PRE MATCH ANALYSIS
Follow UsIPL 2021 is following a pattern. The eight franchises are inadvertently divided in two groups of four teams each. The first lot is running away from the other, almost cementing their place in the top 4, within the halfway mark in the league stage.
Under such circumstances, the only games that draw interest are the ones between the top four teams, in terms of both contest and context. Nothing gets bigger than the acclaimed El Clasico equivalent of cricket, the rivalry between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Chennai are at top of the table. After a rare blip last season, MS Dhoni’s men are back at their best. Mumbai have gone through ebbs and flows but their best is not far as they are on the more suitable tracks of Feroz Shah Kotla which are supposed to aid their batting line-up.
The unforeseen Kotla
When the IPL caravan moved to Delhi, historical evidence suggested Kotla’s pitch to play in Chennai’s favor given a successful track record for spinners. However, it appears that it's a pitch that rather allows Mumbai to play their natural game by bringing their echelon of stroke-makers into play.
Quinton de Kock gave a glimpse of it against Rajasthan Royals. Dragging along at an average of 11.8 and a strike-rate of 87 in the first four games at Chepauk, de Kock was quick to pounce on the run-scoring opportunity against Rajasthan, lacing an unbeaten 70 off 50 balls. On a much better pitch, he guided Mumbai’s run chase and won the man-of-the-match award. In a similar vein, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya would be itching to get back amongst runs. Pollard, in fact, scored an unbeaten 16 from eight balls against Rajasthan.
Chennai have also adapted themselves well to the demands of this track. They defeated Hyderabad. Coincidentally, both sides chased down 171 in their only game at the Kotla as yet with seven wickets and nine balls to spare.
But, do Mumbai need an extra pacer?
There has been little to no help for the spinners at the Feroz Shah Kotla this season which may prompt Mumbai to drop Jayant Yadav for an extra seamer. Jayant went wicketless in his three overs against Rajasthan while going for 37 runs and had to resort to bowling yorkers to prevent runs.
Apart from the lack of help from the track, Jayant will have no hiding against Chennai either who have a potent batting line-up against spin. With Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar, the most successful spinner as yet in the tournament, in the side, Mumbai will definitely ponder Jayant’s ouster. In their only game at Kotla, Chennai themselves bowled two spinners and four seamers.
The question remains that who will come in for Mumbai. Hardik Pandya not bowling once again comes as a roadblock for them. The other potential options are Dhawal Kulkarni and the untested Arjun Tendulkar and Yudhvir Charak. Will Mumbai bring one of those three? In another option, they might bring Ishan Kishan back to strengthen their batting, entrusting Kieron Pollard with the role of the extra seamer.
The Contest
The either ends of Chennai’s innings are supposed to be intriguing periods of play. The Super Kings have the highest average in the Powerplay this year - 53.2 runs per wicket. They have not lost a wicket in the first six overs in last three games.
Mumbai, on the other hand, have not been penetrative with the new ball this year. With the lack of lateral movement, Trent Boult, the highest wicket-taker in Powerplay last year, has struck only once in 13 overs this season. Mumbai’s bowling average of 93 in the Powerplay is the second worst by a distance.
While Mumbai need to overcome their poor new ball returns, it is going to be a head-on clash at the death.
At 202.1, Chennai have the highest batting strike-rate at the death overs, by a margin of over 30 runs. Ravindra Jadeja has scored 97 runs off 48 balls in this phase alongside Sam Curran’s 51 from 24 balls.
But they will be up against one of the better death bowling units of this season. Bowling two overs each at the death, Boult and Jasprit Bumrah have formed an indomitable bowling pair. Consequently, Mumbai are one of the only two sides to have conceded less than 9 per over at this phase.
Their success mantra has been an impeccable execution of yorkers. Boult has effected five dismissals while landing the ball in the blockhole while Bumrah has conceded runs at only 3.8 runs per over in that area. Boult’s 19 yorkers is the highest in the tournament while Bumrah’s 16 is the third highest.
The contest is so mouth-watering, we can only hope that Chennai bat first and we see this battle unfurl in its full potential.
Probable XIs
MI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ishan Kishan/Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
CSK: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Sam Curran, Lungi Ngidi, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
