Often dubbed as the El Classico of IPL, the face-off between the Yellow and Blue has a huge following even outside its original fanbase.
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma during practice session (PTI Photos)
The much anticipated clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians will begin on March 23 at 7.30 pm at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Often dubbed as the El Classico of IPL, the face-off between the Yellow and Blue has a huge following even outside its original fanbase.
Pitch:
The pitch at the Chepauk is generally spin friendly and the trend might continue. Captain winning the toss might opt to bowl first as chasing would be advantageous. A target of more than 170 would be competitive.
Head-to-Head record:
The OG rivals have faced each other 37 times in the Indian Premier League, with the Mumbai Indians having a clear upper hand. The men in Blue and Gold have won 20 games, while CSK settled with 17 victories.
However, Mumbai is finding it hard recently as they haven't found a win against the Yellow-army since 2022. In the two encounters last season, Chennai registered comfortable victories. MI last won against CSK under ROhit's captaincy in 2022.
Probable Playing XI
CSK - Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed
MI - Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Karn Sharma, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar
Winning Probability
With a spin-friendly turf and home advantage Chennai Super Kings might have a slight edge. However, Mumbai Indians with a well balanced team including spinners and attacking batting line up would give a tough fight. If the Suryakumar-led side fires up with their explosive batting strength they might as well take the game away from Chennai.
Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad with the bat and bowling trio Jadeja-Ashwin- Pathirana would be key for Chennai. While Mumbai would lean on Rickleton, Rohit and Surya for runs, they got Karn Sharma, Boult and Santner to aid with the ball.
However, Chennai with dependable batting power and all-round bowling strength will have a slight edge in the thriller of a clash.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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