Sanath Jayasuriya single-handedly led Mumbai Indians to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

Scorecard

The Sri Lankan scored an aggressive 48-ball 114 not out that included nine boundaries and 11 huge sixes.

Jayasuriya and captain Sachin Tendulkar [Images] (12), playing in his first match in the IPL, put on 82 for the opening wicket in just 44 balls, Mumbai's best opening wicket stand so far in the competition, as the hosts made light work of the chase.

A packed crowd waited in eager anticipation to see Tendulkar perform but instead they witnessed Jayasuriya steal the thunder with the spectacular performance. Even Tendulkar was a mute spectator from the other end as the Sri Lankan severely punished the Chennai bowlers.

Chasing a modest 157, the home team romped home with 6.1 overs to spare.

Earlier, Subramaniam Badrinath and Mahendra Singh Dhoni [Images] revived Chennai Super Kings with a near-century stand after the Mumbai Indians' pace attack had taken early control of the match.

Badrinath, struggling initially before picking up pace, struck his second successive half century in the IPL and shared a 95-run fifth-wicket stand with Dhoni to take Chennai to 156 for six.

Badrinath made 53 off 32 balls with seven fours and two sixes while his skipper Dhoni made an unbeaten 43 in 35 balls with six fours and a six.

Earlier, the Mumbai Indians pace attack put them on the rack on a bouncy track to restrict them to 46 four in the ninth over before Badrinath and Dhoni led their revival with a splendid stand.

Put in to bat, Chennai began well by hitting a string of boundaries in the second over before being rocked by the Mumbai attack to be pushed on the back foot. 

However, the Chennai Kings' final tally looked inadequate against Mumbai Indians' strong batting line-up that included the fit-again Sachin Tendulkar for the first time in the tournament.

In the top-order Stephen Fleming [Images] (26), dropped on one, and fellow-opener Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan (16) got a start but failed to flourish to the full.

The visitors started with a flourish after a tight opening over from Pollock. Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan waded into Ashish Nehra, who had bowled well in Mumbai Indians' previous tie against Rajasthan Royals, and smacked the left arm bowler for three fours in the second over of the innings.

Fleming, after striking the young medium pacer for a four to square point, dragged the next ball on to his stumps when playing well away from his body.

Sri Lankan Kapugedara was nearly run-out off the next ball when non-striker S Badrinath did not respond to a call for a single, but Jayasuriya's throw to the striker's end was blocked by the batsman with his bat as he tried to retrieve the crease.

But Kapugedara fell off the very next ball, edging a rising ball from Kulkarni that left him off the pitch to stumper Takawale.

Pollock then came back for his fourth and final over and troubled Dhoni also bowled a maiden over.

Badrinath, who played some audacious scoop shots to fine leg, and Dhoni, who hooked Rohan Raje for the first six of the innings in the 18th over, put on a half-century stand to take the score past the 100-mark in the 16th over.

The last five overs fetched 67 runs for the visiting team as the pace bowlers, after Pollock had finished his quota, were punished at will. 

The Mumbai Indians' medium pacers were so much on top of the batsmen initially that Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar, making his debut in the IPL after missing the first seven ties because of a groin injury, did not utilise Jayasuriya's left arm spin at all.