The Chennai Super Kings face the Mumbai Indians in IPL’s match 41 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Here’s our analysis.
The SWOT for CSK
Strengths: They are on the edge of elimination but the bowling has been the stronger side of their equation. Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran have got 10 wickets each and Shardul Thakur has got nine. Piyush Chawla and Karn Sharma have together grabbed 10. And Imran Tahir should have been included in the eleven before now.
Weaknesses: The batting has been dreadful. Apart from Faf du Plessis, all the other batsmen have been found wanting. All of the CSK batsmen put together have managed just seven fifties so far. Four of them came from du Plessis. Kedar Jadhav has been the weakest link with just 62 runs from eight matches at a strike rate of 93.93. The batting order was shuffled so often that no one was able to settle into a role.
Opportunities: MS Dhoni has admitted that he will finally offer more chances to the youngsters in the remaining league matches. So, we should see more of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Narayan Jagadeesan, Monu Kumar, KM Asif and R Sai Kishore. Mitchell Santner and Imran Tahir also deserve a game. Tahir’s complete exclusion has played a major role in the team’s failures.
Threats: They are now desperately trying to avoid finishing the league stage in last place. Another loss would add insult to injury. There are already murmurs circulating about a complete overhaul of the team. They are now the team that’s most likely to finish last.
The SWOT for MI
Strengths: The bowling attack is arguably the best of all the teams. Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, James Pattinson and Rahul Chahar are likely to finish among the top wicket-takers of the season. Krunal Pandya has supported them well and Kieron Pollard has stepped up to bowl when required. It’s the most settled bowling attack in the league.
Weaknesses: There are no obvious major weaknesses. A minor concern is the form of Nathan Coulter-Nile with the ball. In two matches, he has got just one wicket while conceding 84 runs. The team should also not become complacent.
Opportunities: CSK vs MI is considered the El Clásico of the IPL. This time, however, CSK’s form has robbed interest from the match. MI should aim for a dominant win that will boost their run rate.
Threats: MI suffered a shocking loss to Kings XI Punjab that has currently pushed them down to no. 3 in the table. They need to set the record straight with a big win. They have been among the best in the league phase and anything below a top-two finish would undo all their hard work.
Head to head:
Matches played: 31
Chennai Super Kings: 13
Mumbai Indians: 18
Last five matches (most recent first):
Chennai Super Kings: L-L-W-L-L
Mumbai Indians: L-W-W-W-W
What happened in the reverse fixture?
MI lost the first match of the season against CSK. Ambati Rayudu played a man-of-the-match innings of 71, du Plessis made 58 and CSK won by five wickets.
Deccan Herald’s Dream XI
Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma (c), Faf du Plessis, Suryakumar Yadav, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kieron Pollard, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur
Team news
CSK’s Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the IPL with an injury. No injuries reported from the MI camp.
Ground conditions
The sky will be hazy with the temperature around 23 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be about 41% with gentle winds.
Impact player for CSK
Sam Curran: He has been the find of the season. He has bowled in different parts of the innings and batted very well in multiple positions. He is also a great fielder. Curran deserves a long run with CSK.
Impact player for MI
Jasprit Bumrah: He started the season slow but he has since picked up his performances. He is delivering yorkers at will. His ball to clean up KL Rahul in the previous match showed that he’s back to his best. With 15 wickets already in his kitty, he will now aim for that Purple Cap.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 PM IST.
