No team has upstaged Chennai Super Kings at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on more occasions in the IPL than the Mumbai Indians.
With five wins on the trot since 2012, Rohit Sharma’s men prowl into Chepauk on Saturday with form and history in favour.
However, the jubilation of two consecutive 200-plus run chases - against Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings - could be shortlived as MI hosts its weakest bowling lineup in years against a side led by MS Dhoni.
Barring leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who has resurrected himself with 15 scalps at an economy of 7.28, Mumbai’s shapeless attack has leaked 10.27 runs per over for 36 wickets.
Smiles can turn wry for MI against a firing CSK batting order - the quickest-striking team this season (9.58 rpo) - which hopes to get faster on fresher pitches at the ground.
The Super Kings have been abrasive against spin-bowling, aggregating 640 runs with a strike rate of 141.59, the best among all teams. MI’s tweakers, save Chawla, will be locked in by the CSK batters.
While Rohit’s batting remains a concern, MI has hounded opponents with its collective firepower. No Mumbai batter has crossed the 300-run mark yet.
However, from Tilak Varma to Tim David, all the big middle-order bats boast a 150-plus strike rate. Suryakumar Yadav’s dashing return to form with three half-centuries in four games promises stability.
A crisis cannot be ruled out against CSK’s impressive belt of spinners. In their previous clash last month, MI surrendered to the guile and accuracy of left-armers Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner, who accounted for five wickets in eight overs at the expense of just 48 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
Santner, who has since missed seven matches, could replace a wavering Maheesh Theekshana, who has also been sloppy on the field.
Meanwhile, Dhoni’s ploy to defend a 200-run total with spin went awry last Sunday when Punjab pummeled his shaky pace unit to snatch a last-ball win at the venue.
The desperation to get the seam bowling steady forced Deepak Chahar’s return against Lucknow Super Giants in the previous game. However, the right-arm seamer ended up with figures of none for 41, his fourth wicketless game in as many appearances this season.
With the Playoffs race heating up and rain in Lucknow denying what looked like a certain point, CSK may roll out a slow surface on a predicted muggy afternoon to stomp MI for the second time in IPL 2023.
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh, Dwaine Pretorius, RS Hangargekar, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Bhagath Varma, Nishant Sindhu
Mumbai Indians Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arshad Khan, Suryakumar Yadav, Jason Behrendorff, Sandeep Warrier, Vishnu Vinod, Riley Meredith, Ramandeep Singh, Shams Mulani, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, Duan Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Raghav Goyal
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