Deadline: April 3, 2019 at 8 PM IST
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Probable XI for Mumbai: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Keiron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Lasith Malinga/Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah
Probable XI for Chennai: Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c & wk), DJ Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur/Mohit Sharma, Mitchell Santner/Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir.
Pitch report
Riding on Pant’s 27-ball 78*, Delhi posted 213 for 6 in the only game played at Wankhede Stadium this season. Bowlers were punished when they shortened their lengths. McClenaghan’s all three wickets came when he pitched the ball up. There will be some dew as the match progresses, but it won’t be as threatening as it in Chennai.
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
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My XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, DJ Bravo (vc), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Imran Tahir, Mayank Markande, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh
Preview
When Mumbai and Chennai met at Wankhede the last time, Bravo helped his team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The scorecard read 75 for 5 when Bravo took the crease, needing another 91 off 8 overs. Bravo smashed 68 off 30 and Chennai won the match with an over to spare. In the first innings he had given away a mere 25 runs in 4 overs and was thus awarded Player of the Match.
Bravo has been in good touch, but the star has been their captain MSD. He followed his match-winning 32* with another spectacular innings of 75* runs: the first was in a tight chase against Delhi and the second was when Chennai lost 3 wickets for 27 runs. His three sixes in the last over, off Unadkat, turned out to be decisive; Royals lost by 8 runs.
Rohit and de Kock both have been in a terrific form. All they need is an escapade that Warner and Bairstow have been scripting for Hyderabad. Rohit has scored 94 runs, while de Kock has scored 110 runs in three matches.
Mumbai’s problem, however, is their inability to carry on the momentum set by their openers. Yuvi walloped three consecutive sixes against Bangalore, showing the glimpses of the past; he was their top-scorer before that, but they need more from him. Pollard meanwhile is struggling to up the ante. Mumbai have been lucky that the Pandya brothers can use the long handle to a devastating effect. Krunal has a strike rate of over 200 in three matches, and Hardik has hit a 104-metre six. To put things into perspective, they need a combination of aggression and stability.
Harbhajan may replace Santner who gave away 26 runs in 2 overs in the last match. Given he played for Mumbai for 10 seasons, Harbhajan will be a handy pick. He anyway was Chennai’s pick of the bowlers in the season openers, taking 3 for 20 against Bangalore.
Malinga has been out of sorts. Behrendorff is more than likely to replace the Sri Lankan.
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