MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings are winless in their last three matches, with two defeats and a washout against Lucknow Super Giants, CSK will be aiming to do the double over their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians as the El Clasico of IPL returns for its second-leg in IPL 2023 campaign.
The Yellow Army had defeated Rohit Sharma’s men by 7 wickets earlier this season but a lot has changed since then. The five-time IPL champs come into this fixture on the back of a convincing 6-wicket victory over Punjab Kings. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan both smashed fifties to help MI chase down a 200-plus total for a second game running.
Mumbai Indians bowlers have conceded runs aplenty and that is one department where CSK can exploit their opponents, the opening partnership of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be key once again, and Ravindra Jadeja will look to weave his spin magic against the likes of SKY, Tilkar Verma, Cameron Green and others.
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Dhoni and Co come into this fixture after their previous game against Lucknow was washed out due to rain, and before that, they suffered two defeats in a row to Rajasthan Royals and PBKS.
What: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Mumbai Indians (MI), IPL 2023 Match 49
When: May 6, Saturday
Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Start Time: 3:30 PM IST
Mumbai Indians News
Mumbai Indians, after a sluggish start, have slowly gathered momentum, chasing down tall scores. However, the bowlers’ inability to curtail opposition batters would be a cause of worry for skipper Rohit Sharma, who himself has been short of runs.
The return of Jofra Archer augurs well for Mumbai but he would need to pick wickets while the onus would be on the other bowlers to be economical.
Experienced leg-spinner Piyush Chawla would have a big part to play if MI have to keep CSK batters in check.
Ishan Kishan hit form in the win over Punjab Kings on Wednesday as did Suryakumar Yadav and that would have pleased the Mumbai team management and the fans.
If the two, apart from Rohit, Cameron Green and Tilak Varma can get going, the Super Kings bowlers would have a huge task on hand.
The wickets at Chidambaram stadium have been a mixed bag so far unlike the slow, low ones of the past, enabling teams to get good scores. What kind of a track is dished out for CSK’s 11th match of the season could have a say in the proceedings.
With CSK (11 points) and MI (10) in a tight contest for points and securing spots in the playoffs, Saturday’s game promises an interesting battle.
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Chennai Super Kings News
Having endured a defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings in a last-ball thriller on April 30, CSK will hope their fortunes change in the second-afternoon match at home.
Devon Conway (414 runs) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (354 runs) have provided strong starts but the middle-order has not been able to build on them on occasions, leaving the think-tank and fans flummoxed.
While the experienced Ajinkya Rahane has pulled his weight as has Shivam Dube, CSK will hope Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali can rise to the occasion as the tournament winds down towards the business end.
The talismanic Dhoni, batting way too low down the order, has smacked a few out of the park to boost the score. However, as many wonder, it remains a mystery as to why the out-of-form Rayudu and Ravindra Jadeja bat ahead of him.
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Rahane was in brilliant form as CSK won the first game in Mumbai and would be raring to do an encore here.
The bowling department has been boosted with the return of Deepak Chahar. However, bowlers like Tushar Deshpande (17 wickets, economy rate: 12.11 ) leaking runs despite picking up wickets has hurt the team’s cause.
Jadeja, who has been brilliant with the ball though not so with the bat, like always would be key for CSK along with fellow spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Moeen Ali.
There have been calls for playing Mitchell Santner in the XI as he can be handy with the bat apart from his bowling exploits but it remains to be seen if the team would bring him in for either Moeen or Theekshana.
Young pacer Matheesha Pathirana has been doing a good job and the MI batters would be wary of the Lankan slinger come Saturday.
With PTI Inputs
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