IPL 2019, MI vs CSK Buildup: CSK win toss, opt to bat

Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir

MS Dhoni wins the toss, elects to bat first in Chennai!

The excitement level is at its peak! The biggest rivalry is back again for the 3rd time in this year @IPL and probably we may get to see them in the final too. Hardik (SR 199) & MSD(SR 140) will hold the key.

Malinga vs CSK in the @IPL ???

Wickets ? 30
Strike Rate ? 14.9
Average ? 17.1
Best ? 4/37#OneFamily #CricketMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/ppf7Ce5gCE

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) 7 May 2019

#AnbuDen landing for one last time this #SummerOf19! #WhistlePodu #Yellove ?? pic.twitter.com/uXHOpQcweY

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) 7 May 2019

Fafulous at #AnbuDen!#WhistlePodu #Yellove #MIvCSK ?? pic.twitter.com/mSlLtLMcAF

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) 7 May 2019

#Thala dharisanam scheduled at #AnbuDen today! Get ready #WhistlePoduArmy! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #MIvCSK ?? pic.twitter.com/RWLOhc0xFv

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) 7 May 2019

? | Before #MIvCSK, here's a throwback to Anukul Roy's #MI debut against CSK in Chennai ?#OneFamily #CricketMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/GKKX0kDQU9

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) 7 May 2019

The spotlight will be on the two captains, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni not only for their leadership, but also for their batting. The MI skipper may not have been spectacular with the bat this season, but he has consistently been getting the runs, and comes into this match at the back of an unbeaten match-winning half-century. Rohit’s opposite number, MS Dhoni, is the Chennai Super Kings’ top run-getter this season. The CSK skipper has been finishing innings like the Dhoni of old, and has remained not out in 6 of his 9 innings this season. 

CSK: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Dhruv Shorey, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir

MI: Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga 

After 14 matches, Hardik Pandya’s strike rate is 197.35. He also has 14 wickets to his credit. Hardik is arguably the most valuable player of this IPL, along with Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell. The West Indian played a lone ranger for Kolkata but Pandya has excellent support around him. His 34-ball 91 at Eden Gardens was arguably the most devastating piece of batting, albeit in a losing cause, by an Indian in limited-overs cricket of late. Many a time he almost single-handedly turned the match on its head. Against the Capitals at Feroz Shah Kotla, Mumbai had laboured to 118/4 after 17 overs. The visitors finished at 168/5 after 20, thanks to Pandya’s 32 off 15 deliveries. On Sunday at Wankhede, Knight Riders had raced to 49 for no loss after six overs. Pandya came, removed Shubman Gill off his first ball followed by Chris Lynn’s wicket in his second over and sucked the life out of KKR’s batting. 

In other news related to IPL, English umpire Nigel Llong could face the BCCI’s scrutiny for allegedly damaging the door of a stadium room after an argument with Virat Kohli but the Indian board is unlikely to remove him as an official for the IPL final on May 12. Llong reportedly lost his cool after being confronted by Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Kohli over a contentious no ball call against Sunrisers Hyderabad during an IPL match on Saturday in Bengaluru. [READ MORE] 

Collectively, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja have accounted for 47 scalps so far in the tournament. Tahir is second in the list of top wicket-takers behind Kagiso Rabada. The spinners have papered over the Chennai batting cracks. There’s a pattern in the way the Chennai spinners operate. Harbhajan bowls inside the Powerplay and, more often than not, makes early inroads. Tahir is Chennai’s x-factor, bowling-wise. He keeps things simple, bowls to his fields and his strengths. He revels in out-thinking batsmen followed by a spectacular celebratory run and is a captain’s delight. As for Jadeja, he is a different bowler when he plays under Dhoni’s leadership. On a helpful pitch, Jadeja just hit the right areas. 

Going by the head-to-head record this year, MI holds the upper hand having won both its encounters against CSK in the preliminary phase. In overall record too, the visitors hold the upper hand as out of the 28 encounters Mumbai has won 16 and Chennai had to be content with 12. 

The track in Chepauk has assisted spinners and the team batting second. The games haven’t been overly high-scoring, but runs have flowed at a decent rate. 

CSK suffered a huge blow before the play-off and will miss the services of the Kedar Jadhav, who sustained a freak shoulder injury in the match against Kings XI. The CSK all-rounder has been ruled out of the tournament. 

MS Dhoni has consistently churned out runs this season and is CSK’s man-in-form. Batting at a strike rate of 139.92, the CSK skipper has amassed 368 runs in nine innings so far.

After a strong start in the tournament, CSK were patchy towards the latter stages of the tournament. Despite being the first side to make it to the playoffs, there is a glaring shortcoming in the CSK line-up and that is the poor display by the opening pair of Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis. The pair have so far only managed to post a partnership of 50 or more only once in 14 matches. However, the South African skipper returning to form after playing a 96-run knock in just 55 balls may bring some relief to the franchise. 

In a format where three dot balls or three maximums can change the course of a game, it would be foolhardy to predict a Chennai versus Mumbai final, regardless of the fact that the losing team on Tuesday will get a second bite of the apple. It’s a contest between Mumbai’s firepower and Chennai’s cerebral cricket. Mumbai have match-winners aplenty, both in batting and bowling. Chennai have their spinners and MS Dhoni. [PREVIEW]

Hello and welcome to the LIVE COVERAGE of the first qualifier match in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Both the sides have already bagged three IPL titles and there is hardly anything to differentiate in the quality Mumbai and Chennai possess. However, CSK who have won six out of the seven matches played at home would look to maintain their dominance at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.