Two big rivals in IPL will be going head to head on Saturday in Arun Jaitley Stadium as Mumbai Indians take on Chennai Super Kings. CSK is currently the best team in IPL 2021, winning five games in a row and strengthening their position at the top of the points table. Meanwhile, defending champions Mumbai Indians are four points behind CSK in the fourth position.
Ever since the defeat against Delhi Capitals in the opening game of IPL 2021, CSK has not looked back. They have gone from strength to strength with each passing game. The three-time IPL champions bat until number ten, while the bowlers are also clicking as a unit. The return to form for Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis at the top of the order further improves this CSK team.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians had a stop-start kind of season until now. They have won three and lost three games in IPL 2021. However, moving to New Delhi could ease the batting woes. They cruised to win against Rajasthan Royals while chasing a decent target. MI still has one of the most explosive batting units, so it is just a matter of time before all of them click together.
In head to head record in IPL history, Mumbai Indians have got the better of CSK in the majority of the encounters. To be precise, MI has won 18 games against CSK, while MS Dhoni’s men have managed 12 victories. CSK does have the current form on their side, but MI remains a team to beat in IPL 2021.
Predicted Teams
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi
Key Battle to Watch Out
Trent Boult has been in fine form for Mumbai Indians this season. He has been providing crucial breakthroughs at crucial junctures of the game. Boult will have the duty of stopping Ruturaj Gaikwad in powerplay overs. Gaikwad has been in fine knick during the last few games, so it will be intriguing to see how he fares against a world-class left-arm pacer.