IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Match 49 - Talking Points and Who Said What?

The 49th game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a clash between the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings and the five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, May 6.

Coming in to bat first, Mumbai Indians fell prey to the relentless bowling attack of the hosts. Nehal Wadhera's 64-run knock in 51 deliveries helped the side post 139 runs on the board after the first innings. During the run chase, brilliant knocks by Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad helped Chennai defeat their arch-rivals by six wickets.

Here are the Talking Points from the CSK vs MI clash-

Nehal Wadhera’s resilient knock

Coming in to bat first, Mumbai Indians got off to the worst of starts as Cameron Green and Ishan Kishan collectively scored 13 runs; furthermore, skipper Rohit Sharma was dismissed on a duck. As the side looked to be crumbling under pressure, Nehal Wadhera stepped up and rose to the occasion. The 22-year-old scored 64 runs in 51 deliveries and was crucial in propelling Mumbai to a respectable total.

Matheesha Pathirana’s class

Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana was fabulous for Chennai Super Kings in the first innings. The youngster put in a brilliant performance as he took three wickets and conceded just 15 runs in four overs. He dismissed the likes of Nehal Wadhera, Tristan Stubbs, and Arshad Khan and was one of the best players for Chennai in the first innings.

Devon Conway’s red-hot form

31-year-old Devon Conway was once again sensational for the four-time champions with the bat. With 458 runs in 11 games so far, Conway has been one of the highest run-getters for Chennai in the tournament, and he continued his red-hot form against Mumbai Indians as well. Chasing a target of 140 runs, Conway amassed 44 runs in 42 deliveries, and his knock proved to be crucial for the side in winning the game.

Losing skipper Rohit Sharma said:

(What went wrong?) Everywhere I guess. Our batters didn't put up enough runs. We had an off-day as a batting unit. (Reason behind him moving to No. 3) Just felt that was what was comfortable after losing Tilak. Thought we needed Indian bats in the middle overs but lost three in the powerplay. Piyush is bowling well, others need to rally around him. That's what we expect, it's a team game. But we can take a lot of learnings and take it forward. Obviously, this year it's felt like there has been no home advantage. We need to play good cricket, next two home games are important. We need to do well to come back.

Winning skipper MS Dhoni said:

It was a very crucial game for a simple reason if you see the points table there's a muddle. Last few games the results have not gone in our favour and so it is good to be on the winning side. I was doubtful with the decision at the toss, I wanted to bat first but the think tank thought about the rain, I was slightly outnumbered and so we went with the majority. If there is some kind of a confusion then we sit and talk about it. I felt the wicket will slow down and that was the reason behind it, and even if rain comes then the majority of the game would have been done. People who don;'t have a very clean action batters find it difficult to pick them. It is not the pace or variations, but the consistency. I would prefer him not to play red-ball cricket and play all the ICC tournaments, he would be a great asset for Sri Lanka. He was slightly lean last season and has added muscle this season.

Player of the Match Matheesha Pathirana said:

My journey with CSK started from last year, I came in as a replacement and played only two games, but this season I am playing more and I am happy. They (team management) give me a lot of confidence. This is my best bowling figures in T20 cricket and I am happy with the performance. I am a die hard fan of Cristiano Ronaldo (referring to his celebrations after picking a wicket).