[Watch] IPL 2025: Mahela Jayawardene presents”Maverick” award to Deepak Chahar for outing vs CSK

At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, following the Mumbai Indians’ tournament opening against their bitter rivals, head coach Mahela Jayawardene gave all-rounder Deepak Chahar the “Maverick” award for his all-around performance against the Chennai Super Kings, their former franchise.

Deepak Chahar dismissed Rahul Tripathi in his opening over of the match after scoring a crucial 28 runs off 15 deliveries with the bat.

Chahar’s performance and on-field demeanor during his comeback to the Chepauk against a team he played for for seven straight seasons were praised by Jayawardene. He said that when he played against MI in the past, he thought they were the “most difficult team to beat.” He also pledged to perform similarly in the games that are coming up.

A 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 debut for MI to win a special award ✨

You were truly a 𝕄𝔸𝕍𝔼ℝ𝕀ℂ𝕂 last night, Deepak 💙#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai #TATAIPL #CSKvMI pic.twitter.com/qS0a9zeX6F

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 24, 2025

“A few things stood out to me today: he returned to his former team, batted, pledged to bat, bowled and fielded with enthusiasm, and had a lot of attitude. For me, being a maverick means risking everything for your comrades, including your own body. Jayawardene said in the dressing room after MI’s four-wicket defeat, “So, today’s maverick is Deepak Chahar.”

“I just want to say that I’ve played a lot of cricket against MI and I’ve always thought they’re the hardest team to beat,” Chahar stated. I aspired to live up to the expectation that the opposing team should be terrified of you when you get onto the field. I believe this is what I have observed, and I plan to play this way in the games that are coming ahead.”

MI will next travel to Ahmedabad to play the Gujarat Titans. On March 31, they will play their first home game of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Going forward, Chahar and the team would like to improve their performances.