Put in to bat on a slow Chennai track by Punjab Captain K L Rahul, Mumbai Indians got off to the worst possible start. MI lost Quinton de Kock in just the 2nd over, caught at mid-on and dismissed by offie Deepak Hooda.
Instead of sending Suryakumar Yadav at No 3, Ishan Kishan walked in at one drop and it proved to be not the most prudent decision.
Kishan struggled at one end while Rohit Sharma staggered and puttered -- Mumbai putting on a dismal show in the Powerplay, scoring 21-1, the lowest score in the first six overs by any team this season.
After Kishan's dismissal in the 7th over, out walked out in form Suryakumar Yadav.
And just as Surya walked in, Rohit got the feel of the wicket and went after left arm spinner Fabian Allen who bowled poorly as MI took 11 runs off him.
Rohit got the measure of Allen and in his next over pulled him for a six, again 10 runs given.
Surya started with singles, but as the overs progressed he decided to attack.
From the 11th over onwards, Surya and Rohit took to the attack and got the odd boundary every over while running hard for the singles and twos.
But it was in the 14th over that both Rohit and Surya upped the scoring -- they went after spinner Ravi Bishnoi and together smashed him for 12 runs in the over. Rohit brought up his 50 in the over -- a half century off 40 balls.
Rohit and Surya kept striving for the occasional boundary while getting the singles in.
But once Surya (33 off 27) was dismissed by Bishnoi in the 17th over -- MI at 105-2 -- they could just not lift the tempo.
Even though Keiron Pollard got a four that very over, Rohit was dismissed the next by Allen for 63 off 52 balls. Mohammed Shami kept it tight in the 18th, giving just 3 runs.
Pollard tried hard to get a few big shots in, but he could not accelerate, coming in at the death.
MI scored 17 off the last two overs but 131 was never going to be enough. On a sticky Chepauk wicket, with dew settling in, a small target was always chaseable.
MI Coach Mahela Jayawardene would have liked Surya and Rohit to bat till the backend, having gotten the feel of the track.
