Rayudu’s blitzkrieg took the defending champions by storm.
Asked to bat first, CSK lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (4) cheaply but the pair of Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali added 108 runs for the second wicket to put the team in a strong position.
After Moeen (58 off 36 balls) and Du Pessis (50 off 28 balls) got out in quick succession, it was Ambati Rayudu’s blitzkrieg that took the defending champions by storm.
Batting at No. 5, Rayudu smashed the MI bowlers all over the park to notch up his half-century in just 20 deliveries. His carnage continued after the milestone as well, adding 22 more runs to his tally to finish with 72 not out off 27 deliveries, which included 4 fours and 7 sixes.
In the process, Rayudu shared an unbroken 102-run partnership (49 balls) with Ravindra Jadeja (22*) as CSK piled up a mammoth 218/4 in 20 overs.
For his dazzling display with the bat, Ambati Rayudu garnered rich praise from the cricket fraternity on Twitter.
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