One of the biggest sporting events on the globe is about to commence from September 19, Sunday. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will make its return in the UAE after being indefinitely suspended earlier this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the bio-bubble. The second phase of the edition will kick-off with the El Clasico of IPL, the defending champions Mumbai Indians will be taking on Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Stadium at 7:30 PM IST.
The most successful team in the history of IPL, Mumbai Indians, which is led by Rohit Sharma will be heading into this fixture on a positive note. MI was indulged in a high scoring thriller against CSK in the last game of phase 1 of the season. The Mumbai-based franchise emerged victorious while chasing 219 at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. MI was staring at a comprehensive defeat after the top-order collapsed in the big run chase. It was the T20 veteran Kieron Pollard who stood up on the big occasion and got Mumbai over the finishing line single-handedly from the jaws of defeat. MI has one of the most settled teams in the competition with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya in their batting line-up, the five-time IPL winners seem like a dangerous batting unit. After clinching the title in the previous season in the UAE and gaining the much-needed momentum in phase 1, MI would want to go up the ladder in the points table and acquire the number one spot.
One of the most celebrated teams of the IPL, Chennai Super Kings regained their form in the first phase after a disastrous campaign in the UAE last year. The three-time IPL winners looked impressive as a unit earlier this year with a strong top-order batting line-up and a reliable middle-order. The CSK-skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn’t make a notable contribution with the bat in phase 1 but the former Indian skipper’s captaincy and wicket-keeping skills have been top-notch. Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja looked invincible with the bat in phase 1 which played a major role in helping CSK to frequently set up a massive target on the board. With an in-form team, the Chennai-based franchise will aim to better its record in the UAE after the collapse last year. A comfortable victory against Rohit’s MI will be a dream start for CSK to their second phase of the IPL 2021.
Head-to-head:
The two supergiants of the IPL, MI and CSK share a rich history. The two teams went toe-to-toe against each other on numerous occasions and have given several classics over the past decade. The MI-CSK clash is arguable one of the most intense fixtures in the game of cricket with multiple trophies in both team’s cabinets.
In the head-to-head competition between the two teams, MI has the upper hand as they have fared well against CSK. The two teams faced each other on 31 occasions out of which the Mukesh Ambani-owned team won 19 games while Chennai emerged victorious on 12 instances. In their last outing, MI won the nail-biting game on the last ball of the match by four wickets.
MI has currently acquired the fourth spot with eight points in seven fixtures while CSK has occupied the second position with 10 points in seven games.
Team News:
Mumbai Indians – MI doesn’t have any absentees due to international duties, they will be heading into the first game with a fully fit squad available at their disposal.
Chennai Super Kings – CSK will be missing out on the services of a few of their players. The English players are likely to miss out on the IPL playoffs due to international fixtures. Faf du Plessis is likely to miss the fixture due to an injury.
TV and LIVE streaming details:
TV – Star Sports Network
OTT – Disney+Hotstar
Sponsors:
Mumbai Indians – The principal partners are Samsung and DHL Express.
Chennai Super Kings – The principal partners are Myntra, India Cements, Gulf, SNJ Distilleries, British Empire, SNJ 10000, Reliance Jio, Nippon Paint and Equitas Small Finance Bank.