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The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) faced off in a high-octane clash that marked the beginning of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020).
MS Dhoni's men won the game by 5 wickets to put an end to their streak of 5 consecutive losses to the 4-time IPL champions, with Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis and Sam Curran starring for the side.
With many having labelled MI as the favourites for this game, CSK made a statement of intent, and it is clear that they will be as formidable as ever despite the absence of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh.
Here are the player ratings from the IPL 2020 season opener between MI and CSK.
IPL 2020, MI vs CSK: CSK Player Ratings
Murali Vijay: 2/10
Vijay had a nightmare game against MI, with lapses in the field adding insult to his score of 1 off 7 balls. He should have reviewed his LBW decision, and seems low on confidence at the moment.
Shane Watson: 3/10
Watson has been in good nick in the lead-up to IPL 2020, but could manage only 4 runs before falling victim to Trent Boult. CSK will need him to contribute more in the coming games.
Faf du Plessis: 8.5/10
With an unbeaten fifty apart from three excellent catches, Du Plessis was one of the stars for CSK against MI. The former South African anchored the innings to perfection, and hit the winning runs.
Ambati Rayudu: 8/10
Rayudu was the Man of the Match due to his score of 71 off 48 balls, and was the main man for CSK in their IPL 2020 season opener. Perhaps the only criticism that can be levelled at him is that he didn't see out the game in the middle, but it was a very encouraging performance from the Hyderabad batsman.
Kedar Jadhav: 5/10
Kedar Jadhav didn't have anything to do with bat or ball, but had a poor moment or two in the field. He is expected to play a much bigger role for CSK as IPL 2020 progresses.
MS Dhoni: 7/10
Captain MS Dhoni didn't need to bat more than two deliveries today, but he was his brilliant best with his bowling changes and field placements. Apart from cunning plans to dismiss Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock, the 39-year-old pulled off a masterstroke by promoting Sam Curran up the order.
Sam Curran: 8.5/10
The CSK debutant had a game to remember, with figures of 1/28 and a game-changing cameo of 18 off 6, as well as two catches. MS Dhoni couldn't have asked for any more from Curran, who seems set to be one of the team's key players in IPL 2020.
Piyush Chawla: 7.5/10
Chawla was the pick of the CSK bowlers with figures of 1/21 in his 4 overs. His variations and potent googly caused all sorts of problems, and the former KKR man's expertise in the powerplay will serve the team well this season.
Ravindra Jadeja: 6.5/10
Jadeja was expensive with the ball as he conceded 42 runs in his 4 overs, but picked up the key wickets of Saurabh Tiwary and Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder hit a couple of boundaries before inexplicably missing a slider from Krunal Pandya, but the signs are encouraging.
Deepak Chahar: 6.5/10
Chahar didn't seem to be at his best, and this is understandable given that he has just recovered from COVID-19. The Rajasthan pacer picked up two wickets, although there were some shaky moments early on while bowling and some lapses in the field.
Lungi Ngidi: 6.5/10
Ngidi was a surprise inclusion in the CSK XI, and his game got off to a horrible start. He came back strong, however, and picked up 3 vital wickets in the latter half of the innings. The South African looks fit and ready to go, and we could see a lot more of him in IPL 2020.
The IPL points table 2020 has been updated!! Click here to see.
IPL 2020, MI vs CSK: MI Player Ratings
Rohit Sharma: 5/10
The MI captain seemed to be in great touch at the start, but played a loose shot off Chawla that led to his downfall for just 12 runs. His bowling changes didn't bear much fruit either, with Krunal Pandya's late over proving to be the final nail in the MI coffin.
Quinton de Kock: 6.5/10
De Kock was in great nick before another rash shot curtailed his promising innings of 33. The South African white-ball captain will want to capitalise on his starts, just like Rayudu and Du Plessis did today.
Suryakumar Yadav: 5.5/10
Yadav played a couple of nifty shots, but holed out in the deep while trying to hit against the wind. Much like the batsmen ahead of him, his shot selection left a lot to be desired, and he has to up his game to succeed at No. 3.
Saurabh Tiwary: 7/10
A surprise addition to the MI lineup, Saurabh Tiwary scored a fluent 42 to justify his selection. The big southpaw hasn't been in the thick of things in the IPL lately, but this might just be his breakthrough season. He does have a lot of work to do with respect to fitness, though.
Hardik Pandya: 5.5/10
Hardik hit a couple of lusty blows off Jadeja, but holed out to the same bowler due to a stunner from Du Plessis. The all-rounder didn't bowl, and whether the fact that he has only recently recovered from injury played a part in this decision is not known. He showed promise, though, and could take IPL 2020 by storm very soon.
Krunal Pandya: 6/10
Krunal was slightly unlucky to be strangled down the leg side while batting, but he also ruined what had been an excellent spell with a couple of horror balls in his final over to hand CSK the momentum in the chase. The Baroda all-rounder will have to step up in both departments very soon for MI.
Kieron Pollard: 5.5/10
Pollard hit a couple of boundaries, but nicked one off Ngidi while trying to slog him away over the leg-side. The West Indian was in good form ahead of IPL 2020, and he will want to ensure that this failure is just a one-off.
James Pattinson: 7/10
Pattinson bowled with fire with the new ball, took an excellent catch and contributed a few handy runs, but his poor final over left a bad taste in MI's mouths. The Australian did exceed expectations, and could be one of the team's key performers in the absence of Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Rahul Chahar: 5.5/10
This was a disappointing performance from Chahar as he failed to extract much out of the surface. The leg-spinner did manage to dismiss Rayudu with an excellent catch off his own bowling, but will need to be much better in IPL 2020 in a depleted MI spin attack.
Trent Boult: 7.5/10
Boult was excellent with the new ball, and by the time he got the ball in the last over of the chase, the game as a contest was almost over. The Kiwi promised much with his performance, and was the pick of the MI bowlers.
Jasprit Bumrah: 4/10
Bumrah had a horrific start to his IPL season, and was often on the shorter side for some reason known only to him. The Indian spearhead conceded 43 runs in his 4 overs, and never really looked threatening. He will have to get back to his best at the earliest.
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