Chennai: Chennai Super Kings delivered a clinical all-round display to thrash Mumbai Indians by eight wickets in their IPL 2026 encounter at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, completing a league double over their rivals.
CSK's bowlers first set up the win by restricting MI to 159/7. Anshul Kamboj starred with 3-32, while Noor Ahmad claimed 2-26 on a two-paced pitch. MI raced to 90/2 after 10 overs, powered by Naman Dhir's 57 off 37 and Ryan Rickelton's brisk 37. But CSK hit back: Will Jacks fell early to Kamboj, Rickelton to Ahmad, Suryakumar Yadav to debutant Ramakrishna Ghosh (21), Tilak Varma to Ahmad (5), Dhir to Jamie Overton, and Hardik Pandya plus Robin Minz to Kamboj. Trent Boult's late six offered little rescue as MI faltered for 69/5 in the back end.
Chasing 160, CSK made light work with 11 balls to spare. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad anchored with 67 not out off 48 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes)—his second successive fifty—while 20-year-old Kartik Sharma smashed a maiden IPL fifty (54 not out off 40, 4 fours, 3 sixes), the second-youngest by a CSK batter after Ayush Mhatre.
Sanju Samson started steadily with two boundaries before Jasprit Bumrah removed him (dropped earlier by Ryan Rickelton). Urvil Patel's fiery 24 off 12 (2 fours, 2 sixes) boosted momentum until AM Ghazanfar dismissed him. Gaikwad and Kartik then added an unbroken 98 off 75 for the third wicket, blending precision and power to stay ahead of the rate. This marked CSK's biggest IPL win over MI and their third league double (after 2014 and 2023), reviving their campaign while MI eye an early exit.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 159/7 in 20 overs (Naman Dhir 57, Ryan Rickelton 37; Anshul Kamboj 3-32, Noor Ahmad 2-26) lost to Chennai Super Kings 160/2 in 18.1 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 67*, Kartik Sharma 54*; Jasprit Bumrah 1-20, AM Ghazanfar 1-40) by eight wickets.
(Inputs from IANS)