Kaustubh S. Mayekar
As soon as the clash of Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab finishes, Mumbai Indians will take on Chennai Super Kings today at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
Invincible captain MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings is one hard nut to crack. Chennai is stamped as the front-runner to bag this year’s trophy as well. The-two time IPL champions have won 9 out of 14 matches and are all in readiness to storm Mumbai out of the league.
On the other hand, ace batsman Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians will try to hunt down Chennai at its habitat. Having lost first 5 consecutive matches at UAE, Mumbai has come a long way. Its last match’s performance has justified its slogan Duniya hila denge, as they outplayed Rajasthan by chasing 190 runs in just 87 balls.
Previous clashes between CSK and MI:
In this season, Chennai has won both the matches against Mumbai. In the first clash, the men in yellow comfortably chased 142 runs, with seven wickets in hand and one over to spare; thanks to man of the match Mohit Sharma for his four-for.
The second clash witnessed MS Dhoni’s heroics, as he yet again hit a maximum in the last over to break Mumbai’s winning spree. At its home ground, Mumbai had won 10 consecutive matches; but it was halted by Chennai, as it defeated Mumbai by a four-wicket margin with three balls to spare. To add to Mumbai’s misery, its former player Dwayne Smith played a match-winning knock of 49-ball 57 runs to help Chennai run a victory lap.
Not to forget that Mumbai and Chennai fought in the last season’s final. Though Mumbai managed to pull a victory in the final, Chennai still have edge when it comes to this year’s outcomes against Mumbai.
Momentum is the key:
Though Chennai’s stats and figures pertaining to performance are much better than Mumbai, it is still behind the race when it comes to the recent momentum. Out of the last 9 matches, Mumbai has won seven, whereas Chennai has won only five. Though momentum isn’t a spot of bother for Dhoni, but it will definitely assist Mumbai’s confidence.
Opening duo:
Chennai’s in-form opening batsman Brendon McCullum hasn’t played a single game in the last two weeks, as he returned home for the birth of his child. McCullum has scored 380 runs (34 x 4, 17 x 6) in 12 matches. In order to fill his spot, Faf du Plesis ( 268 runs) has been opening the innings with Dwayne Smith. Dwayne Smith has been the champion performer for Chennai and has scored 533 runs (46 x 4, 36 x 6). For Chennai to get an exciting opening stand, Dhoni would want his opening pair to go all guns blazing.
Mumbai has had trouble deciding their opening pair. They have been experimenting with Ajinkya Tare, Michale Hussey, Lendl Simmons, Rohit Sharma and so on. But off late, Simmons and Hussey have finally found their feet in the tournament. Hussey has scored 170 runs in 8 matches, whereas Simmons has scored 327 runs in 7 matches, with a hundred to his name. Though Mumbai openers aren’t as impactful as Chennai’s, there are capable of bringing the opposition down on their knees.
Bowling duo:
As Brabourne’s pitch offers turn and bounce, spinners will play a crucial role to keep the runs flow in control and also to take wickets at crunch times.
Chennai’s spin-bowling spearhead R Ashwin has bagged 14 wickets with an economy of 7.08 RPO, and to assist him, his compadre R Jadeja has bagged 17 wickets with an economy of 7.85 RPO. Dhoni has been rotating his spinner quite smartly; he lets Ashwin bowl in powerplay and allows Jadeja to bowl when the field is spread. With power hitters such as Keiron Pollard and Corey Anderson in Mumbai’s batting lineup, it will be fascinating to see Dhoni’s bowling-rotation policy.
Mumbai has once-upon-a-time Team India’s spin-king Harbhajan Singh in its side. He has taken 12 wickets in 13 matches with an economy of 6.45 RPO. Having all-rounders in their side, Mumbai hasn’t been toying much with their spinners. Pragyan Ojha, having played 11 matches, has picked up only three wickets. These bowling figures may not do justice to his talent, but he has a major role to play as Chennai has batsmen who like to come down the track and hit a maximum.
The final word:
This year’s IPL is considered unexampled with match rules and results that were unheard of. As the first stage of the IPL is done and dusted, the playoffs stage will be set in motion soon. MS Dhoni’s fans will be cashing on Chennai, but Mumbai has fans all over the world because of its genius mentor Sachin Tendulkar. Undoubtedly, the energy of roaring Brabourne will set the playoffs on fire.
