CHENNAI, India (AP) — Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 67 not out off 48 balls as Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by eight wickets Saturday in the Indian Premier League.
Impact player Kartik Sharma scored his first IPL half-century — 54 not out off 40 balls — as Chennai eased to 160-2 in 18.1 overs.
That was after Mumbai was restricted to 159-7 despite Naman Dhir’s 57 off 37 balls.
It was a second win for Chennai against Mumbai this season, having beaten them by 103 runs in Mumbai.
Overall, it was Chennai’s fourth win in nine games as it moved to sixth in the points table, ahead of Delhi Capitals on net run-rate.
It was Mumbai’s seventh loss in nine games and it stayed ninth.
Chasing an under-par score, Chennai started badly as Sanju Samson was out caught off Jasprit Bumrah for 11 runs. Gaikwad then added 49 off 22 balls with Urvil Patel (24) for the second wicket. Chennai scored 62-2 in the power play, with Patel out bowled in the sixth over.
It brought Gaikwad and Sharma together, and they were unseparated until the end, adding 98 runs off 75 balls for the third wicket.
Gaikwad didn’t seem to be in any rush, scoring 50 off 34 balls. It was his fourth IPL half-century against Mumbai, averaging 47.5 in 11 innings.
The day belonged to Sharma, as the 20-year-old showed great maturity to score a match-winning half-century.
Sharma hit four fours and three sixes, taking his time initially, and then getting 50 off 39 balls. His previous best was 18 (15 balls) against Rajasthan Royals.
The skipper also hit five fours and two sixes. Sharma hit the winning runs with 11 balls to spare.
“I wanted to stay till the end and finish the run chase," Sharma said. “The pitch was on the slower side, so I played accordingly.”
Opting to bat, Mumbai lost in-form Will Jacks for one. He was caught off pacer Anshul Kamboj, who picked 3-32 in four overs.
Ryan Rickelton (37) and Dhir added 58 off 32 balls. Mumbai scored 57-1 in the power play.
It wasn’t enough, and Mumbai never got the acceleration right. Noor Ahmad took 2-26 as he had Rickelton out caught in the seventh over and later dismissed Tilak Varma for three.
In between, Suryakumar Yadav was out caught after a brief cameo of 21 off 12 balls, with three fours and a six.
Dhir waged a lone battle, scoring his second half-century of the season, including four fours and three sixes. Even skipper Hardik Pandya struggled to get going in the final overs, scoring 18 off 23 balls.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Chennai Super Kings' Kartik Sharma, left, is congratulated by Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya after Chennai Super Kings won the Indian Premier League cricket match between against Mumbai Indians in Chennai, India, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo)
Chennai Super Kings' Kartik Sharma celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in Chennai, India, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo)
Chennai Super Kings' Kartik Sharma celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in Chennai, India, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo)
TOKYO (AP) — Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super-bantamweight crown with a unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani on Saturday in one of the biggest bouts in Japanese boxing history.
Two judges scored the fight 116-112, while one had it 115-113, all in favor of Inoue after 12 rounds before a sell-out crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome.
Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) kept his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts — and then apologized for not delivering a knockout.
The 33-year-old Inoue, nicknamed “The Monster” and hailed as Japan's greatest boxer, also praised Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs).
“He was a fighter with a strong heart. That’s what makes this win mean so much,” said Inoue, a four-division champion.
The highly anticipated bout galvanized fans here for the past year with former champions and other experts offering commentary. Most predictions had favored Inoue because of his experience, speed and power.
The fight amply displayed both boxers’ dexterity, in offense and defense, with both taking nice swings as well as jabs, but a lot simply failed to land.
The 28-year-old Nakatani, a southpaw, used his longer reach to keep Inoue’s punches at bay, while Inoue simply swayed his body or got out of the way.
The challenger became more aggressive after the sixth round, moving forward to try to land punches. But Inoue used his quick footwork to evade them, landing some jabs back in the process.
“I came prepared so there were no surprises, but the champion was great,” a somber Nakatani said after absorbing his first professional loss.
Nakatani sustained a cut above his left eye in what appeared to come from an accidental clash of heads, and officials said he was going to a hospital to get it checked.
In a closely watched undercard, Inoue’s younger brother Takuma (22-2, 5 KOs) beat former four-division champion Kazuto Ioka (32-5-1, 17 KOs) by unanimous decision to retain his WBC bantamweight title.
“I really enjoyed the 12 exciting rounds, all thanks to my opponent, who is a legend,” Takuma Inoue said. “I want to prove I’m not just Naoya Inoue’s brother.”
Still, Takuma prevented Ioka from becoming a five-division champion, handing that possible honor to his brother, believed to have a good chance of doing just that.
The story of the Inoue brothers, who took up boxing as youngsters and grew up in loving families that encouraged their pursuit, is well known among boxing fans here. Their father Shingo Inoue was at ringside for both fighters, as always.
There was no doubt the big all-Japanese fight had endeared fans to both the skills and personalities of the boxers.
Michifumi Hori, one such fan, proudly wore an Inoue T-shirt and said he was cheering for both Inoue brothers.
“This is something you can’t hope to see for another 50 years,” he said. “I love boxing because it’s about becoming world champion.”
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, punches Junto Nakatani of Japan during the twelfth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, celebrates as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Junto Nakatani, right, of Japan fights Naoya Inoue of Japan during the sixth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, fights Junto Nakatani of Japan during second round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, raises his arms as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, punches Junto Nakatani of Japan during the tenth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
