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Chennai openers hit Sunrisers out of the park
Chennai Super Kings retained top position in the points table after securing their fifth consecutive victory in the Indian Premier League 2021 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
MS Dhoni’s men have been on a roll since losing the league opener to Delhi Capitals.
They outplayed the Sunrisers in all departments to push Royal Challengers Bangalore down a spot again.
They bagged the victory by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
CSK openers go ballistic
Ruturaj Gaikwad was light on his feet and quick with the bat.
The Chennai opener thumped Hyderabad’s bowlers with a sublime 75 off 44 balls to take home the Player Of The Match trophy.
His partner Faf du Plessis continued to bat the way he has throughout the tournament.
The former South African skipper registered his third half-century of the season to become the highest run-getter.
He took the Orange Cap from Delhi’s Shikhar Dhawan after recording 270 runs in six games.
It was the second time this season that the Gaikwad-Plessis duo put up a 100-run opening stand.
Williamson’s adaptability boosts Hyderabad
Kane Williamson has proved himself as a valuable asset for the Sunrisers.
His 24-run cameo in the death overs showed how well the Kiwi star adapted to the match scenario.
For someone who is not well known for big hits, he did an excellent job to score five boundaries in quick succession to propel Hyderabad to 171/3.
This helped Sunrisers set up a respectable chase for CSK after captain David Warner’s sluggish 57 off 55 deliveries stunted them in the middle overs.
Chennai Super Kings 173 for 3 (Gaikwad 75, du Plessis 56, Rashid 3-36) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 171 for 3 (Pandey 61, Williamson 26*, Ngidi 2-35) by seven wickets.
Match Preview: Mumbai Indians vs. Rajasthan Royals
Mumbai Indians will face Rajasthan Royals in the 24th game of the Indian Premier League on Thursday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Probable Man Of The Match
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has notched the most runs (201) for Mumbai Indians in 2021.
The Indians skipper will be high on morale after scoring a brilliant 63 against Punjab Kings in the last game.
He has been timing the ball exquisitely well but lacked support from the other hand on most occasions.
Match prediction
While Mumbai haven’t had the best start to their 2021 campaign, they have been a tad better than the Royals.
The five-time IPL champs have a knack for improving their ranking in the points table and this is the perfect opportunity for them to bounce back against a gloomy Rajasthan.
They are ranked fourth with a net run rate of -0.038.
Both sides have won two games in five clashes so far.
But the Royals are the underdogs for the Thursday clash due to their depleted squad.
The Manan Vohra-Jos Buttler pair is not notching big runs at the top, while Samson is still searching for someone to fill Ben Stokes’ boots.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma’s men are a more experienced side with a complete squad that will be ready to go for the kill against Rajasthan.
Hence, the Indians might bag their third win on Thursday.