IPL 2018: MI vs CSK, Four Master Strokes from the IPL 2018 opener

It was the inaugural match of the much anticipated 11th edition of Indian Premier League that saw the league's two most successful sides in Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings lock horns at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Put into bat by Chennai, Mumbai didn't have a great start as they lost both their openers in the powerplay overs. Although, the innings saw some resurrection courtesy Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in the middle overs as the men in blue reached a respectable total of 165 in their 20 overs.

Chasing an under par score, Chennai got off to a flier when the duo of Watson and Rayudu mustered runs at a brisk pace. This didn’t last for long as the Indians came back strongly to pick some quick wickets. CSK were choked with 56 for 4 at the half-way stage courtesy some good leg spin bowling from the young Mayank Markande. But it was lower-order contributions from Kedar Jadhav and an exceptional knock from DJ Bravo that sealed the game for his side by 1 wicket.

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#1 Watson taking the new ball

It was only the 2nd over in the match when MS Dhoni took everyone by surprise when he asked Watson to take the new ball for the men in yellow. With Mark Wood already being in the playing XI, this indeed was a masterstroke from the captain cool as the T-20 veteran didn't disappoint his skipper. His ability to pitch the ball at required length along with his variations proved too good for the opposition skipper. Watto got the prized scalp of MI skipper Rohit Sharma to put them on the back foot in his first spell.

The ball was again handed to the experienced campaigner when Mumbai batsmen were going berserk in the middle overs, and to nobody's surprise, Watson delivered the goods for his team. He managed to send Surya Kumar Yadav back to the pavilion to finish with 2-29 in his quota of four overs.

#2 Suryakumar Yadav's blitz at No.4

It was a crucial stage when Yadav walked into bat when his side was in all sorts of trouble as the skipper departed early with the score reading 20 for 2 in just 4th over. It was a homecoming for the local lad who held his side after some early breakthroughs. It was then a timely knock from Yadav who, along with Ishan Kishan helped his side to muster runs at a quick pace.

The duo started taking on the bowlers as they played their shots to break the barriers imposed in the powerplay overs. They were ably supported by some poor bowling from the slower bowlers who were hammered all over the park.

Yadav played the aggressor’s role as he stroked with a strike rate nearing 150 to register himself a score of 43 off 29 deliveries. Before falling to Watson, Surya had rescued his side from the deep troubles as the score after his departure read 98 for 3 in the 13th over.

#3 Markande given preference ahead of Rahul Chahar

Rohit Sharma amused one and all with his decision to field a young leg-spinner in Mayank Markande ahead of Rahul Chahar. The skipper, who knew his ability with the ball, showed faith in the leggie and wasn’t disappointed at all on his selection. The 20-year old was right on the money with his killer execution to trap some of India’s premier batsmen.

Playing his first game of the season, Mayank was quite effective in his spell of four overs as he bagged 3 wickets and gave away runs at an economy of 5.8. Just into his first over, he trapped Ambati Rayudu, who was looking good and later on got MS Dhoni on a delivery that stayed low but the skipper was found plumb in front of the wicket. The youngster has definitely set the stage on fire in his debut game. Now with 13 more games to follow, he can be reckoned to be as Mumbai’s premier spinner ahead of Chahar.

#4 Krunal Pandya sent ahead of Pollard

Mumbai Indians were reeling at one stage when Ishan Kishan fell at 113 for 4 in the 15th over. In came the Mumbai’s previous final hero Krunal Pandya, who was sent ahead of Kieron Pollard. The situation once again demanded some flourish at the end and the southpaw was impeccable with his batting skills on display.

He didn’t let his team down as he managed a quick fiery 41 off 22 deliveries to see his side get past the 150 runs mark. It was a crucial knock under pressure as Krunal along with Hardik gave the required finishing touch at the end. The innings from Krunal gave the Mumbai bowlers something to bowl at in the second innings given the dew plays a great factor at Wankhede. As it turned out eventually, even the late flourish from the Pandya brothers didn’t prove enough for the bowlers as they bow out against a Bravo special.