CSK vs MI Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2021 match?

The Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket's biggest carnival which came to a premature end earlier this year, is back! The second phase of the 2021 edition kicks off on September 19 in the UAE, with the two most decorated franchises in the history of the competition clashing in the opening fixture.

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) have locked horns many times in the IPL before, but the circumstances surrounding this meeting will be especially different. Not only has the venue of the tournament changed, but the two teams are on different paths towards the goal that is a playoff spot.

MI, historically slow starters, have labored to four wins in seven matches to be placed third in the IPL 2021 points table. CSK, meanwhile, have dispelled the demons of their disastrous 2020 campaign to win five of their seven games fairly comfortably. The Men in Yellow could leapfrog the Delhi Capitals to the top of the table if they pull a win out of their hat against MI.

How do the two teams stack up ahead of the resumption of IPL 2021? Luckily, neither franchise has had to replace any of their players through a plethora of withdrawals and injuries. While CSK have a couple of minor injury and quarantine concerns, both sides should be able to provide a cracking start to what promises to be an entertaining conclusion to IPL 2021.

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IPL 2021: Battle of the blues as CSK and MI look to take crucial opening win

Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are at different stages of their careers

Can CSK beat their bogey team, that too in the UAE? Can MI overcome their infamous opening-day woes to put one across their eternal rivals? It's a battle of the blues in Dubai as the IPL's El Clasico takes centrestage.

In the final game of the first phase of IPL 2021, MI pulled off a mammoth chase on the back of Kieron Pollard's whirlwind knock. After suffering losses to the Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals, the five-time champions rebounded brilliantly to beat the Rajasthan Royals and CSK.

The UAE, where CSK struggled to put bat to ball last year, could play into MI's favor. MS Dhoni will be without Sam Curran, who is yet to complete his quarantine period since arriving late from England. Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo, who were dealt injury blows towards the end of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), are also doubtful for this game.

CSK might have to fall back on one of their overseas pacers, Josh Hazlewood and Lungi Ngidi. If Du Plessis doesn't recover in time for the game, experienced batsman Robin Uthappa could make his long-awaited CSK debut unless Dhoni wants to radicalize his usage of Moeen Ali even further by making the classy southpaw open the batting alongside the promising Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Otherwise, CSK's trusted middle-order quartet of Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni should shore up the batting department. While Raina and Dhoni's displays will be put under the microscope and analyzed on end, Rayudu and Jadeja were two of CSK's best batsmen in the first phase.

CSK might find themselves short of overseas all-rounders against MI, but the Indian duo of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur should be able to provide the batting depth Dhoni craves. The three-time IPL champions will look to their in-form stars like Ali and Jadeja to bag a crucial win in Dubai.

Meanwhile, MI have a full roster to choose from. Most of their team picks itself, with the only spot in question being that of the fourth overseas player. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Marco Jansen and Adam Milne are the men vying to play alongside Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard and Trent Boult.

While Coulter-Nile offers some batting depth and cutters that could be useful in Dubai, Milne is in the best form of his T20 career. The express Kiwi quick finished The Hundred as the leading wicket-taker with 12 scalps and was the only bowler to concede at less than a run a ball. He might just pip Coulter-Nile and Jansen to a spot in the playing XI since MI already have their all-rounder trio of Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers.

Speaking of the Pandya brothers, Hardik will be closely watched in the second phase of IPL 2021. He hasn't bowled in the tournament so far, but he needs to now, with the T20 World Cup on the horizon. Hardik was one of MI's worst players in the first half, along with Ishan Kishan, who will look to justify his selection in India's squad with vastly improved displays.

The wicket in Dubai should be a good one to bat on early in the tournament, and dew might make it easier for the chasing team. Fielding has come under the scanner at the Dubai International Stadium, where low floodlights and varnished seats are said to impair visibility.

MI have a full-strength squad to choose from, and that could be the difference on September 19. They have several in-form players who have racked up match practice in the recent past, while rust is something CSK will always be wary about.

CSK have surprised most people with their displays in IPL 2021 so far, so it would be criminal to rule out a win for MS Dhoni's men. While anything can happen in a league as competitive as the IPL and a fixture as competitve as MI vs CSK, Rohit Sharma might be the happier captain after the match.

Prediction: MI to win Match 30 of IPL 2021