MUMBAI: Buoyed by two back-to-back victories, the Mumbai Indians will aim for a hat-trick when they resume their old rivalry with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL's traditional blockbuster at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night.
Bouncing back after a slow start to the tournament - something that has become a pattern and predictable in their case. Playing some flawless cricket - after they lost four out of their first five games, MI prevailed over the Delhi Capitals in Delhi by 12 runs in a thriller, before outplaying Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets at home at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!While their former captain Rohit Sharma’s overall returns in IPL 2025 are still meagre - 82 runs in six matches@13.66, MI would be slightly heartened by his 16-ball 26-run cameo, which included three sixes, which helped them build momentum while successfully chasing 163 against SRH. They would also hope that allrounder Will Jacks, who took three for 14 with his loopy off-spinners and then stroked a 26-ball 36 to shape the win over SRH, continues his fine form. Both their new foreign batting recruits - opener & keeper-batter Ryan Rickelton (180 runs in seven matches@30.00 a strike rate of 150.00 and top score of 62 not out) and Jacks - have proved to be worthy assets for MI. With Suryakumar Yadav back in form again and skipper Hardik Pandya and Naman Dhir lower down the order, the MI batting wear a formidable look now.
Who's that IPL player?In Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, who conceded just 50 in eight overs while taking two wickets in the last game, MI have an edge over other teams as no side has such a classy pace bowling pair in their ranks.
One would be curious to see if the Wankhede track remains as slow and sluggish as it was for the last game, when Jacks choked the SRH batsmen, restricting the opposition to 162 for five. With CSK’s spin attack being far more classier - Noor Ahmed and Ravindra Jadeja can wreak havoc in such conditions - MI would be better off with a surface where the ball comes on to the bat at good pace, which could enable their stroke-players to get going.
MI will also be sweating over the hand injury to veteran leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who seemed to have split his webbing while trying to stop a shot at mid-wicket by Abhishek Sharma in the last match. Karn had taken three for 36 in the win over DC.
When MI played CSK at the Chidambaram Stadium in what was their first match of IPL 2025, it was Noor who destroyed their batting line-up, taking four for 18 in four overs to restrict their score to 155 for nine in 20 overs. CSK had won that game by four wickets, a defeat which MI, now in far better rhythm, would be keen to avenge.
With six points after seven games, MI are currently placed seventh on the 10-team table, and must be desperate to notch up a few wins and climb up the ladder. Enjoying a break after a morale-boosting five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on April 14 ended their four-match losing streak, CSK, have been camping in the city for the past few days.
Currently occupying the 10th and final spot on the table. MS Dhoni’s brigade will be eager to log a few more wins before it is too late for them in the race for a playoff spot.
It would be interesting to see if CSK give a debut to two young, exciting batters they have signed up in the past few days - South Africa’s 21-year-old batter Dewald Brevis and ‘local boy,’ Mumbai’s 17-year-old opener Ayush Mhatre, who came in as a replacement for their captain and opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. Signed up for Rs 2.2 cr by CSK, Brevis was previously part of MI, where he played for them in 10 matches. The young gun, who has played 81 T20s and scored 1787 runs with a highest score of 162, will be keen to perform well against his former franchise.
Forever loath to try out youngsters, CSK reaped the rewards after giving an IPL debut to Andhra’s young batter Shaikh Rasheed in their last game. Opening the innings, Rashid scored an impressive 19-ball 27, which included six fours.
The Wankhede crowd would be excited at the prospect of yet another appearance of ‘Thala’ MS Dhoni, who, after facing much criticism for batting as low as No 9 and hardly contributing to the team’s cause, starred in his team’s win against LSG with a quickfire 26-run 11-ball cameo. Be assured that when MSD churns out those big hits, the otherwise partisan Mumbai crowd would cheer for the India & CSK legend.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don't miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
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