Off to a disastrous start with three successive defeats, Mumbai Indians will have their work cut out when they lock horns with two-time title winners and in-form Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier league match.
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Mumbai Indians fan, Sundeep Lewis
Mumbai finally got their batting going in their last game and will look to build upon that performance against Chennai. Pollard looks to have found his touch with a blistering 70 – supported by Corey Anderson who has scored two fifties in his last three outings. With Finch ruled out of the IPL, Mumbai need their Indian batsman to not only step up, but do so consistently. Mumbai will look to their star player Malinga to spearhead their bowling attack once again.
Chennai, as expected, won their opening two home games and look settled. Their side looks balanced and have won most of their games with ease. They are playing a lesser team in Mumbai but have a paltry 50 per cent success against the Indians, which means they will not take the 2013 champions lightly. Their foreign stars pick themselves in the starting XI but their Indian representation will also need to perform at the Wankhede.
Tonight, it’s going to be another sea of blue at the Wankhede as #ApunKaSuperstar @mipaltan will take on CSK. #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/rSkxzL7C9p
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 17, 2015
Prediction: Chennai to win
Likely XI: Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel, Unmukt Chand, Rohit Sharma, Corey Anderson, Keiron Pollard, Jagadeesha Suchith, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun
Mumbai player to watch: Rohit Sharma will look all set to take the Mumbai batting in his hands and will look to get the support from his overseas all-round stars if they need to put Chennai on the backfoot. Expect a big innings if Mumbai get to bat first at the Wankhede.
Opposition player to Watch: Suresh Raina has not yet got going in the IPL so far. At No.3 he plays a pivotal role in the batting order and will hope to come good against their fierce rivals Mumbai. He would like to spend time in the middle and tear into the ragged Mumbai Indians bowling attack.
Where to Watch: Freddy’s Restro Cafe Fortune Karama Hotel
Chennai Super Kings fan, Naresh Gunasekar
The Chennai Super Kings have begun this IPL season with back-to-back victories. After a close first match, the second game was walk in the park with a stunning performance from Brendon McCullum scoring 100* runs against Sunrisers. A change in batting order, with Dhoni moving higher up the order also made a difference to CSK’s game where he duely smashed a quick fire 53 off just 29 balls.
Chennai will be travelling for the first time this season, where they will face 2011 IPL finalists Mumbai Indians. The record stands at 10-10 between the sides after CSK knocked out Indians out of the IPL last season.
On paper, CSK are the stronger side of the two and the Mumbai Indians are struggling for form, having conceded three defeats on the trot. They will be eager to get on the points table and hope that the home support will play a massive role in influencing the result in their favour.
@ChennaiIPL fellow follower of the CSK team and he s insane about msd and here s de instance… pic.twitter.com/ftclOgxBfq
— vignesh villa (@VickyValiban) April 17, 2015
Prediction: T20 cricket is a beautiful game in which the results are hard to predict. At the same time, CSK look way too strong for Mumbai Indians at this time and it will be another strong performance from CSK that will bring them their third victory.
Likely XI: McCullum, Smith, Raina, Du Plessis, DJ Bravo, Dhoni, Jadeja, Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Pandey
Chennai player to watch: Suresh Raina is the top scorer in IPL history scoring 3343 runs at a healthy T20 average of 35.14. After missing out on the last two games Raina will be looking to show his skill and get a big score. This is a perfect platform for him to display why he is the most wanted man in IPL and get some runs under his belt.
Opposition player to watch: Corey Anderson has come into this IPL with good form from the World Cup in which he played a crucial part in New Zealand’s amazing win over South Africa. His contribution with both bat and ball will be crucial for the Mumbai Indians and CSK will be happy to limit his contribution.
Where to watch: Grand Stand in Park Regis Hotel, Bur Dubai
