Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of tonight's Indian Premier League encounter between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai Indians has halted Chennai Super Kings' winning juggernaut this season, handing the visitor a 38-run defeat in what was its 100th victory in the IPL. That was a truly all-round performance from the Mumbai franchise. Despite losing wickets early in the innings, Mumbai recovered well through Suryakumar's fifty and a late flourish from Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard. Hardik came back to haunt Chennai with the ball, returning figures of three for 20. This win will be a shot in the arm for Rohit Sharma and his team.
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◘ Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur are out in the middle for CSK. Chahar has been snapped up by Pandya who is in the middle of a mindboggling spell. He gets his third. CSK 132/8 after 19.3 overs
◘ One brings two.
Bravo follows suit and that surely is game, set and match for Mumbai Indians?
KEDAR JADHAV DEPARTS! And with that, CSK's hopes too? Malinga reaps the benefits of a brilliant 17th over by Bumrah, where he went for just three. Jadhav, trying to up the ante, gets a faint nick off Malinga's bowling and CSK slips further.
CSK 109/6 after 17.3 overs CSK 115/7 after 18 overs.
◘ Malinga to bowl the 16th over, and Kedar brings up his fifty with a boundary and follows it up with another one towards fine leg. Dwayne Bravo has joined him in the middle. 11 off it in the end. CSK 105/5 after 16 overs.
◘ Hardik Pandya has swung the momentum in Mumbai's favour once again. He gets rid of Dhoni and Jadeja in the same over to leave CSK reeling at 85/5.
◘ Krunal to bowl the 14th over. Jadhav bisects deep square leg and deep mid-wicket with a fine sweep shot, brings up the 50-run stand with Dhoni. Bumrah is back. Great comeback from Bumrah, just three off his second over after going for 15 in his first. Chennai needs 84 runs in 36 balls. CSK 87/3 after 14 overs.
◘ Pandya brothers bowling in tandem. Hardik has been parsimonious in his spell so far, just six off his first two. Krunal too bowls a tidy first over, goes for just five. CSK 77/3 after 12 overs. Chennai needs 94 runs in 48 balls
◘ Rahul Chahar to bowl on his MI debut. He concedes eight off his first over and just three off his second. Meanwhile, Behrendorff has bowled out, he finishes on two for 22. Dhoni, meanwhile, has reached 4000 runs for CSK with a brace off Behrendorff. CSK 66/3 after 10 overs. Chennai needs 105 runs in 60 balls
◘ BOOM, BOOM Bumrah into the attack. Oh btw, M.S. Dhoni is in the house. He is two shy of 4000 IPL runs. Meanwhile, Kedar has pulled Bumrah off the front foot for four. He then hammers another one albeit off a free hit this time before using Bumrah's pace to help one over third-man for the third boundary of this over. Two dots to end the over and it's time for the strategic time-out!
◘ Hardik bowls the sixth, concedes just one. Good Lord. Pollard has plucked a blinder out of thin air. That's gotto be the best catch of the tournament so far. Raina can't believe it. Pollard has done something magical at sweeper cover. Chants of CSK, CSK reverberate through the stadium as Raina collects two back-to-back boundaries off Behrendorff. Chennai getting a move on now. CSK 34/3 after 6 overs.
◘ Malinga to continue. WHOA! Kedar, you beauty. Malinga sends one down the leg side and the dimunitive right-hander has flicked it away for six. Brilliant shot. He follows it up with a similar hit, this time for four. 11 off that over. Behrendorff is back. He is now at the receiving end an inside out maximum off Raina's willow. Eight off that over. CSK 25/2 after 4 overs.
◘ Ho, Ho Ho! Mumbai Indians are pumped and rightly so. Lasith Malinga gets rid of Shane Watson as Chennai loses both openers cheaply. CSK 6/2 after 2 overs. GONE! Jeez, that one took off and Ambati Rayudu has edged that to the keeper. A brute short delivery from Behrendorff and Rayudu departs for a golden duck! Raina is the new man in. CSK 1/1 after 1 over.
Debutant Jason Behrendorff to start the proceedings, Shane Watson and Rayudu to begin the chase.
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Late flourish from Pollard and Hardik Pandya has powered Mumbai to a formidable 170/5. The host side was buoyed by Suryakumar Yadav's spirited half-century in the middle overs and Krunal's 32-ball 42. CSK needs 171 to win.
◘ Pollard is the new man in. Thakur's 19th over starts and ends with a six. Pandya hammers a length ball over the ropes at the start, and Pollard wraps it up with another maximum. MI 141/5 after 19 overs.
◘ GONE! Suryakumar Yadav perishes after a fine knock, and Bravo gets the set man. Mumbai loses its fifth wicket. Bravo is back. Mohit is back for his third over. He concedes two back-to-back boundaries to Krunal before having him caught by Jadeja. Meanwhile, Surya brings up his fifty. Top knock. He needs to stay there till the end. Hardik Pandya is the new man in. MI 125/5 after 18 overs.
◘ Suryakumar Yadav is playing a mature knock here, eases a slower ball to short third-man for four. Bravo is back for his second. Tahir returns after the strategic time-out. Krunal Pandya muscles a maximum over long-on. Tahir finishes with figures of one for 25. MI 103/3 after 16 overs.
◘ Krunal Pandya has been adjudged lbw by Rod Tucker but the batsman has reviewed. And it's the faintest of nicks on the snicko that saves Pandya. Thakur is back for his third. DROPPED ! Mohit Sharma has dropped a sitter at mid-off. That should have been taken. Krunal Pandya gets a life. Dwayne Bravo has been introduced in the 13th over. MI 82/3 after 14 overs.
◘ Mohit Sharma is back into the attack. Mumbai needs a move on. And some sign of intent from Krunal, lifts one over long off for a much-needed four and then pulls one for another boundary. Tahir continues and Suryakumar has dispatched one to backward square leg for four. Seven off that over. MI 74/3 after 12 overs.
◘ Krunal Pandya is the new man in. Jadeja to continue. Krunal's first scoring shot is a cheeky stroke to third-man for four. MI 57/3 after 10 overs. Yuvraj Singh is the new man in. Tahir to continue. And he has got rid of Yuvraj! Oh Dear, Mumbai in trouble here as Yuvraj departs to a sharp catch by Rayudu near the ropes.
◘ OUT! Wait, is he? Rohit has been stumped off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling and the third umpire is checking for a no-ball. It's touch and go, and he has been given! MI has lost both openers. First signs of spin, leg-spinner Imran Tahir has been introduced into the attack; he goes for five in his first over. MI 48/2 after 8 overs.
◘ Mohit Sharma, right-arm fast medium, has been introduced into the attack. Tidy start from Mohit, just one in the end. No, he isn't.
Chahar might be bowling out here .
He's bowling his third and first signs of aggression from MI against Chahar and it's Yadav who gets
three successive boundaries off him.
14 off that over, 12 from boundaries! MI 40/1 after 6 overs.
◘ Suryakumar Yadav comes to the crease. He welcomes Mumbai team-mate Thakur with an imperious cover-drive and follows it up with an equally delectable on-drive. Rohit joins the fun and carves a boundary through cover-point. Thakur losing the radar here!
GONE! Chahar has his revenge, de Kock is caught right after an inside edge races away to the fence. Chahar has been rewarded for some mighty, good bowling here. Kedar Jadhav completes an easy catch at square leg. MI after 25/1 after 4 overs.
◘ Shardul Thakur, medium seamer, from the other end. Plenty of seam movement straightaway for Thakur as well. He goes for just one. Chahar bowls a jaffa and de Kock is squared up all right. Unplayable delivery that from the CSK seamer, de Kock who was shaping up for the inswinger is beaten as the ball pitches and moves away from him. Peach! Chahar concedes just two! MI 3/0 after 2 overs.
Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock open the innings for Mumbai Indians, Deepak Chahar with the new ball.
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TOSS UPDATE: M.S. Dhoni has won the toss and CSK will bowl first.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Mohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Jason Behrendorff
PITCH REPORT: "The Wankhede wicket offers a lot of bounce and assists the spinners too. The average first-innings total on this pitch is 166... Seamers though can't survive here by taking pace off the ball. They should look to bowl short or be right at batsmen's feet, that's where Mumbai Indians might have a slight advantage," notes Sanjay Manjrekar.
Mumbai Indians, in 2015, beat CSK in the IPL final. Here's a throwback to the exciting encounter between the two teams.
◘ Malinga, who was cleared last week by Sri Lanka Cricket to play the entire IPL for the Mumbai Indians, will head home today for the Super Provincial One Day Tournament| Malinga in IPL U-turn, to play domestic Sri Lanka tournament
◘ Among the eight venues, Dhoni averages 26.44 at Wankhede; the poorest average (22.00), however, is at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad| At Wankhede, law of averages catches up with Dhoni
◘ The CSK skipper has managed only 38 runs off the 35 deliveries of Jasprit Bumrah he has faced. Bumrah, meanwhile, has got Dhoni out thrice in the IPL. Who will come out on top tonight?
FOLLOW: 2019 IPL FULL COVERAGE
With captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in red-hot form, Chennai Super Kings is sitting pretty on top of the table with three wins in as many games. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, hasn’t had a memorable outing so far, bagging a solitary victory in three matches.
Here's Shayan Acharya's preview of this evening's contest:
MI vs CSK: In-form Chennai starts as favourite in Mumbai’s den
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will square off in an Indian Premier League ( IPL) fixture at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
The recent head-to-head figures show that Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians has beaten the Super Kings in four out of its last five outings. Chennai, however, has been in roaring form so far.
With captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in red-hot form, the three-time champion is sitting pretty on top of the table with three wins in as many games. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, hasn’t had a memorable outing so far, bagging a solitary victory in between two defeats.
Just a couple of days ago, the 37-year-old Dhoni hammered a 46-ball 75 against Rajasthan Royals to guide his team from 27-3 to 175-5. That particular innings by Dhoni not only evoked memories but also bolstered the side’s confidence.
READ: Malinga in IPL U-turn, to play domestic Sri Lanka tournament
And in Mumbai, the Super Kings will look to keep the momentum going.
The side looks extremely balanced in all the departments and with seasoned campaigners like Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu around, CSK has all the resources to change the direction of any game.
This particular fixture could well be significant for Rayudu, who is still hopeful of retaining his No.4 spot in the national team for the World Cup.
ALSO READ: Stokes, Tahir in awe of finisher M.S. Dhoni
Though the Hyderabad-based batsman has been off-colour so far — 34 runs in three innings — one fruitful innings can again boost his confidence and also bolster the team’s batting unit.
As far as bowling is concerned, Chennai looks like a well-oiled unit with Deepak Chahar and Dwayne Bravo in good form. The spin wing is also extremely well-balanced with South African Imran Tahir and Indian ace Ravindra Jadeja playing their roles perfectly after the powerplay.
While Chennai appears to tick all the boxes, Mumbai has been over-dependent on openers Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock. Rohit promoted himself up the order, keeping the World Cup in mind, but he has not been able to flex his muscles so far. And that, invariably, has hurt the team.
Though Yuvraj Singh began the season with a gritty knock of 53 against Delhi Capitals, he looked inconsistent with scores of 23 and 18 in the subsequent matches.
If Mumbai has to bring its campaign back on track, the batting unit has to step up.
READ: Dhoni hits half-century every IPL season
Last season, young Ishan Kishan played some big knocks for Mumbai but he hasn’t been given a game yet in 2019. It would be interesting to see if the host team hands him the cap on Wednesday.
Mumbai, however, will have the services of its West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph. Mumbai could replace Lasith Malinga, who will head back home for the Super Provincial one-day tournament with all-rounder Ben Cutting.
Statistics may give Mumbai the edge, but by current form, Chennai starts as the favourite in a clash of heavyweights!
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