Well, well, it’s that time of the IPL again—when two of the biggest giants go head-to-head in what has come to be known as the El Clasico of cricket. It’s the five-time champions versus the five-time champions. It’s Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. And this one might just be extra special—it could very well be Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s final El Clasico.
Both teams are desperately hunting for points. MI have found some rhythm, with back-to-back wins—a nail-biter against Delhi and a comfortable victory over last year’s runners-up, SRH. CSK, on the other hand, finally snapped their five-match losing streak against LSG, thanks to the ageless wonder, the 43-year-old wicketkeeper- “Thala” Mahendra Singh Dhoni!
The stakes are high. Both teams need this win—though CSK might need it just a little more. That’s what makes this clash even more thrilling. So buckle up as we dive into the probable XIs, the stats, what the weather gods have in store, how the pitch might behave, and more. Without further ado, let’s kick off the preview for the second and final El Clasico of the season.
- Probable 11
- Stats
- Weather
- Pitch
- Prediction
- Where/When/How to watch this match in INDIA
Probable 11 For Both Teams:
MI:
- Ryan Rickelton (WK)
- Rohit Sharma
- Will Jacks
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Tilak Verma
- Hardik Pandya (C)
- Naman Dhir
- Mitchell Santner,
- Deepak Chahar
- Trent Boult
- Jasprit Bumrah
IMPACT PLAYER- VIGNESH PUTHUR
CSK:
- Rachin Ravindra
- Shaik Rashid
- Rahul Tripathi
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shivam Dube
- Vijay Shankar
- MS Dhoni (C) & (WK)
- Jamie Overton
- Anshul Kamboj
- Noor Ahmed
- Khaleel Ahmed
IMPACT PLAYER- MATHEESHA PATHIRANA
Stats:
| Matches- | 38 |
| MI Won- | 20 |
| CSK Won- | 18 |
| Tied- | 0 |
| No Result- | 0 |
Weather Report:
The weather at Wankhede is expected to be clear, so there should be no rain spoiling the final El Clasico of the season. However, even with the hot and humid conditions, we can expect some dew to come into play later in the evening—which might just tilt the balance in favor of the chasing team.
Pitch Report:
Having lost to CSK in their opening game on a slow turner at Chepauk, MI would not want the kind of spin-friendly pitch they played on against SRH for the CSK game, especially without Karn, and with Noor Ahmad, Jadeja and Rachin Ravindra in the opposition camp. Their batting plans are falling in place, which means a high-scoring track – like the one against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – may suit them better. Whatever the pitch, the team winning the toss is expected to chase as there has been some dew in Mumbai in hot and humid conditions.
[ESPN Cricinfo]
Prediction:
We’re backing Mumbai Indians for this one. They’re clearly in better form than CSK at the moment, and with this match being at their home ground, they’ll be more familiar with the pitch and conditions. MI are playing with better rhythm right now, and with the kind of bowling attack they have, CSK will really need to step up with the bat—otherwise, it could be a walk in the park for Mumbai.
If you don’t want to miss the final El-Classico of this year’s IPL, make sure to tune into JioHotstar at 7:30 PM IST for the match. And if you want to catch all the pre-match action and analysis, log in early at 6:30 PM IST for the broadcast.
Until Next Time!
Thank you.
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