Indian Premier League 2019 Match 44, Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

The two most successful teams in the tournament have been having typical seasons so far. Chennai Super Kings have been dominant, utterly in control for most of their matches, and are currently at the top of the table with 16 points. Mumbai Indians endured their now traditional poor start, and have, expectedly, recovered from that to look fairly well-placed for a place in the Playoffs.

When the two juggernauts clash on Friday, April 26, at the Chepauk though, victory will be more important for Mumbai. They may be just four points behind Chennai with a game in hand at the moment, but a loss would allow the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab to close the gap on them. They will be sucked into a dogfight for that fourth spot, and that is one drama Mumbai will be keen to steer clear of.

Chennai will be just as motivated for victory though. Their triumph against Hyderabad last time around ended a two-match losing streak, and at this stage of the campaign, they wouldn’t want any doubts creeping in. Momentum is important in knockout rounds, and Chennai will be looking to seal their place there, officially, as early as possible.

They will also have an eye on their batting. Shane Watson finally repaid the management’s faith in him against Hyderabad with his belligerent 96, but apart from MS Dhoni, the rest of the line-up hasn’t always convinced. The time is now to get their machinery working in peak condition.

Head to head

Chennai and Mumbai have clashed 27 times in IPL history. Surprisingly, it’s Mumbai who hold the upper hand there – they have won 15 times to Chennai’s 12.

In their encounter earlier this season, Mumbai subjected Chennai to their first loss of the campaign. In fact, in their last six clashes, Chennai have won just once – by one wicket last year.

Key players

Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings): One knock isn’t enough to suggest a player is back in form as such, but Chennai will hope that meant Watson has indeed found his spark. When Watson fires, it’s usually domination that follows, and Chennai, with their batting not quite up to the mark this season, know how important that us. Plenty of eyes will be on Watto.

Quinton de Kock (Mumbai Indians): What Watson does for Chennai, de Kock does for Mumbai. The South African has been fine form this season – he heads into this match after hammering a 65 against Rajasthan Royals – and while Chennai have largely contained opposition in the Powerplay, de Kock is a whole different challenge.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir

Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Mayank Markande

Prediction

Chennai have a spotless home record, and expect that to continue.