CSK’s Struggles Continue as Mumbai Indians Hand Them Nine-Wicket Defeat at Wankhede; Dhoni Seen in Heated Chat With Umpire Post-Match

Chennai Super Kings’ hopes of a mid-season revival in IPL 2025 were short-lived as they slumped to a crushing nine-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. The loss came just after CSK had ended a five-match losing streak with a win over Lucknow Super Giants, but their inconsistency continued, leaving them anchored to the bottom of the points table.

Mumbai Indians, chasing 177, showed complete command at home with Rohit Sharma leading the way. The Indian captain returned to form in style, scoring an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls. He shared a match-winning 100-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav, who finished the game with back-to-back sixes off Matheesha Pathirana, sealing the win with 26 balls to spare.

Chennai, who struggled to push ahead in the final overs of their innings, were visibly disappointed. Skipper MS Dhoni appeared particularly frustrated after the match. Rather than joining the customary handshake with the opposition, Dhoni was seen walking directly to the umpire for what appeared to be an animated exchange. Though the conversation wasn’t audible, the moment quickly went viral on social media.

In the post-match presentation, Dhoni admitted that his side fell short with the bat, particularly in the slog overs. He pointed to strategic missteps, especially in failing to take advantage of the conditions and Mumbai’s early introduction of death-overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah.

“We were quite below par. We all knew dew would come in the second half, and we were in a position to exploit the middle overs. Once they brought on Bumrah early, that should’ve been our signal to accelerate. I think we missed a few overs where we could’ve added crucial runs,” Dhoni said.

With just a few games left in the league stage, CSK will return to their home ground for back-to-back matches — first against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 25, followed by Punjab Kings on April 30 — as they seek to salvage what’s left of their campaign.