IPL 8 MI vs CSK: Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings set for a high-voltage clash
Mumbai: After completing a remarkable turnaround, buoyant Mumbai Indians face league toppers Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1 of |IPL-8 at Wankhede Stadium here on Tuesday. Sitting bottom of the table at the halfway stage, the 2013 champions registered seven wins in their last eight league games to finish second in the table and book two shots at entering Sunday’s final.
They reserved their best for the deciding last league game with a clinical bowling performance over hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. The Ricky Ponting coached side had to chase 114 in 20 overs which they did in style with nine-wickets in hand and 37 balls to spare.
This was much easier than last season where they had scored 195/5 in 14.4 overs to qualify while chasing 190 against Rajasthan Royals. The winners of Qualifier 1 will enter Sunday’s final in Kolkata while the losers will get another shot in Qualifier 2 at Raipur on May 22 against the winners of the Eliminator.
Injuries to Australian opener Aaron Finch and Kiwi all-rounder Corey Anderson paved the way for Lendl Simmons and Mitchell McClenaghan in the playing XI and both have been pivotal in the hosts’ remarkable turnaround.
Simmons along with Parthiv Patel has given MI good starts to ease pressure on the middle order led by skipper Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard.
Left-arm pace bowler McClenaghan has formed a lethal combination with the ever-dependable Lasith Malinga. Slow bowlers Harbhajan Singh and Jagadeesha Suchith have relished helpful conditions while utility all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been their biggest find.
MI defeated CSK in the IPL-6 final in Kolkata and recently scored a six-wicket league win at Chepauk last week. Two-time champions CSK have always raised their game in the play-offs. The five-time finalists have enjoyed playing in the city of late.
They won their maiden IPL title at D.Y. Patil Stadium beating Mumbai Indians in the final of 2010 season. Last year, they defeated MI in the Eliminator at Brabourne Stadium.
The visitors have also beaten the hosts in the last two league games at Wankhede (2014, 2015) after struggling on this pitch in the past. They however lost to Kings XI Punjab in Qualifier 2 last season here.
MS Dhoni’s side wrapped up their league engagements with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over bottom placed Kings XI Punjab and will carry that momentum into the playoffs.
They will miss their top scorer Brendon McCullum who has left to lead New Zealand against England in the bilateral series. It will be chance for the experienced Michael Hussey to parade his wares.
Dwayne Smith (325 runs) and McCullum (436 runs) have scored bulk of the runs for CSK this season. McCullum’s absence will put pressure on an undercooked middle order.
Suresh Raina due for big one, says coach:
Suresh Raina has been the most consistent performer for Chennai Super Kings over the years but he hasn’t been in great form in this edition. He has scored 321 runs at an average of 26.75 which is well below his career IPL average of 34.72.
But CSK coach Stephen Fleming feels Raina has been in good touch and is due for a big one at the Wankhede stadium.
“He has been in excellent touch during the game and in the nets. It’s just the case of not converting them into big ones. In the last innings, he looked good and took us through,” said Fleming on the eve of their Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians. Raina has upped his game by a few notches in the play-offs in the past and Mumbai has been his favourite hunting ground.
The Uttar Pradesh left-hander scored an unbeaten 57 against Mumbai Indians in the 2010 final here at D.Y. Patil stadium to help CSK win their maiden IPL title.
He struck an unbeaten 54 in the Eliminator against MI at Brabourne stadium last year and followed it up with a breathtaking knock of 87 in just 25 balls against Kings XI Punjab in the Qualifier 2 at Wankhede stadium.
“He loves this ground. He is one of the big players and we would like him to stand up on big occasions. He has done it many times in the past for us,” Fleming added.
Fleming admitted they will miss New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum and would have liked to give Aussie veteran Michael Hussey more chance ahead of the play-offs.
“It will impact a lot. Hussey is an excellent player and has been consistent. We have been planning this for long. (Dwayne) Smith has played well here and we would have liked to give Hussey bit more time but we never got the luxury of introducing players due to close competition,” he said.
