What

Match 43 of Pepsi IPL 2015 will see the Chennai Super Kings pitted against the Mumbai Indians.

CSK, with seven wins from ten matches, are the best-placed of all teams and sit pretty at the top of the table. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the two-time champions. They lost two on the bounce – against Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad – and were headed towards another defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore. But after a magical piece of fielding from Dwayne Bravo – which resulted in the run out of Virat Kohli, they strangled their opponents and picked up 6 wickets for 27 runs to squeeze out a 24-run victory. They say winning is a habit, and no team in the world has that imbibed that habit better than CSK.

Mumbai Indians are a team on the rise. The 2013 champions had a disastrous start to the season losing their first four matches, but have since bounced back spectacularly, winning five of their next six games. Rohit Sharma’s boys must surely be feeding off from events of last season; despite not opening their account until their sixth match, MI rallied brilliantly after that to qualify for the Playoffs. They are now locked in a mid-table muddle, and have three matches post this outing against teams who are in the fray for the remaining two Playoff spots.

When

08 May 2015, 8p.m. IST

Where

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

The Protagonists

The CSK top three – comprising Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith and Suresh Raina – have between them contributed to the extent of half the team’s runs. The fact that one among the three players has been top-scorer in six of CSK’s seven wins this season establishes how crucial they have been to the team’s fortunes.

The focus has almost always been on Rohit Sharma, for he is the best batsman in the Mumbai Indians lineup. However, the MI skipper must feel the burden has been taken off his shoulder to a certain extent, given Ambati Rayudu has played two match-winning knocks in the last few matches. MI will be without the services of Lasith Malinga in this match, and hence there will be added pressure on Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell McClenaghan to pick up bagfuls of wickets.

Contests to look-forward to

Brendon McCullum has not only scored runs for CSK this season, he has scored runs which have made an impact. A strike-rate of 174.03, and 84% of the runs through boundaries illustrates how explosive he has been with the willow in hand. The CSK opener will be up against a known face – in Mitchell McClenaghan, who will be spearheading the MI bowling attack.

The one other contest that promises to be interesting is between the off-spinners on either side. CSK’s R Ashwin is expected to have recovered from the finger injury that forced him to miss the last three matches. MI will look towards Harbhajan Singh, who bowled a sensational spell in the previous match; the MI off-spinner returned figures of 4-1-11-2 in a spell that included 16 dot balls.

Previous Meetings

The Chennai Super Kings have a slight edge in their contests against the Mumbai Indians. CSK & MI have so far clashed on 19 occasions; CSK have won 10 of those matches, while MI have won the remaining 9. In contests at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai though, the honours are shared evenly at two wins apiece.

When these two teams met at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai earlier this season, MI were routed by the CSK opening pair of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum. Given to chase 184, CSK came out all guns blazing at both ends as Smith and McCullum tore into the MI attack, adding 109 runs in 7.2 overs. Though Smith (62 from 30 balls) and McCullum (46 from 20 balls) were dismissed in the space of five deliveries, the damage had been caused. Suresh Raina steered the visitors home with a 29-ball 43.

Trivia

In Pepsi IPL 2015, no player has scored a higher percentage of runs through boundaries than CSK’s Brendon McCullum. The CSK opener has struck 39 fours and 18 sixes, which equate to 264 runs and 83.8% of his aggregate of 315 runs.

8 of Harbhajan Singh’s tally of 11 wickets in Pepsi IPL 2015 are of opening batsmen. No other bowler has dismissed as many opening batsmen this season.

Dwayne Bravo has more wickets against the Mumbai Indians than against any other opponent. In eight matches against MI, he has a tally of 17 wickets at an average of 12.17, an economy rate of 7.39 and a strike-rate of a wicket every 9.8 balls.

What Next

The Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will be seen in action next on May 10. MS Dhoni and co. stay put at home and prepare to host the Rajasthan Royals. The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians meanwhile head back home to host the Royal Challengers Bangalore.