INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE | PBKS FIRST TEAM TO CHASE 200+ SUCCESSFULLY 10 TIMES IN T20 CRICKET
MATCH TODAY – ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU VS GUJARAT TITANS AT 7:30 PM
Mumbai, April 23: Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein starred with a four-wicket haul as the Mumbai Indians (MI) were bowled out for just 104 in 19 overs while chasing 208, handing Chennai Super Kings (CSK) a commanding 103-run victory in Match 33 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
Earlier, opener Sanju Samson’s brilliant unbeaten century off 56 balls helped CSK reach 207/6 despite losing wickets at regular intervals while batting first.
Chasing a daunting target, the Mumbai Indians had a shaky start as opener Danish Malewar fell early, edging a delivery from Akeal Hosein to wicketkeeper Sanju Samson. The early pressure intensified when Mukesh Choudhary struck in the following over, clean bowling Quinton de Kock for just 7 runs.
Hosein continued to trouble the batters and removed the in-form Naman Dhir with a sharp delivery that rattled the stumps. With three quick wickets down, Mumbai were pushed onto the back foot early. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma attempted to rebuild the innings, but runs were hard to come by initially as they managed just 29 runs in the powerplay.
The pair gradually settled in and began to find boundaries, taking the score to 69/3 at the halfway stage. However, just when the partnership looked threatening, Hosein struck again in the 13th over to dismiss Varma for 37 off 29 balls, breaking a crucial 73-run stand.
Mumbai’s hopes suffered a major blow immediately after, as captain Hardik Pandya fell for a duck to Noor Ahmad, while Sherfane Rutherford was dismissed on the very next ball.
Hosein capped off a brilliant spell by removing Suryakumar for 36, effectively ending Mumbai’s resistance. Shardul Thakur, who came in as a concussion substitute for Mitchell Santner, tried to stay till the end but could only manage 6 runs.Hosein was the standout performer with exceptional figures of 4/17, while Noor Ahmad chipped in with two key wickets. Gurjapneet Singh applied the finishing touch by dismissing Jasprit Bumrah in the 19th over, sealing a dominant victory for CSK.Chennai Super Kings made a strong start after being asked to bat first, with Sanju Samson and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad attacking early and scoring 26 runs in the first two overs, including 19 off Hardik Pandya. Gaikwad fell for 22 in the third over, but Samson continued the aggressive approach and took Pandya apart again in the fourth over as CSK crossed 50 quickly.Sarfaraz Khan added quick runs before being bowled by Mitchell Santner for 14, with CSK finishing the powerplay at 73/2. Allah Ghazanfar then removed Shivam Dube with a carrom ball to pull things back. (IANS)
BRIEF SCORES
Chennai Super Kings: 207/6; 20 overs (Sanju Samson 101 not out, Ruturaj Gaikwad 22, Dewald Brevis 21; Ashwani Kumar 2/37, AM Ghazanfar 2/25, Jasprit Bumrah 1/31).
Mumbai Indians: 104; 19 overs (Akeal Hosein 4/17, Noor Ahmed 2/23).
CSK won by 103 runs.
