Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Sharjah
Pro Tip: There could be a few changes in the Super Kings line-up as suggested by MS Dhoni, so wait for teams to be announced before you pick your XIs. Since Mumbai have won eight out of their last 11 games against the Super Kings, the best plan is to pick most players from their team.
Our XI: Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suryakumar Yadav, Sam Curran, Kieron Pollard, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
Substitutes: Imran Tahir, Shane Watson, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya
NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.
Player availability: All players are available for selection except Dwayne Bravo, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a groin injury.
Captain: Quinton de Kock
de Kock has found some fantastic form off late, having scored four fifties in his last five innings. He scored a breezy 33 the last time these two teams met but failed to make it big and this could be the day. de Kock has a fantastic strike rate of 160.21 in the middle overs, when the Super Kings usually pull things back.
Vice-captain: Suryakumar Yadav
Yadav has been the best batsman for Mumbai against the Super Kings in recent times. He has scored 249 runs since 2018 against them at an average of 49.80 and a strike rate of 129.01. He has scored 40 or more in four out of six innings since 2018 as well.
Hot Picks
Ambati Rayudu: Rayudu has looked very positive since he dropped down to No.4. He has scored 99 runs there in the last three games at a decent strike rate of 126.92. In the last game against Mumbai, Rayudu scored a match-winning 71 and in his last game in Sharjah, he scored a 25-ball 45 against the Delhi Capitals.
Kieron Pollard: Pollard has scored only 89 runs against the Super Kings since 2018 but those have come at a strike rate of 153.44, having been dismissed only once. He is in tremendous hitting form this season and could make the most of that. Among all batsmen who have faced 100 or more balls this season, Pollard is second on the list of highest strike rates (238.88), with a boundary percentage of 73.25.
Sam Curran: Curran opens the batting and bowls his full quota of overs more often than not. He has scored 121 runs so far this season at a rather healthy strike rate of 151.25. He also has picked up ten wickets at an economy of 8.5. Curran could get you points with bat, ball and in the field.
Differential Picks
Shardul Thakur: Thakur has picked up nine wickets in the tournament so far at an economy of 8.53. He has gone wicketless only once this season and bowled quite a bit at the death as well.
Ravindra Jadeja: Jadeja has been contributing with both bat and ball. He has scored 194 runs in the tournament with a strike rate of 164.4 and has also picked up four wickets. With the wicket in Sharjah slowing down and turning, he should be a handful. Jadeja’s ability to score vital runs at the death and finish off innings has come to the fore this season – he strikes at 204.05 which is the fourth-best among batsmen who have faced 70-plus balls during that period.
Alternate Scenarios
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The Super Kings are likely to make a few changes. They might probably give one of Imran Tahir and Lungi Ngidi a go, with good chance of N Jagadeesan also playing. If they do that, then replace Thakur with Tahir or Ngidi.
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If the Super Kings bat first, it is better to have your vice-captain as Sam Curran, since he bats higher up as well as bowls.
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There is some concern over Rohit Sharma’s fitness and if he misses this game, replace him with Chris Lynn.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo