Today in the 12th match of IPL 2023, five-time champions Mumbai Indians will face four-time champions Chennai Super Kings.
This match is also called ‘El Clásico’ of IPL, as both are the most successful teams of the league. El Clásico is a Spanish word which means excellent. In Spanish football, the Barcelona–Real Madrid match is called El Clásico, as both are the most successful clubs in La Liga.
Hitman Rohit Sharma is eager to improve as a batsman and captain in IPL-16. Mumbai had to face defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first match. Mumbai will try their best to return to the winning track in the match against Chennai at the Wankhede Stadium. However, there will be extra pressure on the team ahead of the home crowd.
Mumbai vs Chennai in numbers
Talking about statistics, both the teams have come face to face a total of 34 times so far. Out of these 20 matches have been won by Mumbai and 14 matches by Chennai. At the same time, both the teams have clashed 10 times at Wankhede in Mumbai. Seven matches were won by Mumbai and three matches by Chennai. Talking about the last five matches between the two teams, Mumbai has won three and CSK has won two.
Rohit-Ishaan will have to bat well
Mumbai skipper Rohit hasn’t been able to live up to his reputation with the bat for the past several seasons. He is starting well, but is not able to convert it into a big innings. A lot will also depend on how Suryakumar Yadav performs. The team has got a week’s rest after the first match and during this time the team would have also brainstormed on its shortcomings.
Young batsman Tilak Verma played a good inning against RCB. Nihal Badhera was also successful in doing well in his debut match. The team will need a combined effort with the bat, especially from the top order. Mumbai bowlers were ineffective in front of Virat Kohli during the defeat in the first match against RCB.
Chennai bowlers will have to bowl well
It can be a relief for the hosts that Chennai bowlers Rajvardhan Hungergekar and Tushar Deshpande are not very experienced. Captain Dhoni had warned the bowlers for throwing more wides and no balls in the last match. In such a situation, Chennai’s bowling will be very dependent on spinners Moeen Ali and Mitchell Santner. There is also a possibility that South African yorker specialist Sisanda Magala may find place in the playing XI in place of Mitchell Santner.
It also has to be seen how Mumbai bowlers Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Cameron Green are able to contain the in-form Rituraj Gaikwad or Devon Conway in the small ground. Captain Rohit is likely to bring in Australian fast bowlers Riley Meredith and Sandeep Warrier in place of the injured J Richardson. The fast bowlers can get help in the beginning on the new pitch of Wankhede. Mumbai can get the benefit of this as the Chennai fast bowlers could not leave an impact in the first two matches.
Mumbai will have to curb Rituraj
Rituraj and Conway have been successful in providing an aggressive start for the Yellow Brigade ie Chennai. Gaikwad has been successful in scoring half-centuries in the last two matches. The Chennai team would be wishing that Rituraj continues to deliver such evergreen performances. Conway missed out on a half-century against Lucknow, but showed signs of returning to form by sharing a century partnership with Gaikwad.
In the middle overs, all-rounders Moeen Ali and Shivam Dubey are important links for Chennai. Ambati Rayudu and Captain Dhoni are such batsmen who can show fiery attitude on important occasions. On the bowling front, Deepak Chahar, who has returned after an injury, is yet to find his rhythm completely, but he can capitalize on the conditions if the dew has an effect.
Possible playing-11 of both the teams
Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Rituraj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner/Sisand Magala, Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan Hungergekar.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green/Tristan Stubbs, Tilak Verma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Joffra Archer, Arshad Khan.