MI and CSK clash in an unexpected low-stake encounter

When the Yellow and the Blues meet, there is no history to talk about, there are no preceding performances that set the tone of the game and absolutely nothing draws a line between them. The two heaviest weights of the IPL will look into each other’s eyes and hope for a new dawn with the urge to win the contest being slightly more on the Chennai side as they still have an outside chance of making the playoffs.

Keeping aside the implosions that they are currently plagued by, their cricketing exploits in the ongoing season haven’t been as silky as they should have been. The shudders have felt like endless tremors in the Yellow fabric and somehow their approach of trying to get their band from the preceding year back has backfired.

They are currently ailing in the ninth position of the points table with 4 wins from 12 fixtures. A loss from here will spell the doom for the Kings in the ongoing edition of the IPL. However, they will be taking heart from the fact that they were able to tame a high-soaring Delhi Capitals convincingly with a comprehensive all-round performance.

For Mumbai, it has only gotten from bad to worse with another deafening loss at the hands of the Kolkata Knight Riders as their batters were in an unexplained rush to take the long walk back to the pavilion. However, if there is one beacon of salvation that they would be desperate to cling to, that is the return of Jasprit Bumrah who left the Knights crippled almost single-handedly.

This is going to be a contest of sizeable proportions as more than the points table in mind, pride will be at stake as two of the most successful teams in the antiquity of the tournament will be hoping for a win in this symbolic encounter.

Venue Watch:

The cradle of Mumbai’s cricketing dreams, Wankhede will be hosting this iconic stramash between the Yellow and the Blues on an electric Thursday evening. The surface will be heavily tipped towards the batters as it is a flat track with barely any traces of green. However, the spinners will find a way given the late turn that can impinge the equation. The surface will not be gripping like the other pitches at the moment which signifies that the ball will be easily coming onto the bat, making it easier for them to pick. The last game that was played at the Wankhede featured RCB and the Sunrisers in a day game where the Challengers posted a mammoth total while the Orange Army resigned in docile submission.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings:

MS Dhoni (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Dwaine Pretorious, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Tushar Deshpande, Matheesa Pathirana, Adam Milne, Chris Jordan, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, KM Asif, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Bhagath Varma, Hari Nishanth, Subranshu Senapati.

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Aryan Juyal, Fabian Allen, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi, M Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Tilak Varma, Sanjay Yadav, Riley Meredith, Mohd Arshad Khan, Anmolpreet Singh

Match Details:

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Date: 12th May 2022

Time: 7:30 PM IST