NEWS
Follow UsThe second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 kick starts with five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) taking on three-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 30th match of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 19)
In the first-half of the tournament, MI managed to get one over CSK, with a four-wicket win in Delhi, which was the last match either side played before the tournament was postponed due to the rising cases of Covid-19 within the bio-bubble.
MI are one of those rare teams who have dominated CSK in the IPL, having notched up 19 wins from 31 matches. They have also won four out of their last five matches against CSK.
IPL head-to-head
Overall matches: 31 | MI 19 wins | CSK 12 wins
Last 5 matches: MI 4 wins | CSK 1 win
Suggested team
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you to create the ideal fantasy XI.
Ground details
No T20 matches have taken place in Dubai since the IPL 2020. Hence, we are considering the data from the last 10 matches at this venue.
The fast bowlers were dominant during this period, having picked up close to 60% of the wickets and were far better when it came to the balls per wicket (18.3) and runs per wicket (25.6) compared to the spinners for whom the corresponding numbers are 28.9 and 34 respectively.
However, the spinners managed to keep things tight, conceding just seven runs per over, compared to the pacers, who had an economy rate of 8.4. This should not deter you from picking the fast bowlers, as in fantasy cricket, it is the wickets that matter more.
Given that the pitch will be a lot fresher, the captain winning the toss might want to bat first. The average first innings score in the last 10 IPL games was 164. The teams batting first here have won big. The last three results while defending a target were MI beating DC by 57 runs, KKR beating RR by 60 runs, SRH beating DC by 88 runs.
There could some interesting match-ups too.
Quinton de Kock has been dismissed five times by off-spinners in T20s this year striking at 97.9 to go with an average of just 19. It will be interesting when he comes up against Moeen Ali, who has dismissed him four times in seven innings. Might be a good idea to bring Moeen into the attack in the powerplay to see how he fares against the southpaw.
Ambati Rayudu has been striking at 200 this season, but that could go down if he comes up against Krunal Pandya. The senior Pandya has dismissed Rayudu twice in four innings and has gotten away by conceding at a strike rate of just 112. In the last two innings, while Rayudu has been kept quiet, scoring 20 off 17 balls, he has not been dismissed by Krunal. Will it remain that way at the end of the match though?
Captain
Quinton de Kock managed just 155 runs at 31 in the first half of the season. He struggled to get going in the slow pitches in Chennai, but when the action shifted to Delhi, he scored 108 runs from two innings, including a match-winning 70 not out against Rajasthan Royals. With the track in Dubai nothing like the ones at Chepauk, we can expect de Kock to be at his best, especially in the powerplay. In IPL since 2020, de Kock has slammed 386 runs at a strike rate close to 135 in the first six overs. Only three other cricketers Shikhar Dhawan (390), Devdutt Padikkal (394) and KL Rahul (412) have scored more.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts de Kock could score 34-52 runs in this match.
X-Factors
No bowler has more wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2021 than Deepak Chahar, picking up seven wickets in overs 1-6 at an average of 22.6, 17.1 deliveries apart. His overs are often used up in the powerplay, giving him more chance to pick up wickets. However, he has gone wicketless in the last three matches in this phase and will be looking to re-establish himself as the strike bowler for CSK in the opening stages.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Chahar could pick up 0-1 wickets in this match.
Fresh from a title-winning campaign in the CPL, Dwayne Bravo now shifts his focus to the second half of IPL, where he hopes to help CSK bridge the gap with MI. He scored 147 runs at a strike rate of 123.93 and with the ball, he chipped in with eight from 10 matches at an economy rate of 9.49 in the CPL this season. He played just four matches for CSK in the first half of the season and will hope to use all his experience into play to help CSK overcome MI.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Bravo could score 15-23 runs and pick up 1-2 wickets in this match.
In his last four competitive games, Suryakumar Yadav has scores of 50, 40, 53 and 31*. He has performed admirably well in the limited chances he has received for India thus far and will look to carry that confidence into the tournament to help MI complete a hat-trick of IPL titles. In IPL 2021, he has scored 173 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 144.16. He will look to build on this in the second half.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Suryakumar could score 22-32 runs in this match.
