mumbai Indians (MI) roared back into playoff contention with a thumping 9-wicket win over arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 38 of the TATA IPL 2025, played at the electric Wankhede Stadium on Sunday evening. Led by a sensational partnership between Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, MI chased down CSK’s competitive total of 176 with 26 balls to spare.
CSK Post 176/5 After Early Jitters
After being put in to bat by MI skipper Hardik Pandya, CSK started slowly with Rachin Ravindra and Shaik Rasheed crawling to just 16 runs after three overs. The breakthrough came from MI’s Ashwani Kumar, who dismissed Ravindra with his first delivery on return to the XI.
Debutant Ayush Mhatre then stole the show briefly, smashing a thrilling 32 off 15 balls, including 4, 6, 6 in the final three balls of an over. But Deepak Chahar struck soon after to end his cameo, and Santner stumped Rasheed to leave CSK struggling at 63/3 by the eighth over.
The rebuilding job fell to Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja, who absorbed the pressure before launching an assault in the final overs. Dube reached a fluent 50 off 32 balls, while Jadeja anchored with 53* off 35. The pair added crucial runs, including 24 in one over off Ashwani Kumar. Despite Bumrah removing Dube and Dhoni in quick succession, CSK managed a respectable 176/5.
Rohit and Surya Deliver Run-Chase Masterclass
MI’s response was ruthless. Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton gave the hosts a flying start, putting on 62 runs in the powerplay. Rickelton’s 24-run contribution was cut short by Jadeja, but it opened the stage for an explosive partnership.
Enter Suryakumar Yadav. Batting with vintage flair, Surya attacked the CSK bowlers from the outset. Rohit, who had endured a quiet tournament so far, found rhythm just when MI needed it the most. His unbeaten 76 off 45 balls, including six sixes, was a return to classic form. Surya matched him stroke for stroke, blazing to 68* off just 30 balls, with six boundaries and five sixes.
The pair added an unbroken 114-run stand to chase down the target in just 15.4 overs, delighting a packed Wankhede crowd and sending a strong message to rivals.
Key Performers
- Rohit Sharma: 76* (45) – A captain’s knock in style, filled with confidence and class.
- Suryakumar Yadav: 68* (30) – Aggressive and elegant, sealed the chase with ease.
- Jasprit Bumrah: 2 wickets – Key strikes at the death, including Dube and Dhoni.
- Ayush Mhatre: 32 (15) – Fearless debut, gave CSK early momentum.
- Ravindra Jadeja: 53* (35) & 1 wicket – Anchored the innings and broke the opening stand.
Playoff Hopes Boosted for Mumbai
This resounding win marked MI’s fourth victory of the season, and more importantly, it provided a significant net run rate (NRR) boost in a tightly contested playoff race. With a rejuvenated batting unit and key players returning to form, Mumbai now look poised to push hard in the latter stages of IPL 2025.
Category: IPL 2025, Match Reports, Player Performances, Cricket News
Tags: IPL 2025, MI vs CSK, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Jasprit Bumrah, Shivam Dube, Ayush Mhatre, MS Dhoni, Match 38
