Ajinkya Rahane against MI
Ajinkya Rahane against MI. Image Credits: Twitter

Veteran Indian batter, Ajinkya Rahane was on song in his debut game for MS Dhoni led-CSKagainst Mumbai Indians (MI). CSK registered a victory against MI by 5 wickets. Rahane scored 61 runs off 27 balls to give his side a blistering start while chasing 158 runs.

Now, the 4-time champion side has won two out of three games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Besides, they are currently placed 4th on the points table.

Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane. Image Credits: Twitter

Ajinkya Rahane breaks MS Dhoni’s 11-year-old record in his debut match for CSK-

The 34-year-old completed his half-century in just 19 balls. It was the joint-second fastest for a CSK batter, with Moeen Ali‘s 19-ball 50 in the 2022 edition. Suresh Raina is at the top with his 16-ball half-century against Punjab Kings which came in 2014. Dhoni stands third on the list with his 20-ball 50 for CSK against MI in IPL 2012.

After easing off the pressure with a six over fine leg against Jason Behrendorff on facing his seventh ball, Rahane took down uncapped Indian pacer Arshad Khan in the fourth over of the match, hitting him for 23 runs.

While Rohit Sharma-led MI was able to post 157/8. Ishan Kishan’s 32 runs were the highest score for the home side. At one stage, MI was 64-1 in the 7th over of the game, but as their opener batter Kishan got out, they fell like a pack of cards. In between all the chaos for MI, CSK’s left-arm spinning duo comprising Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner picked 5 wickets in the game.

Whereas in the run chase, CSK lost their opener, Devon Conway, in the very first over, but Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane then added over 80 runs. Rahane was the highest scorer for the Men in Yellow with his 61 runs and Ruturaj remained unbeaten on 40 to chase down the target of 158 runs, Indians star left-arm spinner Jadeja was later awarded player of the match for his figures of 3/20 in the match.

In the fourth match, MS Dhoni-led side will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 12 at Chennai.

Also read: MI vs CSK: Moeen Ali Names Two Players As MS Dhoni’s Replacement To Lead CSK In The Future