Chennai pip Mumbai in a close call

Murali Vijay scored a quick 39 and gave a solid start to Chennai Super KIngs with an 86-run opening stand with Faf du Plessis.

Faf du Plessis was particularly punishing as he stormed to 52 off 33 balls. He hit six boundaries and a six.

Lasith Malinga was the lone bright spot for the Mumbai Indians as the Sri Lankan picked up five wickets for 32 runs.

Skipper MS Dhoni promoted himself up the order at No. 4 and struck a whirlwind 35 of just 19 balls.

Dwayne Smith tried to force things for Mumbai Indians but couldn't carry on for long as he was scalped by Albie Morkel for 13.

Sachin Tendulkar was the first casualty for Mumbai Indians as he scored just 2 runs and departed in the fourth over after a slow start.

A rather poor interest have plagued the tournament this year. But the clash of these two IPL big guns saw some excitement in Johannesburg.

Dinesh Karthik came to MI's rescue when others failed. The diminutive keeper-batsman scored a superb 74 off jut 45 balls. His innings was peppered with four 4s and six 6s!

Rohit Sharma, too, was able to plug the hole after the initial shocks as scored a fluent 32 off 26 balls. He hit three 6s.

While his Aussie counterpart in MI, Mitchell Johnson was literally taken to task by MS Dhoni & Co., Ben Hilfenhaus proved decisive in CSK's win as he took 2 wickets for just 14 runs.

Keiron Pollard was in his attacking self as he struck 31 in just 17 balls with the help of three 6s. But once he fell, MI lost their way.

Chennai Super Kings are already out of contention from a semi-final berth. Nonetheless, this win was some consolation.