The Indian Premier League is back at the Wankhede, and what a match mark the return – The El Classico – of cricket. The clash of the heavyweights is back as the two most successful teams of the tournament battle it out on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It is the Mumbai Indians taking on the Chennai Super Kings and do not be surprised if the viewership numbers skyrocket by a mile.
CSK are likely to field an unchanged playing XI after securing their first win of the season against LSG. Sisanda Magala joined the team and is available for selection while Mukesh Chaudhary has been replaced by left-arm pacer Akash Singh.
Mumbai Indians would look to regroup themselves, as the fans return to their beloved stadium for the first time since 2019. The heartbreaking loss against RCB in their first match of the season could see them make a few tweaks in the playing XI with Rohit Sharma’s failure at the top a big concern for the Mumbai Indians.
Jasprit Bumrah has made space for Sandeep Warrier while Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson is replaced by his fellow countryman Riley Meredith. The incoming duo will be hoping to support Jofra Archer in the seam attack
What have they done so far?
The Mumbai Indians have played a solitary match in the ongoing season. They were second-best to arch-rivals, Royal Challengers Bangalore. The one ray of hope in that encounter was young batsman Tilak Verma. MI posted a quality total of 171 runs, despite losing early wickets, courtesy of a brilliant display by Tilak Verma. However, their opponents chased the total with ease, within 17 overs.
On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings have played two matches. They suffered a defeat against Gujarat Giants in the opening match of the season. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajvardhan Hangargekar starred, despite the loss. A return to Anbuden – Chepauk – saw Dhoni & Co. collect their first points of the season. Impact substitute Tushar Deshpande came up with the goods at the death after Moeen Ali provided crucial breakthroughs upfront.
Head To Head Record
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have faced each other 34 times in IPL history. The record reads as 20-14 in favor of the Mumbai Indians. Such is the rivalry between the teams, that a win over the other is considered an achievement.
Over the years, we have witnessed some mouth-watering encounters between the two teams. The first-ever match was played at the Chepauk, where the home team won a high-scoring encounter by six runs. This is the highest-scoring encounter between the two sides. CSK scored 208 runs, and Mumbai could only reach 202 runs, thus falling short.
Key Players
Tilak Varma would look to continue his superb form against CSK
Tilak Varma (Mumbai Indians): The young batting sensation Tilak Varma could be vital against the Chennai Super Kings. He has been batting consistently in the IPL throughout last season. In his debut year in the tournament, Varma scored 481 runs in 15 matches. Moreover, he started IPL 2023 from where he left off last year. He scored 85 runs in two games against CSK in the previous season, remaining unbeaten on both occasions.
In the match against RCB at the Chinnaswamy, Varma bagged 84 runs in 46 deliveries as he remained unbeaten after 20 overs. The youngster would look to continue his fine form and could be crucial in troubling the deadly spin trio of the Chennai Super Kings. With several MI batsmen out of form, it could all come down to Tilak’s heroics. He possesses the ability to anchor the innings, which can help his side sail through the innings.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings): Over the past few seasons, Ruturaj has become the face of the batting CSK line-up. He is becoming mature with every passing game. Ruturaj has come clutch in both games for CSK this season. He would love to deliver a hat-trick of impressive performances, this time against the arch-rivals.
Ruturaj has started the season in a stupendous way, scoring 92 and 57 against GT and LSG, respectively. His performances against the Mumbai Indians have not been of a high standard, and he would hope to change those statistics come the weekend.
Predicted XIs
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma ©, Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Arshad Khan, Jason Behrendorff, Jofra Archer, Shams Mulani
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni ©, Deepak Chahar, Sisanda Magala, Rajwardhan Hangargekar
Prediction
With the head-to-head record in favor, and the encounter being played at the Wankhede, Mumbai Indians are favorites to clinch the win. The Paltan are playing their first game at home after the lockdown. After a disappointing loss, they would look forward to impressing their fans by beating their arch-rivals in CSK.