Chennai: In what could be another riveting clash, defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on Mumbai Indians in their return fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium here on Friday. After eight wins from 11 games and 16 points in their kitty, Chennai have already qualified for the play-offs. However, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will certainly like to keep the winning momentum going as the top two teams on the points table get an additional chance to make it to the final.
Mumbai is placed third with 12 points and is yet to consolidate its position in the top four and need at least two more wins to seal a play-off berth. The Rohit Sharma-led side however, had outclassed the yellow brigade by 37 runs when they last faced-off in Mumbai. Mumbai however, must be cautious against Chennai as Dhoni and company have not lost a single game at their home so far in this year’s league. Chennai have won all of their five games at the Chepauk.
Both the sides have faced each other in 27 matches in IPL history and Mumbai have won 15 of those games, while Chennai have managed to win the remaining 12. The hosts however, will have few points to prove as they are up against a team that handed them their first defeat of the season, in Mumbai. This is also the team that has a slight wood on them – having beaten them in the finals of the 2013 and 2015 edition of the IPL. So what better than stalling the chances of one team that has proved to be their nemesis before?
The Chennai camp would be a little relaxed after their last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which they won convincingly by six wickets. Opener Shane Watson, who failed to click in the earlier part of the season, finally regained his form smashing a brilliant 53-ball 96. Overall, another exciting clash is on the cards as the two arch-rivals and also the two best teams in the league’s history face-off in the business end of the tournament.
Probable XI
CSK – S Watson, F du Plessis, S Raina, A Rayudu, K Jadhav, MS Dhoni, D Bravo, R Jadeja, I Tahir, D Chahar, S Thakur/ H Singh.
MI – R Sharma, Q de Kock, S Yadav, I Kishan, K Pollard, H Pandya, K Pandya, R Chahar, J Bumrah, L Malinga, M Markande.
