Chennai Super Kings' unbeaten start to IPL 2019 came to and end at the Wankhede stadium as Mumbai Indians beat them by 37 runs. After winning the toss, CSK elected to field and things were going well for them until the last two overs, where MI hit 45 runs to post 170/5.
In response, CSK never really got going after losing their top three inside five overs. Despite a valiant fifty from Kedar Jadhav, it was too much for the defending champions.
Here are the three major takeaways from MI's win over CSK:
Momentum makes all the difference
With MI at 125/5 after 18 overs, CSK would have fancied their chances of keeping them under 150. However, they were unable to do that as some incredible hitting from Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard changed the complexion of the game.
MI scored 45 from the last two overs, including 29 off Dwayne Bravo's final over, which included a harsh no-ball call. From there, the hosts didn't really look back as they had an excellent total on a pitch that offered some help for the pacers.
Catches win matches
It is not for nothing that they say catches win matches. A cliche it might be but that doesn't make it any less true. And in this encounter, the side that held onto their catches came out on top.
With MI in trouble at 76/3, Mohit Sharma dropped a sitter at mid-off. Krunal Pandya, who was on 17 at the time, finished with 42. In between that, there was also a missed run-out and some misfields. While CSK, as Dhoni himself admitted, weren't going to be a great fielding side, they failed to do the simple things.
MI, on the other hand, were simply sensational in the field. Pollard pulled off a couple of sensational catches inside the powerplay to get rid of Shane Watson and Suresh Raina. Quinton de Kock was brilliant behind the stumps and Bumrah even completed a brilliant catch towards the end to seal a comprehensive win.
CSK's flaws exposed
While CSK came into this encounter as the only unbeaten side, they weren't a flawless side by any means. And MI managed to expose all their major flaws.
By going at Deepak Chahar early, MI ensured that the pacer didn't complete his quota of overs. While Imran Tahir picked up a wicket and was economical, they didn't go too hard at him and in doing so nullified CSK's biggest wicket-taking option.
Towards the end, CSK's death bowling, which has cost them before, did so once again and their lack of options meant they were chasing a much bigger total. With the bat, CSK's top three all failed on a pitch that offered something for the pacers early and their batting line-up was simply not up to the task after that.