IPL 2021: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo shine: Here are key moments of CSK vs MI thrilling clash

Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed an unbeaten 88 as Chennai Super Kings beat holders Mumbai Indians by 20 runs in the first match of the revived Indian Premier League 2021 on Sunday (September 19). 

CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat. For CSK, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo and Josh Hazlewood are the four foreigners playing in the match. 

MI's regular skipper Rohit Sharma missed the clash due to a knee niggle he had sustained during the recent England tour. 

The team was being led by Kieron Pollard as the team's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has also missed the blockbuster clash. 

Mumbai began with a flourish as pace bowlers Trent Boult and Adam Mile rattled the Chennai top-order. The pace duo took two wickets each and a quick delivery from Boult hit Ambati Rayudu on the forearm with the batsman retired hurt on nought.

Jasprit Bumrah also took two wickets in his 100th IPL appearance.

Gaikwad hit back, lifting the team from a precarious 24-4 to 156-6 with key partnerships which took the attack to the opposition bowlers.

With a 81-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja, who made 26, Gaikwad took the team to what turned out to be a winning total. 

Gaikwad won the Man of the Match award and said it was one of his "top innings till now". He added, "With the pressure of early wickets and with the seniors in the dressing room, I just had to grind and get the team to 130, 140 and then 150 was possible.

Gaikwad's luck was also on his side as Quinton de Kock dropped a catch in the 9th over by Rahul Chahar. Gaikwad was batting at 19 runs at that time.  

Pace bowler Dwayne Bravo then returned figures of 3-25 from his four overs as Chennai bowlers kept down five-time champions Mumbai to 136-8.

Bravo, who also hit a useful eight-ball 23 batting at number eight, was ably supported by pace spearhead Deepak Chahar who took two key wickets including Quinton de Kock for 17.

"I felt Rutu and Bravo got us more than what we expected," said Dhoni. "We thought of 140, to get close to 160 was tremendous."

The win took Chennai to top of the eight-team table with Delhi Capitals second, Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore third and Mumbai fourth.

The 14th edition of the Covid-hit Twenty20 tournament resumed in the United Arab Emirates with limited spectators back in the stands in Dubai.

The tournament was halted in May because of a devastating surge in pandemic deaths in India, prompting foreign players to rush home.