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CSK vs MI: Super Kings return to familiar ploy as trio of tweakers take down Mumbai

CSK vs MI: Super Kings return to familiar ploy as trio of tweakers take down Mumbai
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Chennai Super Kings’ plan to fall back on the spin formula works as Noor Ahmad’s 4/18 chokes Mumbai Indians on way to 4-wicket win

With Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Rahul Tripathi in the squad, Chennai had a decision to make regarding their openers. With Tripathi mostly batting at No.3 in the past, it looked Rachin and Ruturaj Gaikwad would be the opening pair. But coming out for the chase of 156, Chennai sprung a surprise, as Tripathi walked out with Rachin – the pair were the preferred choice in the practice matches with Gaikwad dropped to No 3. It was a bold call, for the right-hander is known to get off the blocks slowly.

Coming out in the second over after Tripathi’s dismissal, it was Gaikwad who took the limelight with his crisp shots as Rachin struggled with his timing.

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The skipper started off with two textbook square drives off Trent Boult and then brought out his cuts as boundaries flowed in the Powerplay. With Jasprit Bumrah missing, Mumbai needed Deepak Chahar to make more inroads, but as he didn’t manage much movement, Gaikwad dominated proceedings. As Chennai went at 9 runs an over, the chase appeared as good as over.

But the arrival of left-arm wrist-spinner Vignesh Puthur would offer some twists. Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda perished trying to go after the rookie as Mumbai stayed in the game. But Rachin, who batted in third gear for the major part of his innings to score an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls, saw Chennai home.

Spin formula

Early days yes, but opposition teams may well be dreading the prospect of facing Chennai at Chepauk. Having assembled the trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, the Super Kings made their intentions clear about the formula they will put to use at home. It isn’t alien to the IPL, for between 2010-2015, they were an outfit that built their core around top-class spinners. They reproduced the magic in 2018 and 2019 with Imran Tahir around, but after finding no real help from the pitches at home in the last couple of seasons, there was speculation whether going back to their spin formula would work on a square totally different to those that Chennai have preferred over the years.

By the end of the first outing, Chennai got all the answers. And very early in the game, it was evident that it was not only Chennai that was rediscovering its old self, even the pitch was a throwback. Though it didn’t grip and turn, there was low bounce and turn on offer. Last season, their spinners had picked up just five wickets in seven home games – a tally they matched one game into the season with Noor returning figures of 4-0-18-4 and Ashwin taking the wicket of Will Jacks on his return to the Super Kings fold.

Noor, the X-factor

Calling the shots on the night was Noor. He may be just 20, but has been a T20 globetrotter since 2020. At 15, he bagged a contract with Big Bash League franchise Melbourne Renegades and in the next year was part of the Pakistan Super League. But it is in the IPL where his stocks have really risen. In the first two years, he partnered his idol Rashid Khan at Gujarat Titans and this season, Chennai fended off interest from Mumbai. In the tie-breaker, despite already having Jadeja and Ashwin in their ranks, head coach Stephen Fleming showed all 10 fingers to double the bid to Rs 10 crore. Irrespective of how the Chepauk pitch behaved, Chennai wanted a wicket-taking spinner and in Noor, have one who can be their X-factor in the middle overs. If the pitch offers turn, like the one on Sunday, Noor becomes all the more lethal. In his second over, he had Suryakumar Yadav with his googly which beat him in the air before MS Dhoni took the bails off in a flash. Then in the third over, with his flat trajectory, he got debutant Robin Minz before trapping Tilak Varma with another googly to leave Mumbai struggling at 96/6 by the end of the 13th over.

It looked done and dusted, but Deepa Chahar, who has switched over from Chennai to Mumbai, had other ideas. Coming in at No.9, he scored 28 off 15 deliveries as Mumbai ended with 155/9.

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Powerplay operator

Few franchises in the IPL have used seam bowlers to their full potential as Chennai has done in the past. When there is movement on offer, they don’t mind one of their new-ball bowlers sending down three overs straight up. It is what they did with Deepak Chahar in the past, and this time in Khaleel Ahmed, they have a seamer suited for the role.

Last season, playing for Delhi Capitals, out of the 300 legal deliveries he bowled, Khaleel had 130 dot balls, the fourth-best overall. It gives their spinners the luxury of spread-out fields and if they manage to get wickets, it makes their job a lot easier. On Sunday, Khaleel did precisely that, delivering 14 dot balls in the Powerplay and, more importantly, provided the early strikes to deny Mumbai a rollicking start. In the first over, the left-arm seamer removed Rohit Sharma, then in the second got rid of Ryan Rickleton which allowed Chennai to bring Ashwin on as early as the fourth over when Sam Curran leaked 13 on his return.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 155/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 31; Noor Ahmad 4/18) lost to Chennai Super Kings 158/6 in 19.1 overs (Rachin Ravindra 65 not out, Ruturaj Gaikwad 53; Vignesh Puthur 3/32) by 4 wickets





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