IPL 2018: Match 27, Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians - Toss Report

Mumbai Indians  won the toss and decided to field first against Chennai Super Kings  in the twenty-seventh match of the Indian Premier League at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.

Here is what the captains said:

Rohit Sharma:

“We’re going to field first. It’s a good pitch. Pitch doesn’t change through the course of forty overs. Pollard misses out, Duminy comes in for him. Fizz misses out too, Cutting comes in. First and foremost is to enjoy. That was missing in last few games. Today is perfect platform for us. It’s important to take one game at a time. Important to come out here and understand what we need to do.”

MS Dhoni:

“Same wicket and it got a bit of rest. Will be quite the same. Second innings last game there was bit of variable bounce, not too much. Would have bowled first too. Just made it in time. Same team. Always prefer to take one game at a time. Learn from the mistakes. Help each other. Ultimately it’s a team sport.”

Preview:

The last time these two teams played, it was an absolute thriller. Defending 166, Mumbai Indians were looking set to win the game after reducing Super Kings to 118 for 8. However, a magical innings from Dwayne Bravo helped Super Kings pull off a heist at the Wankhede. Since that game, both the teams have travelled completely contrasting paths in the league.

While Super Kings are sitting atop the rankings, the defending champions are sitting at the other end of the table. The MS Dhoni-led side have won 5 of their six games while Rohit Sharma’s men have managed to win just 1 game in as many matches.

Going by the current form, Super Kings will fancy their chances of beating the defending champions again. However, Super Kings should guard against complacency against a team which has lost several close games. The Chennai-based outfit has not managed to come up with dominating performance but have managed to get the job done more often than not. In their last game, a MS Dhoni-special led them to an emphatic win over Royal Challengers Bangalore while they were chasing 206. On the other hand, Mumbai had suffered a humiliating defeat in their last outing. Chasing a modest 119 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, they were all out for a paltry 87.

So while the Super Kings would be looking to continue their winning run, Mumbai Indians will be seeking a fresh start from this every game. Another win will put Super Kings a step closer to the playoff berth but can very well end Mumbai’s hopes of making it to the last four.

Playing elevens:

Mumbai Indians:

Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Jean-Paul Duminy, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

Chennai Super Kings:

Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir