IPL 2018: Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings, match preview

A cool breeze blowing across the ground, stands packed with fans, elation in their mind, and smiles on their faces - this will be a common sight as the much anticipated Indian Premier League(IPL) kicks off in Mumbai on Saturday.

Two of the most successful IPL franchises will go head to head in what is expected to be a 'Clash of the Titans.' The Chennai Super Kings fans are exhilarated with the thought of the comeback of their franchise. After serving a two-year ban, the Men in Yellow are expected to announce their arrival in style.

On the other hand, the defending champions Mumbai Indians will look to kickstart their campaign with a win against their arch-rivals. They will have an advantage as they will play at their home venue against the MS Dhoni-led side. The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has been a fortress for the Indians as they have remained unassailable at the venue in most matches. Meanwhile, the Chennai Super Kings will be under immense pressure when they take on the field after two long years.

The Protagonists

The defending champions Mumbai Indians will be led by Rohit Sharma, who is the most successful IPL skipper with three titles to his name. His win percentage of 60.66 is the highest for any captain in the IPL(minimum 30 matches).

Rohit Sharma recently led the Indian side in the absence of Virat Kohli during the Nidahas Trophy. The 30-year-old led the Men in Blue to victory in final of the tournament. The Mumbai Indians have some firepower in their ranks and they will hope that Evin Lewis and Ishan Kishan get them off to a fiery start. They will also depend on the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman to handle the bowling department.

On the other hand, MS Dhoni resigned from international captaincy on 4th January 2017 and has been missing since then. In the 2017 IPL, Dhoni played for the Rising Pune Supergiant under former Australian skipper Steve Smith. Dhoni has captained in 143 IPL matches, which is the highest for any player. With a win percentage of 58.45, he stands out from the rest.

The wicketkeeper-batsman often guides the bowlers from behind the stumps and thus, his magical presence is a plus point for CSK. The side from the South will also depend heavily on Suresh Raina, who has created magic in the ten seasons of the IPL. The fans will also have their eyes set on Shane Watson, Raina, Dhoni, DJ Bravo, and Ravindra Jadeja.

Player Battle

Things will heat up when former Mumbai Indians veteran Harbhajan Singh comes face to face against any MI batsman. A battle between Harbhajan and Kishan will be a treat to watch. MS Dhoni may give the new ball to the off-spinner against the two left-handed batsmen.

Rohit Sharma will be up against 'Mr IPL' Suresh Raina and it will be a treat to watch when both the batsmen take the field.

Another integral key battle will be Jasprit Bumrah up against the Chennai skipper MS Dhoni. Dhoni has often guided Bumrah from behind the stumps during their time in international cricket. In the past, the awkward bowling action of Bumrah has troubled Dhoni as Bumrah bowls around the off-stump.

In the Indian nets, Dhoni sets a shoe at the full length on off stump and asks Bumrah to hit the shoe. Things will heat up when these two come up against each other in Mumbai.

Pitch Conditions

The Wankhede pitch always offers help for the batsmen and is expected to be flat. Wankhede is often known to be a chasing ground but the winning percentage shows otherwise.

Teams batting first have won 51.4 percent of the games whereas teams batting second have won 48.6 percent of games in the last ten years in T20s. The dew factor plays an important part in Mumbai. This forces the captains to ball first after winning the toss. The dew factor will increase as the IPL progresses. It is expected to be a run-fest when the Mumbai Indians take on the Super Kings from Chennai.