After sharing a point with LSG, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are up for a challenging assignment in the form of arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI). The two of the most decorated sides will lock horns in match 49 of the ongoing IPL 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, May 6.
In the last meeting on April 8, Chennai brushed aside the five-time winners at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The yellow outfit will be eager to complete a double over the Rohit Sharma-led side in the upcoming clash. An exciting clash awaits as both teams will be looking to obtain results in their favour in Saturday’s first double-header and climb up the IPL Points Table.
Let’s look at Chennai Super Kings’ probable playing XI against Mumbai Indians:
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway
Devon Conway. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
Devon Conway has proven to be an integral asset in CSK’s top order as he has accumulated massive number of runs for the side thus far. Of the nine innings played, Conway has notched up five half-centuries and scored 414 runs at an impressive average of 59.14.
Considering his current form, it would not be a surprise if the Kiwi batter breaches the three-figure mark in the forthcoming games. In addition to this, the southpaw is in contention for the IPL Orange Cap and will aim to fight hard to get hold of the prestigious honour.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is having a fine season, however, in the recent games he has been unable to convert his innings into bigger scores. He has 354 runs in nine innings and will be raring to come all guns blazing against Mumbai in the forthcoming match.
Middle-order: Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (c & wk)
Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Ajinkya Rahane’s major change in his approach in batting has been one of the biggest highlights of the season for Chennai. The batter has played quite a few innings-defining knocks and has aggregated 224 runs in seven outings at an impressive average of 44.80.
Similarly, Shivam Dube too saw a change in his fortune for good as he was unable to get the runs in the first few games of the CSK campaign. However, in nine outings Dube has collected 264 runs with a decent strike rate of 158.08 and lacing it with three half-centuries to his name.
Dube and Rahane will continue to play vital knocks for the side and get the required runs coming in the middle-order. Skipper MS Dhoni has been at his best behind the stumps as a keeper and made important decisions when it comes to challenging the umpire’s call on certain occasions.
However, Dhoni has not got too many opportunities with the bat, but with the limited chances, the 41-year-old has shown glimpses of how aggressive he can get coming down the order. Assuming he gets a chance in the forthcoming match against Mumbai, Dhoni will undoubtedly be raring to score the big runs.
All-rounders: Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
The introduction of star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja post-powerplay has worked wonders for the yellow outfit. On numerous occasions, the left-arm spinner has come in and swiftly dented the rival batting line-up with his impressive spell.
In the last game against LSG, Jadeja was handed three overs upon which the rival team could get just 11 runs and he even got a wicket under his belt. A similar kind of performance will be expected from the star all-rounder in the forthcoming match against Mumbai.
Much like Jadeja, Moeen Ali too was at his destructive best with the ball against LSG. The English all-rounder got two wickets for mere 13 runs in his four overs, concluding with a stunning economy of 3.25. Adding to this, the pair can also get the big runs coming in the middle-order which serves as a massive advantage to the yellow outfit.
Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana
Deepak Chahar. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
After recovering from his hamstring injury, pacer Deepak Chahar returned to the setup in place of Akash Singh. However, Deepak endured a forgettable return as he gave away 41 runs in his four overs of the innings with no breakthroughs and a dismal economy of 10.25.
The pacer will be gunning to have an improved outing against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in the forthcoming match. Maheesh Theekshana too proved to be expensive as he leaked 37 runs in his four overs at an economy of 9.25. Despite this, the Lankan spinner got the prized scalps of Manan Vohra and stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya on the trot to dent the batting innings.
Before the rain gods made their presence felt, Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande got some action with the ball. While Tushar only got one over and gave just a solitary run, Pathirana in his 3.2 overs got two wickets and gave away mere 22 runs. Considering that the yellow outfit will be playing at home against Mumbai, the bowling unit will aim to produce a strong performance.
CSK’s Probable Playing XI:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Probable Impact Players:
Akash Singh, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ambati Rayudu