The 'El Classico' of IPL - Mumbai Indian vs Chennai Super Kings - gets underway at the iconic Wankhede Stadium as the two heavyweights face each other in the 29th match of the Indian Premier League. The two giants clash for the 37th time in IPL as the rivalry takes a new route under two different captains. MI's Hardik Pandya won the toss and asked Chennai to bat first.
Notably, Chennai have made a change to their winning team for the clash against Mumbai. They have brought back Matheesha Pathirana, who comes back after a niggle. He missed the last two games for the Super Kings. Mumbai are unchanged for the clash as both the captains confirmed their teams at the toss.
"We would like to bowl first, dew will come into play. It (pitch) looks better than the last game, expecting a lot of runs. Need to stick to the basics. Winning is very important to get the momentum. We were able to win two games convincingly. That's the beauty about IPL, everyone has to contribute. Your team will be able to achieve goals eventually. The dew started coming post 10 overs. It gets heavier in the evening. Same team," Hardik said at the toss.
"We would have bowled first, something we can't control. Need to do well in all three departments. This is the beauty of IPL. always fluctuating. Good contest for both teams, two teams up for grabs. Team playing better will win. Pathirana comes in for Theekshana, that's the only change," Ruturaj said at the toss.
Chennai come into this clash on the back of a win against Kolkata Knight Riders as they bounced back from their two-match losing run in the tournament. Meanwhile, CSK have not won a game away from home this season. Mumbai have snapped their three-game losing streak to start the season with two wins in the next two encounters.
The iconic clash between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings is usually called the 'El Classico' of IPL. The two share a rich legacy and tradition in the tournament. They are the two most successful franchises and also boast a huge fan base. Both MI and CSK have won five IPL titles each and have faced each other four times in the final of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Romario Shepherd, Shreyas Gopal, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Madhwal
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni(w), Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman
Chennai Super Kings Subs: Matheesha Pathirana, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Shaik Rasheed
Mumbai Indians Subs: Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Naman Dhir, Nehal Wadhera, Harvik Desai
