Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will restart their rivalry in IPL, where MI will be keen to take revenge of IPL 2011. Being placed on top makes MI’s job easier to defeat CSK who are currently placed at 8th place, and are looking for a big jump in position by defeating MI.
History
They have a history of interesting battles. Every IPL has seen both winning one game each against each other, except 2010 where they also met in the final and CSK scored an extra win.
2011 Performances
Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Daredevils in first match by 8 wickets, after bundling them below 100. Against Royal Challengers Banglore Mumbai Indians bowler laid the ground for a low chase, and batsmen ensured another emphatic victory by 9 wickets. But, in the home match against fresher Kochi Tuskers, despite scoring high total batting first for the first time, the bowlers failed to defend. But, they bounced back and thumped Pune Warriors India.
Chennai Super Kings had a balanced and composed tournament so far with 2 victories and 1 loss. The teams looks formiddable, although batting is ruled by Indians till now, except one performance from Hussey. They have snatched victory from the mouth of defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in firtst match. Kings XI surprised them with the Yalthaty hammer, whereas against Royal Chalengers, the comfortable victory brought calm and composed look back on team member’s face. They were the last victim of Tuskers wonderful campaign and lost comfortably in the rain-curtailed match.
Player’s Performances
For Chennai, no individual has outshone others in player’s performance index in last four matches. Murali Vijay, Raina and Dhoni have crossed the 100 barrier. Randiv and Ashwin are highest wicket takers. But their bowlers have managed to take only 18 wickets in 4 matches.
Mumbai Indians top order batsmen and bowlers have shown exceptional high in player’s performance index. Sachin is no more the Orange cap holder, but Malinga is still the Purple Cap holder. Only Sachin and Rayudu are in the 100-club as other batsmen have not got eenough opportunity to bat. But the bowlers have been exceptional taking 23 wickets in 4 matches, one of the best performances of tournament so far.
Head-to-Head: CSK 4, MI 3
2008
-
CSK def MI by 6 runs
MI def CSK by 9 Wickets
2009
-
MI def CSK by 19 runs
CSK def MI by 7 Wickets
2010
-
MI def CSK by 5 Wickets
CSK def MI by 24 Rruns
CSK def MI by 22 Runs
Who Will Win Today!!
Unlike other three editions, CSK and MI will get only opportunity to play at group stage. There is no chance of revenge unless they meet again during knock-out stage. Considering the current form, MI is set to win, although the trend of 2011 shows the teams which are lower down the table are coming up. It may be Super Kings day today as Sachin and Rayudu may not last beyond 10 overs against the quality bowling attacke and other batsmen are yet to be tested.
Key Battles
Malinga vs Hussey/Raina
The battle may hold the key to CSK’s fate in the match. If Malinga prevails, CSK is doomed. If one of the two batsmen – Hussey or Raina prevails, CSK can easily score a challenging total or chase any target.
Sachin/Rayudu vs Southee/Bollinger
This will be an interesting battle. Probably for the first time in the tournament, Sachin and Rayudu will face high-quality pace duo. The battle may be the defining moment of the match, as well as the tournament. If Sachin and Rayudu can negotiate the fiery pace duo, not only the match but a place in knockout can be not under threat. If Southee and Bollinger excel, Super Kings can breathe sigh of relief with the hope that they will be in the knockouts, considering these two hold the key for their future success too.
CSK Squad
Batsmen: Dhoni (Captain), Faf du Plessis, Michael Hussey, Srikkanth Anirudha, Subramaniam Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Murali Vijay
Allrounders: Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel, Scott Styris, Suresh Raina, Yo Mahesh
Bowlers: Tim Southee, Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, George Bailey, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shadab Jakati, Joginder Sharma, Abhinav Mukund, Sudeep Tyagi, Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas, Ganapathi Vignesh
Mumbai Indians Squad
Batsman: Sachin Tendulkar (Captain), Ambati Rayudu, Rajagopal Sathish, Rohit Sharma, Tirumalasetti Suman, Aditya Tare (WK), Davy Jacobs (WK)
Allrounder: James Franklin, Moises Henriques, Kieron Pollard, Andrew Symonds
Bowlers: Aiden Blizzard, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Abu Nechim, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sarul Kanwar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ali Murtaza, Pawan Suyal, Santosh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav
Leave a Reply