Mumbai Indians face formidable Chennai Super Kings in IPL 7 Eliminator

MUMBAI: Buoyed by their magical win against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday that saw them make the playoffs, Mumbai Indians now take on formidable Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator on Wednesday night at the Brabourne Stadium.
It is a match-up not even the most die-hard MI fan would have imagined a month back, when the team was struggling in every department after losing its first five games in UAE.
But the hosts have shown amazing resilience to win seven out of their nine games in India which has given them a new lease of life.
While CSK still go into this game as favourites, having beaten MI twice already this season, Sunday night's miraculous jail-break may just turn the defending champs into a different side altogether.
The biggest dangerman for CSK could be Corey Anderson, who re-discovered his powers at the perfect time in the crunch game against the Royals, blasting an unbeaten 95 off merely 44 balls to pull off an impossible chase for MI. Having struggled earlier in the tournament, the Kiwi will feel confident of producing an encore.
It is not just Anderson, though, that CSK need to keep in check. After trying out various combinations at the top, MI finally struck gold with a lethal opening pair in Michael Hussey and Lendl Simmons.
The veteran Aussie, like Anderson, has found his touch after floundering initially, while the West Indian has principally been responsible for MI's turn in fortunes.

Following this trio is skipper Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu. Sharma and Pollard can carry out the salvage operation and launch a decisive counter-attack, while Rayudu can perform the support act brilliantly as he did on Sunday.
Worryingly for CSK, they have lost three out of their last four games, though it must be said that maintaining the same intensity does become difficult once the team is through to the playoffs pretty early.
They would be boosted by the return of Brendon McCullum, who flew to New Zealand for the birth of his second child. McCullum has formed a successful opening stand with Dwayne Smith, an MI recruit last season. The big-hitting West Indian has hit five half-centuries so far.
Faf du Plessis, who partnered Smith, during McCullum's absence, looks dangerous too. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni are far too experienced in this situation and continue to remain the most dangerous finishers around.
CSK's bowling too looks much more dangerous than MI's. Spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are a handful in this format, while the pace attack looks secure in the young hands of Ishwar Chand Pandey and Mohit Sharma.
With Australia's Ben Hilfenhaus to back them up and Ashish Nehra back in form, Chennai look well equipped to take on MI's batting might.
The CSK-MI rivalry is slowly developing into cricket's version of the 'El Classico.' MI have nine wins against the most consistent team of the league, the most times CSK have lost to anyone.
In the knockouts, however, CSK hold a 2-1 edge. They beat them in the 2010 final at the DY Patil Stadium and then again in the Eliminator in 2012, in Bangalore. MI, though, returned the favour by beating them in last year's final in Kolkata.
In their previous clash at the Brabourne Stadium in 2010, MI, in the midst of a great run at CCI, had beaten CSK easily. This season, MI have lost to CSK twice already. Will they be third-time lucky?