IPL 2021: WATCH – Moeen Ali flicks Jasprit Bumrah for a delightful six

Owner of one of the most beautiful bat swings in the business, Moeen Ali has a tendency to play shots that stay with you. The England and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-hander deposits anything near the reach of his arc beyond the boundary ropes in a very soothing manner.

Another fine exhibition of Moeen’s lovely strokeplay came in CSK’s IPL 2021 encounter on Saturday (May 1) when he scored a magnificent half-century against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI). Moeen Ali made 58 runs off 36 deliveries, including 5 fours and 5 sixes, playing an impactful knock after being asked to bat at No.3.

The sheer quality of batsmanship on display was brilliant as Moeen batted unfazed against one of the better attacks in the league and helped his team stay on course for a strong total after being asked to bat first upon losing the toss in Delhi.

Moeen Ali arrived at the crease after his team lost their in-form opener Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first over itself and left the scene after taking CSK comfortably past the 100-run mark, having stitched an excellent partnership with fellow half-centurion Faf du Plessis.

WATCH – Moeen Ali flicks Jasprit Bumrah for a delightful six

While most of Moeen’s knock was glint with superlative shots, one specific flick off MI’s spearhead Jasprit Bumrah warmed the hearts most.

Moeen picked the slower-ball from Bumrah very early and didn’t at all lose his shape while almost guiding the ball over the fine-leg boundary through his magical wrists.

The shot came off fourth delivery in the fifth over of CSK’s innings – Bumrah’s first – and must’ve definitely boosted Moeen’s confidence for the rest of his innings as he went on to dominate the MI attack.

Moeen’s transition in the CSK colours after being released last winter by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has been seamless to say the least, as he has quickly made a place for himself in the first-choice playing XI for the three-time champions.

Moeen Ali has now made 206 runs at a strike-rate of 157.97 and has also taken 4 wickets while conceding only 6.63 runs per in his 6 outings. The all-rounder has been crucial to CSK’s fantastic turnaround after a lacklustre last season that saw their first-ever league exit in IPL history.