Mumbai faces Chennai in IPL’s ‘El Clasico’

MUMBAI: Rohit Sharma will be keen to get his act together, both as captain and batter, when his Mumbai Indians team faces MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in what could be billed as a Saturday night Indian Premier League 2023 blockbuster.

After enjoying a five-day break following its crushing defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in a lop-sided match in Bengaluru, five-time champion Mumbai will be buoyed to return home and play in front of its passionate fans at the Wankhede Stadium.

A lot of eyes will be on Rohit, who has not set the IPL on fire for a few seasons now. The India all-format captain has had his fair share of starts in the tournament, but has failed to convert most of them into huge scores. Having looked out of sorts in the first match, where he scored just one run off 10 balls, Rohit will be determined to lead from the front.

With the Wankhede surface set to be batting-friendly, Rohit and Co. will look to feast on it and open the team’s account for the season. While the likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav would hope to deliver, all-rounder Tilak Varma will be eager to pick up from where he left off in the previous match – the southpaw singlehandedly guided Mumbai to 171 for seven with a fantastic 84 not out off just 46 balls.

The bowling department, led by Jofra Archer, will have to be on top of its game, considering the kind of form the Super Kings top-order is in. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in stunning touch with back-to-back aggressive half-centuries, while his opening partner Devon Conway notched up his first fifty of the season in the win over Lucknow Super Giants in Chennai.

With Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali and Dhoni also contributing in the last match, CSK will back itself to score heavily again. After running through the Lucknow batting line-up, Moeen and Mitchell Santner will try to replicate that performance.

Death bowling is a cause for concern for Super Kings, with Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Tushar Deshpande showing inexperience in the end overs. The four-time winner may look at South African fast bowler Sisanda Magala, who is capable of nailing yorkers in the death overs.