IPL 2018, MI vs CSK: What to expect from the tournament opener

IPL 2018 is all set to kick off this Saturday with the high voltage encounter between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The arrival of CSK after serving two years of ban ensures that the two IPL heavy-weights will come across each other once again in the blockbuster tournament.

The Men in Yellow have managed to hold on to their legendary skipper MS Dhoni, and with merely a few years of cricket left in him, he'll be looking forward to giving his best for his side.

CSK have dominated proceedings in their eight years of IPL and have won the IPL crown twice. They also made it to the finals of the tournament in six out of the eight occasions and not once failed to make it to the qualifiers. But, this time around, Dhoni will have to confront some new challenges.

Although they have got their old men back, there are a lot of question marks over the form of their players. Big names like Raina, Jadeja, and Bravo have not been in the best of touches of late, and veterans like Harbhajan Singh and Shane Watson have been out of the international arena for quite a while.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians, under skipper Rohit Sharma went on to win the title for the third time in 2017 and will be looking forward to getting the season underway with a bang.

The Men in Blue have got a menacing fast-bowling attack with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins and Mustafizur Rahman in their ranks. They are also stuffed with some explosive batsman and some budding youngsters who have been in magnificent touch of late in domestic cricket. Bearing in mind the current form of their players, Rohit Sharma and his boys will be a definite threat to CSK in their own backyard.

The two IPL giants have faced each other on 24 occasions and Mumbai have had the upper hand, winning 13 of those clashes whereas Chennai have won 11. These two sides have been involved in some nail-biting encounters, and it's the kind of a match which every cricket fan will have his/her eye on.

---

#4. Pitch and weather

Wankhede has always been a high scoring venue in the shortest format of the game, especially in the night matches where dew can be a decisive factor. The tracks in Wankhede have a high percentage of red soil content which helps the ball come on to the bat quite nicely at a good height.

As the pitch is not expected to break within 40 overs, the spinners are not expected to play a big role in the match. It is predominantly a chasing ground because of the dew and absolutely no total can be acknowledged as defendable at this venue.

Rain is not expected to play a part in Saturday's encounter and the temperature is forecasted to linger around the 30 degree Celsius mark. There would be almost no cloud cover but a high possibility of heavy dew during the second innings.

A light breeze can be expected which can help the new ball bowlers to get some movement early on in the innings.

#3. Toss

Wankhede being a chasing ground, the captain winning the toss will be desperate to field first. The dew is likely to be a factor in this venue and both the teams, with a power-packed batting line-up, will be looking to chase.

As it is the first encounter of the tournament, both the teams will look to filed first and calm their nerves.

#2. Expectations from Chennai Super Kings

The Men in Yellow will certainly bank on their Indian players to do the job. Shane Watson and Murali Vijay are likely to open the innings while Raina is set to come in at number three. The middle order would, presumably, comprise of Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni.

The likes of Bravo and Jadeja will be in the side to accelerate in the last few overs of the innings but the two all-rounders will have to play a superior role with the ball than with the bat.

CSK lack experience in the fast bowling department and Bravo will have to play a big part, particularly in the death overs. Imran Tahir, Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh are likely to represent the spin department. Shardul Thakur and English seamer Mark Wood, who has already made a name for himself in the international arena, will be the leading the pace battery.

With Dhoni returning as CSK's skipper after two years, it won't be easy for him against MI in their own backyard. He'll have to get his team together and make sure that they begin the tournament with the same hunger and intensity that CSK are renowned for.

#1. Expectations from Mumbai Indians

At the top of the order, Evin Lewis is likely to partner skipper Rohit Sharma. MI will rely a lot on the menacing left-handed West Indian who had a phenomenal time versus India recently. The onus will be on him to make the most of the first six overs of field restrictions.

Young Ishan Kishan is expected to come in at No. 3 as he has been in fabulous touch of late in domestic cricket. The middle order is likely to comprise of Pollard, Surya Kumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.

There is not much to speak about in the spin department as it lacks experience, and they are expected to start off with Akila Dhananjaya and Krunal Pandya. Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and young Mayank Markande might also get a look in at some stage of the tournament.

The pace attack looks remarkable with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman in the ranks. After winning the IPL for the third time, Rohit Sharma and his boys will be charged up for the encounter and will look to get off to a scintillating start in the tournament.