Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 5 wickets in IPL opener

Ambati Rayudu (71) and Faf du Plessis (55*) did the job for CSK

csk-du-plessis Faf du Plessis (55*) stayed on to seal the deal for CSK even as the team lost wickets in quick succession after Rayudu's departure | ANI via Twitter

Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by five wickets in the opening game of the Indian Premier League in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Chasing the target of 163 runs, Chennai Super Kings had a lousy start as they lost both the openers in the first two overs. However, Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu (71) steadied the innings for the side, before Rayudu was sent back by Deepak Chahar. Faf du Plessis (55*) stayed on to seal the deal for CSK even as the team lost wickets in quick succession after Rayudu's departure. CSK beat Mumbai Indians in 19.2 overs.

Earlier, CSK's new recruits—leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (1/21 in 4 overs) and left-arm seamer Sam Curran (1/28 in 4 overs) made a fantastic first impression while Lungi Ngidi (3/38 in 4 overs) and Deepak Chahar (2/32 in 4 overs) came back brilliantly at the death overs to restrict Mumbai Indians to 162 for nine.

For Mumbai Indians, Quinton de Kock (33 off 20 balls, 5x4) and Saurabh Tiwary (42 off 31 balls, 3x4, 1x6) played well, but couldn't convert their starts as the defending champions got only 76 runs in their back-10.

(With PTI inputs)

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