Preview: Mumbai Indians VS Chennai Super Kings

Both Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings were billed to lead the pack before the tournament, and both have struggled to come into their own with some disconcerting collapses and stuttering chases. Both come off wins from their previous matches and will be looking to build a winning streak when they touch down today in Mumbai to face each other.Mumbai changed their opening combination six times out of nine matches before Tendulkar and Franklin finally provided a promising partnership in the last match to settle that question. Their middle order however continues to cause them headache with the absence of Kieron Pollard’s decisive hitting ability and poor outings from the domestic talent. Their continued reliance on Lasith Malinga may come up short against stronger teams in the tournament at later stages.

After two losses and a washed out match, Chennai registered a win against the Deccan Chargers in their last outing to revive their floundering fortunes. However, du Plessis continues to be the indispensable protagonist, and the Indian heavyweights would be looking to step up and contribute from here on if Chennai needs to fend off close competitors and secure a playoff berth.

Mumbai Indians are sitting on the third position in the table with 6 wins out of 10 games, while Chennai are at the 4th position having won 5 out of 11. A win for each team will be crucial in separating them from the rest of the pack and putting them firmly on track heading to the playoffs.

Head to Head

Mumbai Indians lead the head-to-head record at 5-4, winning comfortably against the defending champions in the first match of this season.

Players to watch out for

Mumbai Indians

Sachin Tendulkar

With each stint in the middle, Sachin Tendulkar has looked more assured and fluent, and a firm track at the Wankhede would be ideal for him to let loose and get a mammoth score that he is due for. He has been under pressure to play the role of a consolidator with lingering inconsistency from the middle order, and will need the support of James Franklin and Rohit Sharma to finally be able to play freely and come into his own zone.

Lasith Malinga

He missed three matches due to a back injury but returned to the side showing no signs of rust as he assumed the role of the leading pacer and continued to make match-winning contributions. His ability to take top-order wickets and bowl tidy spells at the death will be a major cause for concern for the Super Kings.

Chennai Super Kings

Suresh Raina

Raina had an indifferent start to the season but slowly seems to be getting back into hitting rhythm with neat knocks of 44 and 32 in his last two outings. Chennai will be counting on him to encounter the seasoned slow bowling flank of the Mumbai Indians in the middle overs.

MS Dhoni

The Super Kings captain has had good starts but has failed to convert them into decisive behemoths that he is so capable of coming up with. Dhoni will look at coming in at No. 4 and keep the innings steady before unleashing himself at the death with his trademark swings and strikes.

Anticipated face-off

Harbhajan Singh vs. MS Dhoni – An encounter between the deceptive slow bowling of Harbhajan and the powerful bottom-hand of Dhoni could prove to be a match in itself.

Prediction for the match

Though Sachin provides stability to the top order, the rest of the batsmen could struggle against the battery of slow bowlers that Chennai will offer on a gripping track at the Wankhede. Mumbai’s bowling has performed consistently throughout the tournament, but will face stronger competition from the batting stalwarts of Chennai. Mumbai’s impact players have scored wins for them at crucial junctures, but might not be enough to overcome a more cohesive unit of Chennai today.

Predicted winner: Chennai Super Kings.