Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: A deeply emotional night at the Wankhede Stadium saw Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad dedicate his side’s emphatic 103-run win over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026 to teammate Mukesh Choudhary, who played despite the recent passing of his mother.The CSK players wore black armbands in tribute, turning a dominant performance into a poignant moment of solidarity and resilience.
‘Hats off to him’: Gaikwad on Mukesh’s courage
Gaikwad was visibly moved as he spoke about Mukesh’s effort under difficult circumstances.“Pretty tough on him. Hats off to him, coming in that situation, it takes a lot mentally. He came back for the team, for the franchise, because he knew we needed him. All glory to him. We all wanted to be there for him and chipped away for him,” he said.He reiterated the emotional weight behind the victory, adding, “Pretty tough on him (Mukesh Choudhary), I would dedicate this win to him. All glory to him. Everyone chipped in and wanted to be there for him.”Mukesh responded with a disciplined spell of 1/31, striking early to remove Quinton de Kock and setting the tone for CSK’s dominance.
‘We are starting to click’: CSK captain on team effort
The victory itself was built on a complete team performance. Gaikwad revealed that the decision to bat first was instinctive.“Feels good. I was still 50-50 at the toss. My gut feeling was saying we should bat first because it was a bit green but also a bit dry. We had to assess in the first couple of overs. Sanju and I said it’s not coming on nicely, so anywhere around 200 would be good,” he explained.That assessment proved spot on as Sanju Samson smashed a “magnificent” unbeaten 101 to power CSK to 207/6.“Sanju also played a magnificent knock. He’s been in fantastic touch. Everyone chipped in really well… even the 20s helped,” Gaikwad said.He also praised the bowling unit, adding, “And then Akeal and Noor did well. Our bowling was improving from our earlier games. I feel we are just starting to click.”Spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad led the charge as Mumbai were bundled out for 104.
