"Mumbai does play well against us" - CSK coach Stephen Fleming is aware of the threat of the defending champions

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has admitted that the Mumbai Indians tend to do well against his side. The former Kiwi captain believes they will use this as a motivation to lift his side's standards.

A new chapter will be added to the fierce rivalry between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians today as they go head-to-head in the opener of the second half of the IPL 2021. The sight of Rohit vs Dhoni, Jadeja vs Hardik, Pollard vs Bravo, will undoubtedly be a true example of elite-level cricket.

The official Twitter account of CSK posted a video showing how motivated the team is for their clash with the Mumbai Indians. The post was captioned:

" Fired up for the ⚔️ Pre match mood ft. Super Fam #CSKvMI #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁 💛 @PhonePe_

You can find the video clip below:

While interacting with CSK TV, coach Stephen Fleming spoke about the reverse fixture but conveyed that his team would be up and ready for the challenge. He said:

"We finished the first half of phase 1 with a loss where Pollard played one of the great IPL innings. Mumbai does play well against us, so we've got to keep lifting our standards."

"From a coaching point of view, you want the game underway so you know what to work on and just exactly where the team's at. So, we're looking forward to it as always and it's a good encounter."

The CSK coach also believes it is going to be a unique challenge looking at how the 14th edition of the IPL has been split into two halves, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fleming told CSK TV:

"It’s like a fresh start for another tournament. It’s a unique challenge to have a tournament split in half. We just want to start well again but also remember the work it took to get a bit of form and get those wins. It’s all about the mindset, people coming together and almost treating it like a fresh start for another tournament.”

CSK is currently placed second in the points table with five wins and a couple of losses to their name. With 320 runs to his name, Faf du Plessis was the highest run-scorer for the side during the first leg of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Englishman Sam Curran spearheaded his side's bowling chart with 9 wickets during the first half.

Players arriving from CPL and international assignments is a huge boost for CSK

Some players arriving from the Caribbean Premier League and a few from international assignments gave the side a much-needed boost. Fleming was excited when the likes of Faf, Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja joined the camp. He said:

"There are guys coming in from the CPL and international cricket and that's the beauty of the IPL, they come with great experience and tie them all together. I'm really happy with the work that is being done here. I'm looking forward to it."

Speaking about how the players have adjusted within the group, the 48-year old said:

"The style of play, the way the new players adjust to the side and then getting a game plan that suits the players and the balance that we have. So, that was by design…which is always nice when it comes off. The way we batted and the aggressive nature in which we batted and took the opposition on and that was something that was lacking in the first half in Dubai last time. The confidence through that was good and the all-round balance was good to see."

In a total of 31 matches between MI and CSK, the former have been victorious 19 times while Super Kings have managed to pull off 12 wins against their fierce rivals. It will be worth the wait to see who comes out on top in today's clash.