[Watch] Ajinkya Rahane done for pace and bounce as Gerald Coetzee draws first blood in MI vs CSK IPL 2024 match

Mumbai Indians (MI) got the big wicket of Ajinkya Rahane for just 5(8) and couldn't have asked for a better start to their marquee clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 14.

CSK decided to open with Rahane, probably considering that he can take advantage of the powerplay on a ground that he knows in-and-out being the local boy. However, the experiment didn't work out well as the veteran batter was dismissed by Gerald Coetzee.

The pressure of dot balls seemed visible in Ajinkya Rahane's approach as he was looking for a breakout shot. He tried to break the shackles by pulling a back-of-a-length delivery from Coetzee.

However, the right-hander seemed rushed by Gerald Coetzee's pace and the ball hit high on his bat, leading to a simple catch for Hardik Pandya at mid-on.

Here's a video of Rahane's wicket:

The early strikes are crucial for MI given how Wankhede has always been a high-scoring ground. They will hope to make more inroads as that would only help control the run-scoring further.

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CSK need a massive partnership post Ajinkya Rahane's wicket

Chennai Super Kings would have wanted Ajinkya Rahane to play a major role in their first innings given how well he knows the conditions. However, now the onus lies on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who slotted himself at No. 3.

Rachin Ravindra has taken a bit of time to get going, but Gaikwad has flown out of the blocks which is exactly what the visitors would have wanted. At the time of writing, Gaikwad is unbeaten on 29 off just 17 balls and his team has racked up 48 runs in the powerplay for the loss of a wicket.

Having seen MI's chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, CSK might believe that they need a 200-plus score to challenge their opponents.