IPL 2018: 5 thrilling clashes between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings

With only a few days remaining for the highly anticipated edition of the Indian Premier League, the opening clash is set to be a treat for the eyes as the defending champions Mumbai Indians take on Chennai Super Kings, who are on the prowl to reclaim their old throne.

Rivalries have a huge impact in sports and over the years, the IPL has developed some intense rivalries which has been a treat to watch. The rivalry which tops the tops the list, is arguably between Mumbai and Chennai often known as the Super-Indian derby, which has managed to enthral the fans with their intense hunger for the victory on the field.

After serving a two-year suspension, the Yellow warriors are well and back in the competition and will try to topple the revitalized Mumbai line-up in their fortress, the Wankhede Stadium on April 7. With only a few days remaining for the mouth-watering clash, Here's a look at the top 5 matches between the two leading franchises of the event.

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#5 IPL 2008, Chennai

Hayden was a vital cog in the Chennai line-up during the initial seasons

The first ever encounter between the side manages to make the list after being an absolute belter of a game. The game, which yielded over 400 runs in 40 overs, saw the home side batting first. Matthew Hayden helped himself to a destructive knock, contributing 81 off just 46 deliveries. The Aussie received support in the form of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni before being dismissed in the penultimate over of the innings.

Mumbai Indians were handed the task to chase a mammoth total of 209. Despite never being much behind the required run rate, the regular fall of wickets made it difficult for the side to chase down the score. A superb spell by Manpreet Gony amidst of all the raining boundaries helped Chennai secure a slender win by 6 runs, after Abhishek Nayar and Harbhajan Singh's valiant efforts were not enough to cross the side over the line.

Result: Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 6 runs

#4 IPL 2013, Chennai

Pollard has played several priceless knocks over the years for the franchise

The Super Kings were on the lookout to brush off their loss in the finals of 2012 IPL with a fresh start in the 2013 edition. With Chennai playing host, the men in yellow began their proceedings with explicable accuracy. The new ball bowlers managed to send the veteran opening combination of Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar in quick succession.

With his side in a slump after the score of 75-5, Kieron Pollard came to Mumbai's rescue virtue of a brilliant knock which took the men in blue to a score of 148.

While this was considered as a chasable total, the Super Kings had an off day with the bat after the Mumbai bowling line-up gave no room for error and managed to restrict the run flow along with wickets at regular intervals. Captain MS Dhoni, was stranded at one end and ultimately his fifty proved futile after the visitors managed to pick up the win by 9 runs.

Result: Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 9 runs

#3 IPL 2011, Mumbai

Harbhajan Singh was at his lethal best in the Wankhede

This fixture could very well be called as the tale of two knocks with two batsmen managing to provide huge contributions for their teams. Coming into the fixture as the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings elected to bowl first at the Wankhede.

Despite the new ball bowlers breathing fire in their first spell, the Super Kings had no answer to Rohit Sharma's brutal hitting display. The Hitman managed to amass 87 off 48 balls to steer his side to a total of 164.

The men in yellow plotted their chase in brilliant fashion and were on the verge to wrap it up with several overs to spare. But the determination of Harbhajan Singh denied a potential victory for the Chennai side. Despite Badrinath's resilient knock of 71, the Chennai middle and lower order bowled down to the Turbanator after failing to get past double digits and lost the fixture by 8 runs.

Result: Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 8 runs

#2 IPL 2015, Chennai

Hardik Pandya was the saviour for the men in blue at Chepauk

There have been several instances in the IPL where a single player has managed to drive his side to victory. But this is one such case where a player made defining contributions in all three departments of the game to snatch victory from the jaws of imminent defeat.

Chennai Super Kings managed to score 158 runs at Chepauk with vital contribution from Pawan Negi towards the end of the innings. Hardik Pandya managed to claim the catches of the top order before putting on an economical display with the ball.

The very hero for CSK in the first innings, Negi was shouldered the responsibility of bowling the penultimate over with the opposition 30 runs away from the target. It was a clash between two highly promising all-rounders with Pandya at the crease. Fate proved cruel on Negi, as Pandya exhibited one of his first hitting sprees to finish off the game with ease in the final over.

Report: Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets

#1 IPL 2012, Mumbai

Smith played one of the best cameos in IPL history to take away two points

The Wankhede witnessed one of the true exhibits where a side managed to capture the win after defying all odds in 2012.

The match saw Chennai Super Kings notch up 173 in their 20 overs. 3 wickets apiece from RP Singh and Lasith Malinga proved to be the only respite for the Mumbai Indians bowling department.

The chase did not begin on the perfect note for the home side, after losing makeshift opener James Frankin, for just 1. However, things looked positive for Mumbai after rebuilding the innings through a magnificent 126 run stand for the second wicket between Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. The roller-coaster of a game took yet another twist after the sudden dismissals.

The final equation meant Mumbai needed 14 off 3 balls to win the encounter. What happened next is truly a moment for the ages, after Dwayne Smith managed to whip Ben Hilfenhaus straight down the ground, three times in a row to take Mumbai home, in the greatest fixture between the two sides.

Result: Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 2 wickets