IPL 2018: Chennai Super Kings eyes double over Mumbai Indians

The heart-breaking one-wicket defeat in the lung-opener is fresh in its minds but Mumbai Indians will have to play out of its skins to exact revenge at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. At the Wankhede in Mumbai earlier this month, CSK had defeated the defending champion by one wicket, and with a ball to spare.

MI is too keen to get back to winning ways after two straight reverses. It has been a journey of contrasts for the two teams so far. While Mumbai has managed only one win in its six matches, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led outfit has won five of its six games. The shifting of games from its original home did not affect Chennai as it won its first match in Pune. 

For Mumbai, to survive in the tournament, this is a must-win encounter. Mumbai batters have struggled in the tournament, barring Suryakumar Yadav.  Skipper Rohit Sharma has failed to fire in five of the six games and so is Kieron Pollard.  But if Rohit, Pollard, Surya, Evin Lewis and Hardik Pandya fire in unison, Mumbai can set up or chase big totals. And coach Mahela Jayawardane would expect all to score heavily.

Save his match-winning 94 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rohit has failed to get past 20 runs in five games. He would he hoping to turn the tables and get some runs under his belt. Rohit's batting position will also be crucial and MI can ask him to open and bring Surya at number 4. Even in terms of bowling, MI has failed to perform as a unit. When one performed exceedingly well, he lacked support from the other end. 

The 20-year-old leggie Mayank Markande has been the find for MI and he has grabbed 10 wickets from six games. But others like 'death overs' specialist Jasprit Bumrah and Bangladesh pacer Muztafizur Rahman have not lived up to the expectations. If the star-studded CSK batting line-up has to be restricted, the two will have to play their part to perfection. Mumbai can also look at bringing in New Zealand pacer Adam Milne for his compatriot Mitchell McClehaghan, who is leaking runs, especially in the end.

On the other hand, Chennai would take confidence from its last win when a vintage Dhoni helped the team chase a stiff target of 206 against RCB. Chennai would be pleased that most of its batters, Australian Shane Watson, Ambati Rayadu, Dwayne Bravo and Dhoni are in form. Only Suresh Raina has been out of form and he would be keen to be among the runs. Coach Stephen Fleming would expect another stellar performance from his batters on a pitch that usually aids the batsmen.

The Chennai bowling, led by Shardul Thakur and complemented by Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, has also clicked so far. While Mumbai will be under extreme pressure to deliver, another win for Chennai would consolidate its position in the table.