Last Updated on 33 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
Sherfane Rutherford’s wayward throw to Quinton de Kock on the second ball of the match was a sign of things to come for the Mumbai Indians (MI). Soon after, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya overstepped in the powerplay.
Led by another magnificent Sanju Samson hundred (101 off 54 balls), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) handed out a royal thrashing at the Wankhede in IPL’s El Clasico on Thursday. Not only did CSK pick up a crucial victory to move to the brink of the top four, but they significantly improved their net run rate to 0.118.
Samson, after a slow start to the season, has roared into life. As MI threatened to keep things tight in the middle and death overs, Samson was having none of it, hitting 39 off his last 17 balls to propel CSK to 207/6. He was even too good for deliveries in the blockhole, then following up with huge sixes when bowlers responded with deliveries into the surface.
Despite the superb century, MI would have felt 208 was chaseable on an excellent batting ground. However, they were never in the hunt. Akeal Hosein found plenty of turn early and was too good, striking in the first over to dismiss Danish Malewar. Mukesh Choudhary, mourning the passing of his mother, dismissed Quinton de Kock in an emotional moment in the second over. The slide continued in the third, with Hosein finding more grip and knocking over Naman Dhir for a duck.
Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav steadied the ship, but they were unable to accelerate in line with the required run rate. In a sign of MI’s awful batting display, they were the only two players to make double figures, but strike rates of 127.58 and 116.66 respectively highlighted the struggles.
It was a procession after the fourth wicket fell in the 12th over, with MI crawling from 84/3 to 104 all-out in 19 overs to leave the five-time champions with plenty to do in the second-half of IPL 2026.
Sanju Samson hits 101 off 54 in a game where most players struggled for rhythm
Samson hit a four off the final ball to complete his well-deserved hundred. His 101 off 54 balls continues his remarkable year in all T20 cricket. This hundred was impressive in a game where strike rates were on the lower side. In the process, he became the fifth Indian to hit multiple centuries in the same IPL season.
MI’s defeat was their 22nd since the start of 2024 – the most of any team in the IPL. Also, this defeat is MI’s biggest in their history.
“No player has scored more than 2 centuries for CSK… This is Sanju’s first season and that’s only half done. He’s already got two. Stylish Samson,” wrote Aakash Chopra on X (formerly Twitter).
MI have a week to sort out their problems before taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede on April 29. CSK return to Chepauk on Sunday April 26 where they will take on the Gujarat Titans.
