CSK vs MI: Nehal Wadhera notches up his maiden IPL fifty as MI conclude with 139 against CSK

Courtesy of a majestic fifty by Nehal Wadhera, Mumbai Indians (MI) concluded with 139 runs in the first innings of the clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, on Saturday, May 6.

Opting to field first in the ongoing IPL 2023 contest, MS Dhoni and Co. struck the vital blows as the yellow outfit got three wickets in the powerplay (1-6 overs), thereby reducing Mumbai to 34/3. After losing the likes of Cameron Green (six runs), Ishan Kishan (seven runs), and skipper Rohit Sharma (third-ball duck) in the powerplay, the onus was on the middle order to help revive the innings.

In came the 22-year-old, Nehal Wadhera, who helped the side by playing a rather delicate knock throughout the bulk part of the first innings. In addition to this, he carved out a 55-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav and followed it with a 54-run stand with Tristan Stubbs.

Nehal Wadhera's maiden IPL fifty gave MI something to fight for against CSK

The southpaw raised his bat as he notched up his maiden IPL fifty off 46 balls which included five fours and one maximum. In the 17^th over of the contest, Wadhera shifted gears and targeted star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for 15 runs which included three boundaries in an attempt to bail his side out of the precarious state. 

However, in the following over, Wadhera was sent packing while being up against Matheesha Pathirana. In the third ball of the 18^th over, the southpaw got across the stumps, a tad bit early to attempt a sweep flick but was dismissed, courtesy of Pathirana’s blazing yorker, which hit the base of the middle stump.

With this, Wadhera cracked 64 runs off 51 balls which featured eight boundaries and one maximum at a fine strike rate of 125.49. Mumbai concluded with 139 runs on the board in the first innings for the loss of eight wickets. Meanwhile, Pathirana returned a three-wicket haul whereas Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande got two wickets each in the innings.

Impressively, Mumbai have maintained a six-match winning streak at Chennai’s fortress since the 2012 season. However, Chennai will be keen on not handing another win at home to their arch-rivals and will look at the bigger picture, that is to climb up the IPL Points Table and make a place in the playoffs.