Ajinkya Rahane Smashes Season's Fastest Fifty As CSK Crush Mumbai Indians By 7 Wickets

Ajinkya Rahane smashed the fastest half-century of IPL 2023 - off just 19 balls - and Ruturaj Gaikwad struck an unbeaten 40 to power Chennai Super Kings to a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. An ordinary Mumbai Indians succumbed to their second consecutive defeat in as many matches while CSK recorded their second win on the trot, moving to the fourth spot in the points table while the five-time winners remained at eighth.

The 34-year-old Rahane made a cracking debut for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, producing one of the most brutal knocks in the competition to make 61 from only 27 balls with seven fours and three sixes while recording the fastest fifty of the league this year.

Rahane's blitz and Gaikwad's knock, combined with the efforts of Chennai spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner who shared five wickets earlier, fuelled CSK's win over arch rivals Mumbai Indians.

CSK finished at 159/3 in 18.1 overs chasing 158, winning with 11 balls to spare.

Rahane collected 23 runs hitting Arshad Khan for four boundaries and a six in the fourth over while CSK's young gun Gaikwad happily took the backseat.

Rahane truly looked at home on his 'home ground' Wankhede Stadium, unleashing delightful strokes that reaffirmed Chennai Super Kings' command on the game.

Rahane and Gaikwad came together in the first over of CSK's chase with Devon Conway playing one onto his wickets off Jason Behrendorff. They added 82 runs for the second wicket before Rahane perished in the eighth over, caught by Suryakumar Yadav off Piyush Chawla.

With Rahane's blitz at the top and CSK bringing down the equation to almost a run-a-ball by the 10th over, Gaikwad enjoyed the freedom to build his innings. The