After scripting an incredible finish in their last game to earn a place at the playoffs, defending champions Mumbai Indians will now be up against two-time title holders Chennai Super Kings in the IPL eliminator here on Wednesday.
The resurgent MI, who sealed a berth at the playoffs by virtue of a better net run rate after producing an improbable run chase against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, would be eager to continue in the same vein but they face a daunting task against a formidable side at the Brabourne Stadium.
Requiring to chase down a 190-run target, Mumbai Indians overhauled the target in just 14.4 overs.
The last edition’s winners have certainly come a long way, following the first phase in the UAE where the Rohit Sharma-led team tasted five defeats in a row.
Mumbai seems to have put behind its opening woes, with a successful combination of former Australian player Michael Hussey and West Indian Lendl Simmons, who has scored the only century so far in this edition of IPL.
Ambati Rayudu and skipper Rohit Sharma have been in good touch and the middle-order is now a force to reckon with the hard-hitting Corey Anderson and West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard.
Mumbai’s bowling attack looks weak in the absence of Lasith Malinga, who is representing Sri Lanka in the series against England.
Praveen Kumar, who was a replacement to Zaheer Khan sustained an ankle injury and it is unclear whether the Uttar Pradesh pacer will feature in the crucial tie against Chennai Super Kings.
The addition of young Karnataka leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal has added teeth to the bowling department with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh being in his elements.
Chennai, on the other hand, snapped their three-match losing streak with a comfortable eight-win win against the Royal Challengers on Saturday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men won both the league ties against Mumbai this year and they would be eager to pull the rug from under their feet for one more time to get another shot at the title.
Chennai possess a good batting line-up which includes the lethal opening pair of West Indian Dwayne Smith and New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum.
Smith has amassed 501 runs so far this season, while McCullum has scored 380 runs.
South African Faf du Plessis returned to form in the last game after a string of low scores and the inclusion of David Hussey has strengthened the batting attack.
Mohit Sharma has been the pick of the bowlers for the Chennai side with 18 scalps, while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has picked up 16 wickets.
