It is often billed as El Clasico of the Indian Premier League. Instead, it should just be referred to as IPL Personified. Not just Gen Z and the millennials but even Gen X and boomers are equally excited about it, much like the India-Pakistan game.
The feature match – perhaps the most sought-after clash at the time of the announcement of the IPL schedule every year – of the franchise extravaganza is here yet again.
With 10 of the 16 IPL titles equally shared, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will lock horns against each other at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Just like the fans, the teams – as admitted by CSK head coach Stephen Fleming – “look forward” to the fixture. Beyond the arch rivalry, however, both the teams will be hoping to get into a rhythm after a shaky three weeks at the start.
While the Super Kings have three wins out of five, the Mumbai Indians enters the game on the back of consecutive wins at home in its last two games. Add to the fact the Super Kings’ shaky record away from home this season, lends Mumbai Indians a slender advantage.
With dew making a huge impact on Thursday, the toss will be critical come Sunday. Irrespective of the toss, however, Chennai Super Kings will hope to combat a relentless Jasprit Bumrah. Besides hoping for the best against Bumrah, CSK will bank on its three Mumbaikars to set the stage on fire.
If Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube and Tushar Deshpande deliver against the likes of Bumrah, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, CSK will have the chance to earn bragging rights and improve its away record.
