Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has been in rampaging form in the last fortnight of the Pepsi-IPL- VI and it looks forward to quell Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium for the first time on Sunday.
The supreme batting displays by Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina and M.S. Dhoni have placed the two-time winner in an unassailable position in so far as confirming its berth in the play-offs and bid for the title match.
After a nine-run loss to MI when it wobbled to make only 139 for nine chasing 148 in its tournament’s first match at the MAC Stadium, CSK found its bearings and has won nine out of 11 matches and more significantly it has stacked up a splendid seven wins in a row.
Quintessential campaigner
Dhoni who has led the team to 55 wins in the league has been the quintessential campaigner in pursuit of the bright side of the game. In eleven matches he has scored 300 off only 175 balls for a terrific scoring rate of 10.29 an over. The Australian left-hander Hussey is the leading run-getter at 485 runs off 367 balls at a scoring rate of 7.93 and he is followed by Raina at 359 of 255 balls and at a scoring rate of 8.45 an over.
CSK’s bowling department has taken 66 wickets at 24.26 conceding 7.37 an over with the current owner of the ‘Purple Cap’ Dwayne Bravo taking 19 wickets at 16.95. He is followed by Chris Morris, Mohit Sharma and R. Ashwin with 11 wickets each.
CSK has also held 40 catches in the outfield with Bravo accounting for 11. Dhoni has held eight catches and effected two stumpings.
Settling scores
After winning seven consecutive matches — four home matches and one each at Delhi, Kolkata and Pune — Dhoni’s team will play here at a venue where it has lost to MI by 9 wickets, eight runs and two wickets in three previous matches. MI has beaten Kings XI Punjab and RCB here.
While CSK will hope to settle scores for the home-loss, MI, with six wins and 12 points will try to maintain the winning home record. Scores of 209 against DD, 183 against PWI, 194 against RCB and 174 against KXIP while batting first gave MI the leeway to defend big totals.
