IPL 2022 has come to the business end with teams giving their tooth and nails to finish inside the top-4 of the points table to qualify for the play-offs. CSK and MI are the top two teams in the IPL history sharing 9 of the 13 trophies and twice apiece in the last 4 seasons. But they both are languishing at the bottom of the points table this season with MI already out of play-offs while CSK is hanging by the barest of margins albeit with other results favoring them. Despite all these, there is never a dull moment when these two archrivals take the field, and we expect yet another thrilling action-packed contest in this match.
TEAMS PREVIEW
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS PREVIEW
CSK`s batting has found rejuvenated energy with the arrival of Devon Conway who scored three fifties and has shared good partnerships with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top. Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, and Robin Uthappa have played good knocks but are not consistent across matches. MS Dhoni has been in good rhythm in the final overs and is giving crucial runs with the bat.
Youngsters Mukesh Chowdary and Simranjeet Singh are taking care of the powerplay overs, and they both took 2 wickets each in the last game. Mahesh Theekshana has been CSK`s go-to bowler this season and Moeen Ali has claimed 5 wickets in the last 2 matches making the ball talk. Dwayne Bravo returned after injury and was at his usual best with slower balls and variations.
Top players to bet on: Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Mahesh Theekshana
MUMBAI INDIANS PREVIEW
MI batters were bundled out for just 113 runs in the chase of 166 runs. Ishan Kishan notched up his third fifty of the season in the match while the remaining batters failed to cross the 20-run mark. Tilak Varma and Tim David are looking in good touch with runs in the recent matches and SKY is ruled out of this season with an injury. Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard are struggling big time this season.
Jasprit Bumrah lit the match on fire with his death bowling skills last night and had match figures of 4-1-10-5. Daniel Sams too was excellent with decent figures of 4-0-26-1 while the spinners Kumar Karthikeya and Murugan Ashwin went for runs at over 9 RPO despite claiming a wicket each. Riley Meredith and Kieron Pollard combined to finish the remaining overs for the team.
Top Players to bet on: Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Tim David
MATCH DETAILS:
Venue: Wankhede Stadium
Date & Time: May 12, 7:30 PM
PITCH REPORT
The Wankhede Stadium has seen some high-scoring matches this year. RCB got to a big total of 192 comfortably in the previous game against SRH at this venue. The short boundaries will still make it tough to defend and hence, the skipper that wins the toss would be looking to bowl first.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
Mumbai will have a hot and humid climate with chances of dew settling down in the latter stages of the match. However, no weather interruptions in the match are expected.
TOSS: TO BAT
Pitches are starting to slow down owing to the wear and tear and teams batting first are winning matches recently with a 7-3 win-loss record in the last 10 matches. We expect both captains to bat first in this match.
PROBABLE PLAYING XIS FOR CSK VS MI
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Mahesh Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary
MUMBAI INDIANS
Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Tilak Varma, Dewald Brewis, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Kumar Kartikeya, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat
PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS
PROBABLE BEST BATTER OF THE MATCH: DEVON CONWAY
Devon Conway played yet another sensational knock in the previous game against the Delhi Capitals and got his side to a match-winning total. The left-hander scored a 49-ball 87 and he has been among the runs in the last three games for the CSK side in their turnaround. The New Zealander will be looking to ensure his form continues throughout the remaining fixtures.
PROBABLE BEST BOWLER OF THE MATCH: MAHESH THEEKSHANA
Mahesh Theekshana has been picking up wickets regularly for the Chennai Super Kings and he has been improving in each game. The Sri Lankan spinner finished with 1 for 29 in the previous game against Delhi Capitals and he has been quite economical in any phase of the game.
WINNING PREDICTION
CSK has a strong batting unit, but their inconsistency in the middle order is a big worry for them. They have an excellent bowling attack manned by the master MSD behind the stumps effectively. The fitness and form of their premier all-rounder Ravi Jadeja is a big worry for CSK. MI has been very pathetic this season with batters and bowlers not able to contribute as a team effectively. They will be looking to end CSK`s campaign with a win in this match. We expect CSK to win this match owing to their better team morale and form recently.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS WILL WIN THE MATCH.
