Sams takes 4, but MI still winless halfway through

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the thirty-third game of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match was played in the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Mukesh Choudhary was adjudged to be the Man of the Match.

CSK gets new-ball bite from Choudhary

Mukesh Choudhary was promoted to the main squad from the net bowling squad last season due to his ability to swing the new ball. Choudhary, on the other hand, might not have gotten a game this season if Deepak Chahar had been healthy. Tushar Deshpande started the season ahead of Choudhary, but the Maharashtra seamer has quickly risen through the ranks to become the team's first-choice powerplay option.

His first delivery to Rohit Sharma was a full in swinger, which was squirted out by the opener. The second was a length-ball in swinger that stalled on Rohit and resulted in him giving a shaky catch at mid-on. He knocked down Ishan Kishan with a yorker that skidded away from him in the same over. After that, Dewald Brevis made his way down the track, but Choudhary beat him with an off cutter. Choudhary bowled three overs in the powerplay, taking three wickets for 19 runs.

Varma and Shokeen begin the recovery

Mitchell Santner and Ravindra Jadeja slowed Suryakumar Yadav down with restricted lines when he surged out of the blocks. Yadav looked for a release and ended up splicing a sweep to deep square leg for 32 runs off 21 balls. At that point, Mumbai were 47 for 4 in the eighth over, and the Super Kings' spin combination of Santner, Jadeja, and Maheesh Theekshana had the upper hand.

The innings was then stabilised by a 38-run fifth-wicket partnership between Tilak Varma and Hrithik Shokeen, who was playing his first formal T20 encounter. When Dwayne Bravo had Shokeen holing out for a run-a-ball 25, he snapped the stand. Varma ramped up the tempo after being on a run-a-ball 35 to finish with 51 not out off 43 balls.

At DY Patil Stadium, history repeats itself

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had Matthew Hayden at an unorthodox straight mid-off position in the 2010 IPL final, in addition to a more traditional long-off. Kieron Pollard holed out to straight mid-off after Dhoni dared him to go over the top. The Super Kings had a straight long-on in addition to a more conventional long-on 12 years later at the same location. Pollard took the bait once more, finding Shivam Dube for 14 off 9 balls at straight long-on. Despite this, Mumbai scored 29 runs in the final two overs, giving their bowlers something to bowl at.

Sams' resurgence

Daniel Sams made his comeback on Thursday, allowing only 30 runs in his whole set after getting carried for 35 runs in a single over by Pat Cummins. He hit in each of his four overs, putting a hole in the Super Kings' pursuit.

Sams returned to take out the in-form Dube and the set Ambati Rayudu after snagging Ruturaj Gaikwad and Santner in the powerplay. Rayudu had resurrected the Super Kings' middle order with a 35-ball 40 before slicing a full-toss to Pollard at long-off.

Chase iced by Dhoni

The Super Kings needed 50 off 26 balls when Jadeja picked off long-off. Dwaine Pretorius, who struck a 21-ball 43 in the Mzansi Super League final for the Paarl Rocks, exposed IPL viewers to his big-hitting when he belted Bumrah for four in the 'V' in front of the wicket and then scooped him for four more in the opposite 'V'.

He was out at the start of the last over, but Dhoni finished what Pretorius had started. Dhoni crunched Jaydev Unadkat over long-off for six after he missed his on-pace yorker and bowled a half-volley. A slower bouncer was the next ball, which was dragged over short fine leg for four. Unadkat finally struck the fifth ball with a yorker, but Dhoni scampered back for two runs. Last ball, he just missed the yorker, but that was enough for Dhoni to push it past short fine leg for the winning four.

Dhoni has hammered 105 runs off 43 balls from Unadkat in T20 cricket while only getting removed once.