Click it and Unblock the Notifications
IPL 2019 preview: Where to watch, Live streaming: Chennai firm favourites against Mumbai
Mumbai, April 2: With skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in red-hot form, Chennai Super Kings will begin as firm favourites against the slightly off-colour Mumbai Indians when the Indian Premier League's (IPL) two most successful teams have their first showdown of the season on Wednesday (April 3) at the Wankhede Stadium.
The Super Kings, three-time winners of the T20 League like the hosts, have been on a roll with three wins on the trot that have boosted them to the top of the table.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, had a familiar stuttering start with a victory sandwiched between two defeats.
Recent history in head-to-head clashes is in MI's favour, as the Rohit Sharma-led home team has beaten their rivals in four out of the last five contests.
Overall too Mumbai holds a 14-12 advantage over CSK, including once in the defunct Champions T20 League.
Dhoni back in form
However, CSK seem to hold the edge this time around, especially with Dhoni rolling back the years with a typically robust 75 off 46 balls.
That innings lifted his team from a precarious 27 for three to a decent 175 for five against Rajasthan Royals at home in their last match.
Bravo charge
And with Dwayne Bravo holding off Rajasthan's charge at the end with the ball, CSK maintained their 100 per cent record.
The Super Kings have the edge in batting depth and in spin bowling variety, while Mumbai have the better pace attack on a pitch that is bound to offer bounce and carry.
Rohit the key
Mumbai are over-dependent on openers Rohit and South African Quinton de Kock. The rest need to step up.
The hosts will have the option of fielding new recruit, West Indian fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, or all rounder Ben Cutting in place of the off-boil Lasith Malinga.
Krunal factor
In the spin department, Mumbai are behind their opponents who have Harbhajan Singh, South African Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja to bank on after the power play.
Krunal Pandya has a key role to play in the middle.
(With PTI inputs)
Match details
Wednesday, April 3
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
8pm at Wankhede Stadium
Live blog on myKhel.com
Live telecast on Star Sports Network
Live streaming on Hotstar
Story first published: Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 14:57 [IST]
Other articles published on Apr 3, 2019
Continue with Google