Riding high on their recent comeback from IPL strugglers to second place in the table, Mumbai Indians will be the favourites when they host two time champions Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium for the first qualifier on Tuesday, May 19.
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Both former champions, Mumbai and Chennai have a 10-10 head to head record in 21 encounters and the winner on Tuesday will gain direct qualification into the finals at Eden Gardens on May 24. The losers, however, will earn a second chance to make it to the finals when they face the winners of the May 20 Eliminator at Pune between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In terms of momentum, Mumbai are on the front foot going into this tie with seven wins in eight games compared to CSK’s four defeats in their last seven matches. Previously this season, Mumbai lost at home by 6 wickets on April 17 when the two sides first met but hit back by ending CSK’s unbeaten home run on May 8.
Here, Sport360 looks at some of the key battles which could define the matchup.
Deadly opening pair
Teams rely on their openers to score quickly during the powerplay and set a good platform for the rest of batting order. That is exactly what Mumbai’s Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons have done in the last 11 games, with the partnership contributing an impressive 407 runs in those matches. The pair added a 106-run stand against Sunrisers as their side won by 9 wickets with 35 balls to spare in a dominant performance. Simmons has been the most devastating, scoring 407 runs at an average of 40.70 so far and contributing 4 fifties.
.@mipaltan‘s @ImRo45 poses for #IPLselfie after qualifying for #IPLplayoffs. Get yours at http://t.co/KV4UWxcanK pic.twitter.com/Ub3D32T9Au
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 18, 2015
Meanwhile, CSK will be forced to adapt to their new opening combination following the departure of their highest run-scorer Brendon McCullum (436 runs), who has departed for New Zealand’s Test series in England, starting on May 21. Alongside Dwayne Smith (325), the Kiwi opener played a key role in CSK’s journey to the top of the table. But MS Dhoni and Co will now trust veteran Mike Hussey with leading from the front despite the Australian only managing a single off 4 deliveries in his first game against Punjab at Mohali.
Potent bowling unit
CSK will rely heavily on leading wicket-taker Dwayne Bravo (20 wickets) and fifth-placed Ashish Nehra who has 18 scalps so far. Bravo’s variations confuse batsmen, while Nehra’s pace and swing are an even more potent threat at the start of an innings. R Ashwin, the most economic bowler in the tournament with 5.73 in 30 overs overall, adds variety in the middle overs alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Pawan Negi.
For Mumbai, it is Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan that form the opening strike force and the pair have a combined 33 wickets between them. The deadly duo can generate pace, swing and bounce and are superb in halting the opposition’s run-rate. In addition to that, Mumbai’s attack consists of the experienced Harbhajan Singh and impressive youngster Jagadeesha Suchith.
“@russcsk: It’s training time in Wankhede pic.twitter.com/vKSPjywnRg” Go you good things #whistlepodu
— Matthew Hayden AM (@HaydosTweets) May 18, 2015
Reliable middle-order
Having lost Corey Anderson through injury, Mumbai Indians were allowed to rope in England batsman Alex Hales for the remainder of the season. It will be interesting to see if Mumbai’s team management bring in the 26-year old and mix up the batting combination. Nonetheless, Mumbai’s formidable middle order includes skipper Rohit Sharma (413), Kieron Pollard (342) and Ambati Rayudu (235), while Hardik Pandya will be remembered for delivering that famous win over KKR with an unbeaten 61 off 31 balls.
Comparatively, CSK’s batting order looks much stronger on paper despite being inconsistent in their final games. Suresh Raina (321), Faf du Plessis (313) and MS Dhoni (328) form the core of their batting with Bravo and Jadeja adding extra firepower in the lower order.
Playing at home will be an added advantage for Mumbai thanks to the electrifying atmosphere their fans create but CSK will remember their earlier performance away at the Wankhede which resulted in victory. The head-to-head record and recent encounters suggests that little separates the two teams and fans across the globe will eagerly await the outcome of the two best sides this season and will hope for a thrilling contest.
