The El-Clasico of the Indian Premier League has finally arrived for the 2024 season. Mumbai Indians will take on the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today.
The teams boast of a rich history having won five IPL titles each with CSK being the most recent winner.
There’s another common thread that joins the two rivals – a new leader at the helm.
This is Hardik Pandya’s MI vs Ruturaj Gaikwad’s CSK instead of the usual Rohit Sharma vs MS Dhoni battle. So in this new era of IPL’s El-Clasico, the two opponents would want to start with a victory and get those two crucial points.
CSK are currently on the number 3 position on the table whereas MI, with two back-to-back victories, have lifted themselves up to the number 7th spot.
What: MI vs CSK, Match 29
When: April 14, 7:30 PM IST
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Live Streaming: Jio Cinema App
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MI Team News
MI started poorly in the IPL 2024 but they have found their rhythm back with two back-to-back wins at their home. Yes, it can be argued that both the teams they defeated (DC and RCB) are woefully out of form and at the bottom of the table but the results will give Pandya-led side much needed confidence boost on which they can build on.
The home team’s real test will be in this match where they play an in-form CSK who can pose a challenge to them on all fronts.
The good news for MI is that their best batter Suryakumar Yadav is back in his elements. In their previous game against RCB at the same venue, SKY smashed a 19-ball 52 at a explosive strike-rate of 273. If Mumbai want to penetrate the top four in the league stage, SKY’s form is of utmost importance.
Ahead of the big clash, SKY did put up an exhibition of power hitting in the nets during the practice. There was hardly any stand where the ball didn’t land when he was batting in the nets.
Rohit was present for the practice but didn’t bat. He mainly focussed on running and some knocking, something he did ahead of the RCB game as well.
When it comes to their bowling, MI’s main and only job is to preserve Jasprit Bumrah because he is nothing short of a prized jewel. When others bowlers are having a bad day giving indication that the pitch might be a batting paradise, Bumrah seems to be bowling on a different surface. He is second in the IPL 2024 Purple Cap race with 10 wickets in five matches at an economy of just 5.95.
MI Probable Playing XI vs CSK
Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Akash Madhwal, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Romario Shepherd
CSK Team News
Chennai Super Kings have looked good in the season so far but with one major cause of concern. CSK has won three matches so far and all three have been the home games for them. They are yet to win an away match.
Their two losses came in Visakhapatnam – against Delhi Capitals – and in Hyderabad – against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Wankhede is a high-scoring ground and MI , with the form they are in, can easily post a big total or chase one down. It’s the bowlers that can turn out to be a weak link for CSK. With Matheesha Pathirana being injured and unavailable, the onus lies on Mustafizur Rahman and Deepak Chahar to take early wickets here.
CSK’s batting looks more or less sorted, specially after skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad scoring a fifty in the last game. Shivam Dube has looked good in the middle order, especially against the spinners.
And then the man himself – MS Dhoni. He hasn’t batted a lot in the season but that one innings of his against DC sparked a plenty of excitement.
The veteran wicket-keeper did put on a show during the nets session ahead of the game. He started with by knocking some tennis balls around in the field before entering the nets. Once in the nets, he indulged in long range hitting. Just like SKY’s net session, every ball went into the stands but farther.
CSK Playing XI vs MI
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande
MI vs CSK Pitch Report
Wankhede has always been a batting paradise where a lot of huge totals are scored and also chased quite easily at times. The short boundaries help. In 112 IPL games at this venue, teams batting first have won 51 times, while chasing teams have won 61 times. The Rohit Sharmas and MS Dhonis might enjoy putting on a show here. With both the batting line-ups filled with big power hitters, can expect a run-fest.
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