Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will lock horns in the match 44 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Chennai on Friday. Both teams are the most successful in the history of the competition with three titles each, therefore, a feisty contest is expected this time around as well. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the competition, it was Mumbai who came out on top with 32-run margin.
Chennai will come in the match full of confidence as not only they are the only team to have cemented their place in the playoffs, but have also registered an impressive six-wicket win in their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the batting department, the home side will be relying on the likes of in-form veteran right-hander Shane Watson, South Africa's Faf du Plessis, middle-order duo of Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and captain MS Dhoni to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir to produce timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, Mumbai's position coming in the match is not that bad either. Rohit Sharma-led unit are placed on the third position with 12 points after 10 matches and need two wins in next four games to cement their place in the playoffs. However, Mumbai's confidence will be a little shaken after they suffered a five-wicket defeat in their previous match against Rajasthan Royals. In
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will lock horns in the match 44 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Chennai on Friday. Both teams are the most successful in the history of the competition with three titles each, therefore, a feisty contest is expected this time around as well. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the competition, it was Mumbai who came out on top with 32-run margin.
Chennai will come in the match full of confidence as not only they are the only team to have cemented their place in the playoffs, but have also registered an impressive six-wicket win in their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the batting department, the home side will be relying on the likes of in-form veteran right-hander Shane Watson, South Africa's Faf du Plessis, middle-order duo of Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and captain MS Dhoni to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir to produce timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, Mumbai's position coming in the match is not that bad either. Rohit Sharma-led unit are placed on the third position with 12 points after 10 matches and need two wins in next four games to cement their place in the playoffs. However, Mumbai's confidence will be a little shaken after they suffered a five-wicket defeat in their previous match against Rajasthan Royals. In the batting department, the visitors will be relying on the likes of captain Sharma, South Africa's Quinton de Kock, West Indies' Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga to produce timely breakthroughs.
Pitch Conditions: Pitch at the venue is generally good for batting where spinners have more say than the pacers and looking at both teams composition, there should be nothing different expected on Friday.
Player Recommendations:
Shane Watson (Batsman)
First in the list of key players features Chennai Super Kings' Shane Watson. The veteran right-hander is having a below-par tournament, scoring 243 runs in 11 matches at an average of 22.09. However, in the previous match, Watson showed his true colours, scoring a match-winning 96.
MS Dhoni (Wicketkeeper)
Second in the list of key players features Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman is having an excellent tournament with the bat in hand where he has scored 314 runs in seven innings with the help of three half-centuries at an outstanding average of 104.66, best of any batsman in the tournament.
Hardik Pandya (All-rounder)
Third in the list of key players features Mumbai Indians' Hardik Pandya. The 25-year-old is having a great tournament for the franchise. With the bat in hand, Pandya has scored 241 runs at an average of 40.16 and with an impressive strike-rate of 189.76 and India international has eight wickets to his name with the ball in his hand.
Imran Tahir (Bowler)
Last in the list of key players features Chennai Super Kings' Imran Tahir. The veteran leg-spinner is having an outstanding tournament with the ball in hand where he has the second-highest number of wickets (16) in the competition at an impressive strike-rate of just 15.7.
Pick for uncapped player: Rahul Chahar
Predicted Playing XI:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga
Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (captain & wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh
