Three time champions Chennai Super Kings kept their cool to register their first win of IPL 2021 in a tricky chase at the Wankhede. The Punjab Kings were out of the game in the first six overs during the first innings as Rahul Chahar wrecked havoc with the new ball. KL Rahul and his men had no answers as all of them were troubled by the CSK pacers. Playing his 200th game for Chennai Super Kings, talismanic MS Dhoni was spot on with his decision to bowl first as his team restricted Punjab Kings to 106/8 in Mumbai. CSK during the chase suffered a small stutter as the men in yellow lost two wickets in two balls. Moeen Ali and Faf du Plessis ensured that their team reach the target as early as possible. Ali was one of the key performers of the side, as the English spinner rolled his arm over for three overs, before shining with the bat.
With this win Dhoni and his men have got themselves on the board. Put in to bat first, Punjab Kings had a horrific start as the side lost four wickets within the powerplay. Chahar first cleaned up Mayank for a duck in the first over and then dismissed Gayle and Pooran within a span of six balls to reduce Punjab to 19/4 after Rahul's run out.Deepak Hooda and Shahrukh were in the middle for Punjab Kings at the end of the powerplay but the former chipped it straight to mid-off in the seventh over as Chahar bagged his fourth wicket for the day.Shahrukh and Jhye Richardson then tried to revive the Punjab innings with a brief 31-run stand before Moeen Ali cleaned the Australian all-rounder in the 13th over.
