'He knew that we needed him' — Ruturaj Gaikwad dedicates CSK's victory to Mukesh Choudhary.

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad dedicated Thursday’s 103-run victory over the Mumbai Indians to his fast bowler, Mukesh Choudhary. Mukesh’s mother had passed away recently. After attending his mother’s funeral, Mukesh rejoined the squad and played in the match against Mumbai.

Channeling the grief of his mother’s passing, Mukesh Choudhary took the field for CSK and claimed the crucial wicket of Quinton de Kock. The left-arm pacer finished with figures of 1 wicket for 31 runs in his 4 overs against Mumbai. The CSK players paid tribute to Mukesh Choudhary’s mother by wearing black armbands during the match.

A Salute to Mukesh

Despite the difficult circumstances, Gaikwad was deeply moved to see Mukesh playing for the team. Speaking after the match, the CSK captain said, “It was very tough for Mukesh. I salute him. Stepping up to play under such circumstances requires immense mental strength. He returned for the team—came back for the franchise—because he knew that we needed him. This victory is dedicated to him. We all wanted to be there for him, and the entire team stood by him.”

Our Campaign Begins

The CSK captain credited the entire team for securing their largest victory against Mumbai in terms of runs margin. Gaikwad revealed that, right up until the toss, he had been undecided on whether to bowl first or bat first.

Ruturaj Gaikwad stated, “It feels good to get a win. I was a bit confused at the time of the toss. My gut told me that we should bat first, as there was some grass on the pitch, yet parts of it also looked dry. We had to assess the conditions during the initial overs. Sanju and I felt that the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat very well, so a score in the vicinity of 200 runs would be a good total.”

The Brilliance of Sanju and the Spinners

CSK’s opening strategy proved to be spot-on. Powered by a century from Sanju Samson (101*), CSK posted a total of 207/6. Gaikwad remarked, “Sanju played a magnificent innings. He is in superb form. Everyone contributed; even the batsmen chipping in with 20 runs each proved helpful.”

The captain also lauded his bowlers, stating, “Subsequently, Akeal and Noor bowled brilliantly. Our bowling has shown improvement compared to previous matches. I believe this is just the beginning for us.” Notably, in the face of a stellar performance by CSK’s bowlers, the Mumbai team was bundled out for 104 runs in 19 overs.