Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Key Battles.
Vivo IPL 2021: The biggest carnival for cricket fans is just one night away from here. The cricketing festival for the IPL fans will begin on 19th September with eternal-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squaring off against each other at Dubai International Stadium.
Both the sides are packed with hefty players of domestic as well as international cricket. CSK and MI provide huge matchups whenever they come across each other in the IPL which brings a night of joy for the fans.
Though both sides have met several times before this, however, the upcoming meet will be much different. Not only the venues have changed, both the teams have a different mindset for each game as they move one step closer towards lifting the IPL trophy. On one hand, Mumbai Indians will have skyrocketing confidence to lift their sixth title, while on the other, CSK will look to improve their record in the UAE and get rid of the past ghost.
The article will walk you through some key battles to watch for in the IPL 2021 phase 2 opener Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings.
Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Key Battles:
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Rohit Sharma vs Shardul Thakur: The first battles will go with Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma and Chennai pacer Shardul Thakur. Though, Rohit had the better of Shardul in the past as he has scored 45 runs from 32 deliveries. The pacer picked him once which was in 2021 itself in the CSK vs MI match in Delhi.
Both Rohit Sharma and Shardul Thakur were in red hot form in the test cricket recently. It will be interesting to see how both of them perform in the opening match of the IPL 2021 phase 2.
MS Dhoni vs Jasprit Bumrah: The other key battle in the match will be between CSK captain MS Dhoni and Mumbai Indians (MI) pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. The two have met 13 times before and Bumrah has dismissed Dhoni thrice. The wicketkeeper-batsman has managed to score 56 runs from as many balls in the meeting.
While Dhoni looked out of touch in the first half of the IPL 2021, his main focus will be to regain his good form. CSK skipper could only score 37 runs from seven matches in the IPL 2021.
On the other side, Jasprit Bumrah gained his form back in the recently concluded test series against England. He picked up 18 wickets from four matches and was the leading wicket-taker for India.
Suresh Raina vs Rahul Chahar: The third key battle will be between Rahul Chahar and Suresh Raina. Both the aforementioned came across each other three times and Chahar has picked him once while Raina has scored 12 runs against him with a strike rate of 100.
Rahul Chahar will be brimming with confidence after seeing his selection in India’s T20 World Cup squad and will look to continue his sublime form in the IPL 2021 phase 2. The spinner was the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai in the first phase.
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