Mumbai Indians will be aiming to shatter the proud record of MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings of having qualified for the playoffs in every edition as they prepare to clash in Sharjah. A win for Mumbai Indians will take them one step closer to the knockout stages while a loss will end Chennai Super Kings’ chances even mathematically.
In a normal world, the clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians would have generated a feverish crescendo of excitement, analysis and fan reactions from across the social media spectrum. The buzz heading into the clash would have been feverish as this would have been the stage when the two teams would determine whether they would make it to the playoffs or not. Even when IPL 2020 started, the build-up was palpable because of the fact that it was the first major Twenty20 game for Indian audiences in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. However, 41 games later in IPL 2020, the circumstances have changed totally and the build-up for the ‘marquee clash’ is almost non-existent.
This is because Chennai Super Kings have suffered a massive downturn in fortunes. MS Dhoni’s team were ravaged from the beginning of the IPL with the coronavirus sweeping through the side. The withdrawal of Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina was a massive blow in terms of experience. With unfortunate injuries to Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Bravo, Chennai Super Kings have been on the receiving end of bad luck right from the word go. With Bravo now ruled out, their stock has been depleted even further. With accusations of ‘lack of intent’ and ‘aggression’ plus the controversy surrounding MS Dhoni’s comment that the youngsters ‘lacked spark’, everything that can go wrong with Chennai Super Kings has gone wrong. In fact, if reports are to be believed, then the entire Chennai Super Kings squad might be overhauled totally before IPL 2021 as the management has expressed deep ‘unhappiness’ with the situation. The mood in the Chennai Super Kings camp has also not helped with MS Dhoni admitting that their playoff hopes are all but over.
For Mumbai Indians, there are fewer worries. After their rusty show against Chennai Super Kings where they misfielded and dropped catches, they have become a well-oiled machine in batting, bowling and fielding. The fact that two out of their three losses have come in the Super Over will not make them worried. A Super Over against Royal Challengers Bangalore and a ‘double’ Super Over against Kings XI Punjab have shown their mental strength more than the other teams. Based on current form and teams, the encounter in Sharjah is heavily favoured for Mumbai Indians to win for the 18th time against Chennai Super Kings and come closer to sealing the spot in the playoffs.
Team News
There are some fitness issues regarding Rohit Sharma as he was unwell in the aftermath of that freakish double Super Over against Kings XI Punjab. With Dwayne Bravo now ruled out, this could potentially mean that Imran Tahir could get some games under his belt. Why was the 2019 Purple Cap winner not given a game till now is beyond comprehension, despite MS Dhoni’s claims on team composition. If Rohit Sharma is unwell for Mumbai Indians although there is nothing official, Kieron Pollard could potentially captain the team.
Probable Playing 11s
Mumbai Indians - Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Chennai Super Kings - Faf du Plessis, Sam Curran, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood/Imran Tahir
Match details
Match: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians
Date and Time: 22nd October, 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Statistics
Mumbai Indians have won five out of the last six encounters against Chennai Super Kings, with their one loss coming in the first game of IPL 2020 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi
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