The stage is set for arguably the biggest rivalry in the history of the Indian T20 League. Following a defeat against Team Mumbai earlier in the season, MS Dhoni’s Team Chennai is set for a game of vengeance as Rohit Sharma takes his men to Chepauk with a hope of ending their opponent’s domination at the venue.
Chennai are undefeated at MA Chidambaram Stadium this season. In fact, the last team to beat them at the venue was Mumbai back in 2015. Regardless of their current struggle, Mumbai will be travelling with an upper hand, having won 14 of their previous 25 fixtures. Even in their last five encounters, the visitors have had the last laugh by winning four.
The figures though hardly matter. The certainty, however, remains that the game will provide immense excitement. Here’s a look at the players that should make up your fantasy picks for this tie.
Batsman: MS Dhoni
Chennai, this season, has been all about the brilliance of this man. Be it his leadership ability or his magic with the bat, Dhoni has been in top form so far. Despite his back problem, the 37-year-old has delivered consistent performances and carries an average of whopping 104.66. He is the only player to have an average above 100 in the season (minimum five innings played).
Dhoni’s average (42.03) is only the second best behind the leader David Warner (42.87) in the current season. All this coupled with his flair behind the wicket, expect a few added bonus points.
All-rounder: Hardik Pandya
With an average of 42 during the death overs, all-rounder Hardik Pandya remains Mumbai’s undisputed weapon. Ironically, it was against Chennai at tonight’s venue where Pandya announced himself on the bigger stage in 2015. His marauding of 21 runs off just eight deliveries gave his side a six-wicket victory over Chennai back then.
On a personal scale, Hardik is just 21 runs short of completing 2000 runs in T20s. As far as wickets are concerned, he only needs two wickets to reach the 100-wicket mark in the shortest format of the game.
Bowler: Jasprit Bumrah
With 11 wickets in his kitty, pacer Jaspreet Bumrah remains Mumbai’s highest wicket-taker of the season. Having an economy of 6.41, he remains up with the very best. Bumrah, personally, remains a doom of Chennai’s batting order having dismissed the likes of Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (thrice), Shane Watson and Suresh Raina twice in his career.
Skipper Dhoni, on his part, carries a forgettable against the pacer, having scored mere 39 runs in 38 deliveries while being dismissed thrice in the process. Even the hard-hitting batsman, Shane Watson is yet to find a solution to Bumrah’s attack.
