*CSK VS MI MATCH 49 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
*12 FOR AUTHORITY:*
Taking the washout not into consideration, both MI and CSK are placed at 10 points and a win in the afternoon game, gives them the jump to direct 12 points and join GT at the top. Once a side gets to 12 points, their task is cut-out with the side requiring just 2 wins to cement their spot in the top4 and going through another playoff scenario. While today presents an opportunity to MI to bridge their gap with CSK and take revenge of the loss at Wankhede early in the tournament when MI were winless. Post that defeat, Mumbai have managed to win 5 games and a better ready outfit are going to place their bet up against CSK, in their fortress. Rohit managing to win here will become only the third captain this season, barring Sanju and Shikhar, to breach Chennai’s fortress.
*CSK PROBABLE XI:*
Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(c)(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Maheesh Theekshana/Mitchell Santner, Maheesh Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Singh
Santner, the left handed left arm bowler was phenomenal against MI when these two teams faced each other last. With his abilities as a lower order batter and a run stopping force, I see a chance for him to feature in the XI. CSK could use him and Jadeja collectively as an enforcer against Suryakumar, who has a tendency to struggle vs left arm spin, as his career history suggests.
MS Dhoni could be seen batting ahead of Jadeja with the form that he is in. Jadeja however would look to make quick amends and rectify his strength as a finisher, a skill of his that has diminished in the last few years. A MSD promotion would not just bow well for the crowd but can also be a gamechanging move for the team, he is very much capable of taking a toll on this MI bowling group, that seriously lacks experience.
*IMPACT PLAYER STRATEGY:*
Ambati Rayudu could feature as an impact substitute if CSK bat second. If they bat first, expect Pathirana to play the same role.
*MI PROBABLE XI:*
Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar/Arshad Khan, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla
As a fan of Indian cricket and as someone who has seen Rohit dominate, it pains to see Rohit struggling once again, at the IPL. It is pretty evident how his T20 game has detoriated badly and looks like his vintage days are past him. He needs to step up bigtime if MI are to bolster an even stronger batting lineup of theirs. With all their players in the middle order clicking together, Rohit looks like the clueless piece in a puzzle and a return from him would be gold.
Banking on Piyush Chawla, the veteran leggie, to deliver once again. He boasts of an average record versus Rahane however leg spinners tend to well against CSK’s middle and lower order players in Dhoni, Rayudu and Jadeja. He has enjoyed some stellar form off late and using the Chepauk pitch to his advantage, he could be sone threat.
If the Chennai pitch favours the slow bowling type, the MI batting could struggle. Whenever they have batted on belters, things have somehow eased for their batting group but something similar cannot be said about their batting on tough tracks. CSK could put them under the pump if a slow track is on offer.
*IMPACT PLAYER STRATEGY:*
Kumar Kartikeya could feature as an impact sub when MI bowl second. However, when they bowl first, we could see Tilak verma or Surya playing the same role.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR CSK:*
Highest run getter- Devon Conway/Ruturaj Gaikwad
Highest wicket taker- Ravindra Jadeja/Tushar Deshpande
*FOR MI:*
Highest run getter- Tilak Verma/Cameron Green
Highest wicket taker- Piyush Chawla/Jofra Archer
*FOR THE GAME:*
Chennai Super Kings to win.