Hardik Pandya's three sixes in a 25-run penultimate over from Pawan Negi settled a rollercoaster chase for Mumbai Indians, and handed Chennai Super Kings their first defeat at home this season. The visitors had the chase of 159 under control with an 84-run opening stand in ten overs, but R Ashwin had Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons caught in the deep in the 11th. Dwayne Bravo ran out Kieron Pollard in the 12th as Super Kings started their familiar fightback. The ball was turning, sharp fielders were cutting off singles, and Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu were struggling to score. The asking-rate rose to two runs a ball. Rohit tried to go after Dwayne Bravo's slower ones, and was dropped by Faf du Plessis at long-off. He tried it again in the allrounder's next over, and Suresh Raina did not drop it at long-on. It was down to 30 off the last two overs. Decision time for MS Dhoni. His fast bowlers had conceded 0 for 64 in five overs, his spinners had taken 2 for 54 in 11. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had bowled out. Dhoni went for the left-arm spinner Negi, who had given ten in three overs and had revitalized Super Kings innings with an unbeaten 36 off 17. Pandya cracked three of Negi's first four balls for straight sixes. Game all but over. Rayudu lifted the last ball for another straight six. Game definitely over. Fittingly, the game met a tumultuous end. Jadeja dropped Pandya running in from deep midwicket first ball of the last over, and Rayudu brought up the win with an edged four to third man. Dhoni later admitted it was a tactical error giving a spinner the penultimate over, but added that his hand had been forced by the performance of his fast bowlers. Mohit Sharma and Ashish Nehra had leaked runs at the start as Parthiv and Simmons raced away after Super Kings' sluggish innings. Parthiv played a range of strokes during his 45 off 32 while Simmons bludgeoned and steered a few boundaries on his way to 38 off 31. Amid Mumbai Indians' smooth progress, four overs from Ashwin went for only 17.
