CSK vs MI : Three epic IPL matches

The rivalry of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings is arguably the biggest rivalry in the history of T20 league cricket. Both the teams are a part of the Indian Premier League and are best known for the dominance displayed by them throughout the league. The battle of the two teams possesses a huge fan following and is regarded as one of the best battles in the history of IPL.

The fanbase of this super-Indian derby is largely due to the fact that the two teams are the two of the most successful franchises of the tournament. Whenever both the teams take on each other, a nail-biting contest is highly expected as they both contain some star players who can single-handedly change the fate of the game.

Mumbai and Chennai are also two most successful teams of IPL as both the teams have lifted the IPL title thrice which is the joint highest. When we talk about the head-to-head statistics, MI gets an edge since they have won 14 out of the total 26 times, the teams have locked horns. Howbeit, the other side of the coin also tells us that majority number of matches have been played at MI's home ground which has given them the home advantage for quite a few times.

Widely regarded as the El Classico of IPL, the rivalry has been entertaining the fans and spectators right since the inaugural season. Here are some of the best encounters between CSK and MI.

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#3 CSK won by 1 wicket - April 7, 2018

CSK vs MI 2018

The inaugural match of the 11th edition of IPL is regarded as one of the greatest games in the history of Indian Premier League. It was the encounter where the defending champions Mumbai Indians took on the Chennai Super Kings, who were returning after a ban of 2 years.

The game took place at the mighty Wankhede where the visitors Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to field first. The game initially seemed to be a one-sided encounter when Mumbai Indians were restricted on the score of a minimal 165. Considering the Wankhede Stadium as a batting track, the target seemed to be a bit too less for Chennai but the tables turned when the MS Dhoni-led team messed it up big time in the run chase.

No batsmen from the yellow army could farm the strike and the visitors were 8 down at the score of just 118 runs in the 17th over. The Super Kings now needed 47 runs in the last 3 overs and star death bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman still had their overs left.

Dwayne Bravo, who was the only batsman left, had no other option but to go hard. The Caribbean started a blitz from there and scored 33 runs in the next 11 balls. Bravo was albeit given out on the last ball of the second last over, but the 35-year old had left only 7 runs for the last over. An injured Kedar Jadhav came in and scored a six and a four in successive balls and took his team past the line and earned them a 1 wicket victory.

#2 CSK won by 6 runs - April 23, 2008

Mike Hussey

It was the eighth match of the inaugural IPL season and the first game of the super-Indian derby. It had been just five days since the Indian Premier League commenced with Brendon McCullum registering the highest individual T20 score of that time. CSK had already won a game earlier in the tournament whilst MI were still looking to register their first victory of IPL. The game was held at Chennai's home ground i.e. Chepauk. The visitors won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first.

While batting first, Chennai's fiery start was followed by two crucial at regular intervals. After Mike Hussey's wicket, Suresh Raina came in and built and ebullient partnership of 104 runs with Matthew Hayden. After taking the team to the position of safety, Raina was soon dismissed. Hayden along with the Skipper MS Dhoni then took the charge and started to increase the tempo from both ends. Haydos's 81-run knock and Dhoni's 30-run cameo resulted in a mammoth total of 208 runs.

Chasing such a prodigious target was a herculean task for MI. What made the situation even worse was the lack of intent from the top order MI batsmen. Half of the side of visitors’ was back to the pavilion by the end of 15th over.

They needed 62 runs off the last 24 balls and what followed next was a 21-run over by P Amarnath. By the end of the penultimate over, Harbhajan Singh and Abhishek Nayar's heroics brought down the equation to 19 needed off the last 6 balls. Joginder Sharma was asked to bowl the last over. The Haryana lad gave 10 runs in the first two balls but covered up in the end eventually won the nail-biting match for his team.

#1 CSK won by 22 runs - Final, April 25, 2010

Chennai Super Kings won the 2010 IPL

In the final match of the third edition of IPL, the table toppers Mumbai Indians locked horns with the third-ranked Chennai Super Kings. The high-octane encounter which lived up to its grandeur is remembered among the cricket aficionados largely due to the invaluable tactics of MS Dhoni when the match seemed to slip from the hands of his team.

The home team was asked to bowl first at the tricky wicket of Mumbai. Chennai had a great start as they didn't lose any wicket in the powerplay overs. After the powerplay, the Super Kings kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Suresh Raina, who was playing with a positive intent, farmed the strike from one end. Raina's vital knock of 57 and small cameos from Dhoni and Albie Morkel, in the end, helped CSK to reach a decent score of 168 runs in 20 overs.

Chasing such a big target in finals would've never been an easy task. The pressure of finals was quite visible on Mumbai Indians. The young opener Shikhar Dhawan played out a maiden off the first over and was soon dismissed in the second. Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar tried to build partnerships with Abhishek Nayar and Harbhajan Singh but they both failed to give support. Tendulkar too was out to Shadab Jakati in the 15th over.

All this while, a question that arose in every MI fan's mind was, “Where is Pollard?”. Kieron Pollard, who generally used to bat at no. 5 or 6 was sent at the 8th position by the MI management. This turned out to be a big mistake as, by the time Pollard walked in, the game had already slipped away from his team's hands as 55 runs were required of the last 18 balls. The power hitter still kept the hopes alive as he hit 22 runs off the 18th over and brought down the equations to 33 required off the last 2 overs.

But what happened next, as they say, is history. Dhoni's streak of brilliance got better of the opponents once again. On the last ball of the penultimate over, Dhoni's strange field setting resulted in the much-needed wicket of Pollard which eventually led to CSK winning the match and becoming the champions of IPL 3.