Title contender Mumbai Indians will meet the defending champions Chennai Super Kings in a crucial encounter of the ongoing Indian Premier League. Before the tournament started it was speculated that the chances of these two teams clashing for the title once again are high. But as the competition has progressed, these two teams have found the going difficult.

Mumbai Indians are in a better position out of the two teams. They are one point ahead and have a match in hand. But the team from Mumbai will know that they have played some bad cricket and have got a bit lucky in the past couple of matches.

CSK have their own problems as their batting has been inconsistent and their bowling has looked ordinary in some matches. They have not been consistent and therefore have suffered five losses. They will have to quickly get their act together if they want to maintain the good run that they had in this competition’s history.

Let’s have a look at some of the players who can create the difference.

Mumbai Indians:

James Franklin: He has been doing well in the tournament and has provided a solid foundation for his middle order. Franklin is an intelligent cricketer and plays according to the situation. He is also a decent medium pacer and has the ability to break partnerships.

Rohit Sharma: He has been one inconsistent batsman for Mumbai Indians. He has been throwing his wicket around and that would have disappointed his team. Sharma is considered to be a great prospect for Indian cricket and he has to start playing like one.

Harbhajan Singh: The captain of the Mumbai Indians bowled brilliantly against their neighbours, Pune Warriors. He hasn’t picked too many wickets in the tournament but he has been very economical. He will have his work cut out against the strong Chennai batting line-up.

Lasith Malinga: You just can’t keep this Sri Lankan sensation out of the equation. He made a comeback to the Mumbai side after missing few games because of injury and has already made a big impact to the side. He is the most trusted weapon in Mumbai’s armory.

Chennai Super Kings:

Faf du Plessis: He has been the most consistent Chennai batsman in this tournament. He has played some match winning innings and has always looked in good touch. His rate of scoring runs is also very good.

Albie Morkel: He has only played around 50 deliveries in the tournament so far and that is simply bizarre. Morkel won Chennai the match against Bangalore very early in the tournament and even that has not prompted MS Dhoni to promote him up the order. Morkel is a big hitter and the only problem is that he is not getting enough opportunity with the bat.

Ben Hilfenhaus: This Australian swing bowler has been in tremendous form off late and he replicated that in the first match that he played for CSK. He is also a very good bowler at the end of the innings.

Dwayne Bravo: Bravo has been playing a vital role in Chennai’s bowling line up. He bowls at crucial stage and does well most of the times. He changes his pace well and has got a good Yorker.

By Gaurav Jha

Indian Sports News