The Indian Premier League’s most famous rivalry will resume on Saturday when Mumbai Indians hosts Chennai Super Kings in an IPL 2023 match at the Wankhede Stadium.
While MI and CSK are the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, five-time winner Mumbai finished at the bottom of the table last season. CSK was marginally better as it ended ninth.
In a return to the home and away format after three seasons, Mumbai opened its campaign on a horrendous note with an eight-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, four-time champion CSK lost the tournament opener against Gujarat Titans before bouncing back with a 12-run win over Lucknow Super Giants at home.
MI and CSK have historically engaged in some of the most iconic clashes in the IPL, including thrice in the final. Ahead of their 35th meeting in the IPL, here is a look at the closest and most memorable finishes across the last 15 editions:
CSK v MI, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium - April 23, 2008
The spark for the CSK-MI rivalry was lit at their first IPL meeting. A stacked CSK batting order fired to rack up a massive 208 for five in its first game at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Opener Matthew Hayden’s belligerent 46-ball 81 set the base before Suresh Raina’s fifty (53) and skipper MS Dhoni’s 16-ball 30 cameo put MI under pressure.
Mumbai, however, threatened to chase down the target with contributions through the order but none could capitalise to play a match-defining knock. MI required 19 to win in the final over, but only managed 12 as CSK eked out the visitor by six runs.
CSK score: 208/5 (20)
MI score: 202/7 (20)
PoTM: Matthew Hayden - 81 (46)
Matthew Hayden scored a 46-ball 81 in the first meeting between CSK and MI in the IPL. | Photo Credit: GANESAN V
MI v CSK, Wankhede Stadium - May 6, 2012
In their second group clash of the IPL 2012 season, Mumbai opted to bowl first against Chennai at home. Dhoni’s men racked up a respectable 173 for eight.
MI lost its first wicket for eight runs in the chase before skipper Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma put up a 133-run stand to seamlessly propel MI towards the win. However, a dramatic CSK comeback saw MI losing four of their key batters - Sachin (74), Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu and Rohit (60) - within 13 balls. The chase slipped out of MI’s grip when Dwayne Bravo picked up two wickets in the penultimate over, leaving a 16-run deficit for the last six balls.
Australian seamer Ben Hilfenhaus was tasked with the final over and he was on the money with the first three deliveries - 1, W (Lasith Malinga), 1 - with Dwayne Smith gaining strike for the last three balls. With 14 required from three deliveries, Smith clobbered a full toss over long-on for six. He then turned the crowd into a frenzy as he blasted another low full toss for four over the bowler. Smith then capped off his cameo with a thunderous smack for four to long-off to produce one of the greatest IPL finishes
CSK score: 173/8 (20 overs)
MI score: 174/8 (20 overs)
PoTM: Dwayne Smith 24* (9)
Dwayne Smith celebrates with his teammates after slamming Ben Hilfenhaus for three successive boundaries. | Photo Credit: PTI
CSK v MI, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium - May 8, 2015
Batting first on a sluggish Chepauk pitch, CSK posted 158 for five against MI. The visitor got its chase off to a superb start with openers Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel hoisting an 84-run partnership. However, Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the openers within four deliveries in the 11th over before Dwayne Bravo run out Kieron Pollard. The asking rate shot up as MI captain Rohit Sharma too departed in the 18th over. CSK was firmly in the driving seat with MI requiring 30 runs in the last two overs, prompting a surprising gamble from Dhoni to hand the ball to left-arm spinner Pawan Negi.
However, a shock was in store as a relatively unknown Hardik Pandya stepped up to turn the tide for Mumbai. Featuring in just his fourth IPL game, Hardik belted three sixes off Negi in the 19th over before Ambati Rayudu chipped in with a fourth in the same over. MI then comfortably romped home with four balls to spare.
CSK score: 158/5 (20 overs)
MI score: 159/4 (19.2 overs)
PoTM: Hardik Pandya 21* (8)
Hardik Pandya, who remained unbeaten with 21 runs, celebrates after Mumbai Indians’ victory over Chennai Super Kings. | Photo Credit: RAGU R
MI vs CSK - Wankhede Stadium - 7 April 2018
The Yellow Army returned to the IPL with a bang. In its first match back after a two-year suspension, CSK took on nemesis MO at the Wankhede Stadium in the season opener of IPL 2018.
The home side posted 165 for four and bolted through the CSK top order with a flurry of wickets. An injury also forced Kedar Jadhav to retire hurt on 14 before CSK tottered to 118 for eight in 16.3 overs. Meanwhile, Dwayne Bravo played a lone counter-attacking knock to stretch the game deep. However, Bravo’s blitz ended on 68 in the 19th over with Jasprit Bumrah claiming the ninth wicket, leaving MI with five to defend in the final over.
Jadhav trudged back in to stage a fight. While MI seamer Mustafizur seamer bowled three successive dot balls, Jadhav, with his injured hamstring, shuffled across the stumps and ramped the bowler for six over fine leg to level the scores. A resounding return was etched as Jadhav creamed the next ball through the covers for four, handing a one-wicket win for CSK in the humdinger.
MI score: 165/4 (20 overs)
CSK score: 169/9 (19.5 overs)
PoTM: Dwayne Bravo 68 (30)
Battling a hamstring injury, Kedar Jadhav slammed a crucial six in the last over before CSK’s sensational win in its comeback game in 2018. | Photo Credit: VIVEK BENDRE
MI v CSK - Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 12 May 2019
Few can match the drama that the 2019 IPL final offered the fans when MI and CSK met in the summit clash for the third time. Dhoni’s men seemingly had the edge when Mumbai’s decision to bat first ended with a tepid finish at 149 for eight. Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 25-ball 41 helped MI salvage some ground to try and defend.
A spirited bowling fightback rattled the CSK top order even as opener Shane Watson kept belting the bowlers left and right. Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and captain Dhoni offered negligible support to Watson who had raised his fifty in 44 balls. The Aussie then lifted his strike rate with three sixes and a four to help CSK defend its crown.
The situation was palpable for MI when it had only eight runs to defend in the final over. MI skipper Rohit Sharma turned to his trusted arm Lasith Malinga, who had a lacklustre game up until that moment, conceding 42 runs in three overs. Malinga brought up his accuracy and variations in equal measure to force Watson into a desperate extra run. A quick throw from Krunal Pandya in the deep marked Watson’s untimely run out on 81. New man Shardul Thakur reeled in two runs off his first ball and CSK required two from the last ball. However, Malinga had reserved his best for the very end as he trapped Thakur leg-before with a deceiving slower ball to hand Mumbai an unbelievable come-from-behind win for the trophy.
MI Score: 149/8 (20 overs)
CSK Score: 148/7 (20 overs)
PoTM: Jasprit Bumrah 2/14 (4)
Lasith Malinga trapped Shardul Thakur lbw with the last ball of the IPL 2019 final. | Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR
MI v CSK - Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi - 6 May 2021
A thriller where the old guns ruled the roost. Ambati Rayudu’s manic 72* off 27 balls laced with four fours and seven sixes provided the Super Kings a commanding 218/4 in 20 overs. Faf du Plessis (50) and Moeen Ali (58) also played their roles to perfection.
The MI top-order had laid the platform but things seemed increasingly improbable when Quinton de Kock fell at the halfway mark, with MI at 81 for three. A combustive Kieron Pollard then rolled back the years to hurt his most favoured opponent once again. Pollard belted the CSK medium-pacers and charged towards the target despite wickets falling around him. The West Indian powerhouse reached his half-century in 17 balls - 48 of which came in boundaries. Despite his incredible effort, MI still required 16 off the final over with Pollard on strike. CSK seamer Lungi Ngidi started with a dot ball, but Pollard’s instincts at the death took over as he slammed consecutive boundaries to narrow down the deficit. A dot followed and the pressure was once again on Pollard to deliver. Ngidi’s full toss then sailed for a six over deep square-leg before Pollard (87* off 34) and Dhawal Kulkarni completed a record-breaking heist by completing two runs off the last delivery.
CSK score: 218/4 (20 overs)
MI score: 219/6 (20 overs)
PoTM: Kieron Pollard 87* (34)
Kieron Pollard’s 87* will be regarded as one of the greatest IPL knocks in a run-chase. | Photo Credit: SPORTZPICS
CSK v MI - DY Patil Stadium, Brabourne Stadium - 21 April 2022
Left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary had ripped through the Mumbai top-order. De Kock and Rohit had fallen for ducks and Dewald Brevis nicked Mukesh off to Dhoni. Tilak Varma’s rearguard 51* helped Mumbai finish at 155 for seven.
It never looked like a safe target until Daniel Sams’ four-wicket haul (4/30) derailed the CSK chase. Things got progressively difficult for the Super Kings and it was their old warhorse Dhoni who was back in the spotlight
MS Dhoni belted Unadkat for a cracking six down the ground in the final over. | Photo Credit: SPORTZPICS
The chasemaster’s chances were slim given his form, and 17 runs from the final over seemed to be a tall ask despite his unbelievably rich numbers against left-armer Jaydev Unadkat. Unadkat removed Dwaine Pretorius with his first ball and new man Dwayne Bravo managed a single, leaving Dhoni to do the heavy lifting. Unadkat hit the slot and Dhoni clobbered it past the bowler for a massive six.
A short ball followed and Dhoni swatted it over short fine-leg for four and stole two runs off the next ball. With four needed off the last ball, Unadkat attempted a low full toss. A steely Dhoni nimbly shuffled across and scythed it past the short fine-leg fielder for a boundary and added another memorable chapter to his and CSK’s tryst with last-ball finishes.
MI score: 155/7 (20 overs)
CSK score: 156/7 (20 overs)
PoTM: Mukesh Choudhary 3/19 (3)
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