IPL 2015, Qualifier 1: Five Things We Learned From Mumbai Indians' Victory Over Chennai Super Kings

MI got the better of CSK once again, beating them for the 11th time overall

Mumbai Indians (MI) once again came out in flying colors against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who were comfortably beaten by 25 runs in Qualifier 1 of the 8th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Mumbai were actually the visitors for yesterday's game that took place at the Wankhede Stadium, where, over the years, they have been hard to beat, winning 65% of their games (40) played at this venue.

They have turned things around remarkably well during the last fortnight, and were probably the confident of the two sides ahead of the clash against the Super Kings.

Rohit Sharma won the toss, and had no hesitation in batting first, which has been their forte this season, winning 66% of their games (9) in which they have batted first.

Chennai's new ball bowlers - Ravichandran Ashwin and Ashish Nehra - started off well, giving nothing away to the Mumbai openers, who had to work really hard to garner even singles.

Things, however, changed quickly in the 5th over, which saw Ashwin come on for his 3rd and last over on the night, conceding 13 runs and getting Mumbai's innings started.

Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel started scoring boundaries from both ends, and shifted the pressure back onto MS Dhoni and his bowlers. Simmons, in particular, scored boundaries at will and batted with great flair against spinners, as well as the fast bowlers.

This duo once again laid a solid foundation for their side, and put on 90 for the first wicket before Parthiv fell to Dwayne Bravo, attempting to cross-bat a slower delivery over mid-wicket.

Mumbai, though, kept hitting the boundaries and maintained pressure on the Super Kings, who were not getting the wickets in a canter until very late in the first innings.

The visitors reached 135/2 by the end of 15th over, and looked likely to post a total close to 190. However, there was a shift in momentum after the strategic time-out, with the hosts taking 2/6 from overs 16 and 17, putting Mumbai in a real spot of bother.

The Indians, with Kieron Pollard striking it crisply, were still in with a chance of reaching somewhere over 170. They ended up with 187 on the board, a total that gave them real advantage.

They began their bowling innings in grandiose fashion, with Lasith Malinga dismissing Dwayne Smith, a former Mumbai Indian, in the very first over of Chennai's innings. It was a contentious decision made by Richard Illingworth, but it didn't matter for Mumbai.

Faf du Plessis walked in at No.3 ahead of Suresh Raina, and attacked the Mumbai bowlers from the beginning. The South African played a loose shot in the 4th over bowled by Vinay Kumar, who was unlucky to not have his scalp after being dropped at third-man by Malinga.

At the other end, Michael Hussey hit a couple of boundaries, but wasn't posing many problems to Rohit and co., who preferred bowling to the Western Australian.

Chennai, though, had to take the initiative of going after the MI bowlers, and when they did, it resulted in false strokes and fall of wickets. du Plessis held fort at one end, and got into a bit of partnership with Raina, who showed intent from the word go and struck a couple of beautiful sixes in his innings of 25 (20).

He, however, got out at the wrong time from CSK's perspective, with Harbhajan Singh also dismissing Dhoni in the very next delivery he bowled. The hosts quickly stumbled to 86/4 by the 11th over and Mumbai had the equation well under their control.

Chennai never managed to build partnerships after the fall of their skipper, with the likes of Bravo and Ashwin playing cameo innings' that weren't good enough for their side.

Malinga picked up a couple of wickets to bowl out Chennai in the 19th over, and help his side seal their spot in the Finals of IPL 2015, which will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 4 days time.

In hindsight, what did we learn from a clinical MI performance? Read on...

This game had a good ebb and flow to it

Right from the word go, this game felt like a big one, played by two very capable T20 sides.

Mumbai had a distinct advantage over Dhoni's devils, since they were playing in front of their home crowd and, most importantly, have been in good form during the latter stages of the ongoing season.

Chennai, on the other hand, have always thrived on occasions such as last night and were fully deserving of their place in the first qualifier.

Dhoni was very tactical in the way he utilized his new ball bowlers, as he not only tried to dry up the runs, but pick at least two Mumbai wickets in the powerplay itself.

There were a couple of edges - inside of Simmons' willow and outside of Parthiv' - that sped away to the boundary and frustrated the Chennai bowlers, who kept a lid on Mumbai until the 5th over of their innings.

From that point on until the end of the 15th over, however, Mumbai scored a whopping 113 runs for the loss of both their openers, to put themselves in a position of real strength.

Yesterday's game ebbed and flowed nicely, causing great intrigue for the neutrals

Chennai, though, came roaring back and bought a couple of wickets in the 16th and 17th over, to set MI back and enhance their chances of restricting the batting side to no more than 170.

They, however, were unsuccessful in their ambitions, letting Mumbai get up to 187 and face a massive proposition of chasing them down, even though there were no demons on the wicket and had the batting firepower to get the job done.

Malinga dismissed Smith early, and gave a head start to his side's bowling innings. That wicket didn't work in Mumbai's advantage, though, as du Plessis came out all guns blazing and started scoring boundaries from the outset.

Mumbai strung in some cheap overs in the first half of CSK's innings, but there were a few expensive ones too, with Raina and du Plessis threatening to take the game away from the visitors.

Victory for the visitors became certain once Harbhajan got two wickets - Raina and Dhoni - in the 11th over, and it became a no contest from then on.

But, for almost 3/4th of the game, there was so much of an ebb and flow to it, and from the neutrals' point of view, it was wonderful to see two sides compete so well in such a high profile IPL fixture.

Things went perfectly to plan for Mumbai

In the end, when Mumbai reflect on the game, it really couldn't have scripted itself better.

Batting first, as aforementioned, has been their forte this season, and they got to do just that after Rohit won the toss.

Simmons' 65 (51) set Mumbai on their way to posting a big total

Their openers got the team off to a solid start after surviving a few scary moments, and batted until the 11th over before Patel got out. It meant that the likes of Rohit, Pollard and Hardik Pandya, could come in and start playing their natural game right from the beginning.

In the last five overs of their innings, they scored only 52 runs despite the last three overs going for 46, and didn't really score as heavily as they have done on previous occasions this season. But still managed to get to a total - 187/6 - that they would have been happy with. 

When they came out to bowl, the onus was on them to pick early wickets and make the scoreboard pressure get onto the home side. 

They were lucky to dismiss Smith, but Mumbai never let CSK run away with the game, even when the likes of du Plessis and Raina played a few good shots and kept the required run-rate under control. Harbhajan's brilliant 11th over helped them get a firm grip on proceedings, and go onto win the game by a comfortable 25-run margin.

Therefore, Mumbai would be mighty pleased with their performance that was up to the mark on a big occasion like last night, and against a good Chennai side. 

Pollard's 41 (17) had a gargantuan impact on proceedings

The West Indian has been having a very good season, and he continued his good work in his side's demolition of Chennai.

He came into bat in the 14th over, which was the ideal scenario for him, as well as Mumbai, because of the fact that he would, in any way, have enough deliveries to catapult Mumbai to a total in excess of 180, at least.

He got in on the act straightaway, hitting a couple of sixes off Negi and pushing Mumbai's run-rate to 9 runs-per-over. The visitors then lost a couple of wickets - Rohit and Pandya - which made Pollard's presence in the middle even more significant.

Pollard played 'the' game-changing innings

He was batting on 17 from 9 balls when Bravo began the 18th over, in which Pollard hit a six and took a single from only the two deliveries he got to face. It turned out to be a 15-run over for the visitors, who suddenly went from 141/4 to 156/4 with two overs to go.

Mohit Sharma was in line to bowl the 19th over, which cost CSK 15 runs again: Pollard's presence in the middle put Mohit off his line, and the Haryana seamer bowled three wide deliveries and was taken for a six and four by the hard-hitting right-hander, who was playing an absolutely priceless innings for Mumbai.

In the final over the innings, bowled by compatriot Bravo, he once again forced the bowler into making unforced errors and also hit an utterly flat six, helping his side realize a mammoth 187/6 at the end of 20 overs.

Bravo, in particular, was difficult to get away because of his constant changing of pace, and no MI batsman, other than Pollard, was able to score a boundary from the all-rounder's bowling efforts yesterday.

Pollard's innings not only got the score to 187, but Chennai, going into the dressing room for the change over, would have been upset by the amount of runs (46) they conceded in the last three, after having Mumbai on the mat at 141/4 when the 18th over began.

That, for me, was the game changing aspect. Pollard was rewarded for that innings with the man-of-the-match award, which was well deserved.

Chennai's middle order needed to do more

The performance of Chennai's middle order has been nowhere close to good enough from the very beginning of the season.

Yesterday, chasing 188, it was all about them, unless Smith and Hussey got their team off to a prolific start and didn't lose a wicket until the halfway point of their innings.

That, however, didn't happen and Smith was wrongly adjudged leg-before by the umpire in the very first over of their innings.

In walked du Plessis, who steadied the ship and gave real impetus to CSK's innings. Hussey got out for 16 (11) in the 6th over, and someone like Raina had to stand up and play the long innings.

Harbhajan bowled the game-changing 11th over, dismissing Raina and Dhoni

He too started off well, and struck a couple of delightful sixes, but had to carry on and take the game forward for his side. Harbhajan bowled really well to dismiss him in the 11th over, which proved to be the match-deciding one that also saw Dhoni get out for a golden duck.

This has been a shocking IPL season with the bat for the Indian ODI skipper who, despite scoring 328 runs in 15 innings so far in the tournament, has had very little impact on his side while batting in that middle order.

Bravo replaced Dhoni, and took way too much time to settle down while the required run-rate was getting out of control.

du Plessis, in trying to get a move on at a crucial stage in the innings, got a leading edge while looking to loft Jagadeesha Suchith over long off, and ended up giving a catch to Vinay, the fielder at long-on.

Put together, the quartet of du Plessis, Raina, Dhoni and Bravo scored a mere 90 (70) and it proved to be a detriment to their side's chances of chasing down 188.

In hindsight, we probably got to commend Brendon McCullum for his heroics with the bat at the top of the order. He gave Chennai many a quick start and probably disguised the palpable weakness in the middle order; with him gone now, we are getting to see the original picture.

Rohit was astute in the way he juggled his bowling options

Rohit has every right to be proud of himself for his astuteness as a skipper

Rohit's captaincy stood out once again yesterday, when he superbly handled his bowling resources and brought the best out of them.

Malinga and McClenaghan started from either end, with the new ball, and the Sri Lankan quickie picked up the wicket of Smith in his very first over. McClenaghan had a poor day, and his first over on the night went for a whopping 17 runs; his outing didn't get any better thereafter, and finished with figures of 3-0-46-1.

Rohit didn't persist with the New Zealander, and brought on Vinay from his end for the 4th over of Chennai's innings.

The Karnataka Ranji skipper put in probably his best bowling performance of the season, and repaid the faith shown on him by the team management. He dismissed Hussey in the 6th over of the innings, and should have had du Plessis too a couple of overs earlier, if not for Malinga's drop at third-man.

Over the course of this season, we have seen Rohit utilize Suchith for a couple of overs in the mandatory powerplay. The scenario was different last night and Rohit, the skipper, was willing to adapt to the demands of it: Raina was batting at one end, and a left-hander usually favors facing the left-arm orthodox spinner, therefore, it was sensible from Rohit to hold him back.

That was one impressive aspect of his captaincy, as well as his choice of bowlers at various stages of CSK's innings.

Also, he let Harbhajan bowl from one end, and complete his 4 overs on the trot. It showed that Rohit meant business, and was going for the wickets instead of sitting back and letting the game run its course.

Mind you, such bowling changes and tactical decisions paid off superbly, and took Mumbai into the third IPL finals in their history.

Final Thought

It was a comprehensive performance from MI, who excelled in all three departments of the game.

A win against the Super Kings was also a good way to sign off from the Wankhede fortress, and get their minds firmly fixed on winning back the trophy that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) took it from them last year.

Mumbai must definitely be oozing with confidence, and should be comfortable taking on any of the three sides - Chennai, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) - in the grand IPL final this Sunday.

IPL 2015, Qualifier 1: How Equipped Are Mumbai Indians To Beating Chennai Super Kings?

Mumbai's bowlers are in good form ahead of the game against Chennai

Mumbai Indians (MI) played some outstanding cricket against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who let the pressure of a knockout game overwhelm them and capitulated rather clumsily with the bat.

You can take no credit away from the visitors, though, whose bowling attack stepped up to the plate and delivered the knockout punch.

Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan bowled their hearts out, dismissing the dangerous opening duo of Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner in the 1st and 2nd overs of the hosts' innings.

Sunrisers never really recovered after that new ball assault from Mumbai, and folded up for a mere 113. Defeat was never in doubt after such a poor batting performance, and the visitors, led by their opening partnership of Parthiv Patel (51) and Lendl Simmons (48), romped home to a 9-wicket victory with 37 balls to spare.

By way of their 8th win of the campaign, Rohit Sharma's men have reached the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season and also finished 2nd on the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table, on the basis of accruing more wins (8 compared to 7) than Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who had a better net run-rate than Mumbai.

Such a victory has set it up perfectly for the men in blue and gold, as the first qualifier is to be played tomorrow at the Wankhede Stadium where, over the years, Mumbai have been hard to beat.

They, however, have a very different proposition in front of them compared to the one they faced last Sunday, as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have once again had a good season thus far, possess the necessary big game temperament and, finally, look in decent fettle ahead of tomorrow's fixture.

The question has to be: how equipped are the Indians to beating CSK, while playing on their own patch? Answer to follow...

At the beginning of the season, needless to say, Mumbai looked a pretty ordinary side and were rolled over easily by the likes of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Super Kings, in their first four games.

While many a player in their squad looked to be out-of-form to begin with, Ricky Ponting and company probably didn't get the combination of their playing XI right, too.

They went in with three overseas batsmen - Aaron Finch, Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard - for the first three games of the season.

It meant that Malinga, the other overseas player who has been critical to MI's success over the years, had to shoulder extra responsibility in the bowling department, and Harbhajan Singh was the only other quality bowler who could be put in the same bracket as the unorthodox Sri Lankan quickie.

Someone like Jasprit Bumrah, who did so well last season, looked clueless and his flimsy bowling performances continued to cost Mumbai. Vinay Kumar, the new recruit from KKR, is not a dangerous bowler who will strike fear in the opposition batting lineups.

Malinga was out of bowling form too, going for plenty of runs while not picking many wickets.

Mumbai's bowling attack, therefore, struggled to take wickets (they managed to pick 5 or more wickets only once in their first four games) and stem their opponents from scoring over 160.

With their side's bowling attack looking out of sorts, the batsmen always had that extra responsibility to either put a big total on the board, which itself wasn't enough against Chennai when the first time these sides met this season, or chase down massive targets.

The home win against Sunrisers turned around Mumbai's fortunes

Things, though, turned around for the good once they played Sunrisers at Wankhede, where, despite setting the visitors an easy target of 158 to win the game, they produced their best bowling performance and went onto register their 2nd win of the campaign.

Since then Mumbai have been able to produce team performances that have seen them register many a memorable victory during the second half of their campaign, when they have won 6 of their 7 fixtures.

The respective batting forms of Hardik Pandya and Ambati Rayudu have been particularly pleasing to see, and this duo has added depth to the MI middle order.

Also, the inception of McClenaghan has added more firepower to his side's bowling attack that has done well as the season has progressed.

Going into tomorrow's game against the Super Kings, Mumbai, man-to-man, would think that there is not much gulf between themselves and their illustrious opponents.

Tomorrow's hosts are the most in-form side compared to their opponents, and all three departments - batting, bowling and fielding - of their game are functioning very well.

Chennai are probably the most well-balanced IPL team, even better than the Knight Riders', be it this season or in the previous seven seasons.

However, having said that, the South Indian franchise has had a few problems with their middle order this season.

Chennai's middle order has been far from prolific this season

The trio of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis, have scored over 300 runs each, but scored those runs at only 125 runs per 100 balls, which explains why CSK have posted a total in excess of 180 only on two of the ten occasions they have batted first.

Also, Brendon McCullum, with 436 runs to his name, gave them many a good start during the league phase, and Chennai weren't as much of a force in the games that the New Zealand skipper failed with the bat. Him joining up with the national squad that faces England in a 2-match Test series starting in a couple of days' time, is a major blow to CSK, and it will be interesting to see how they cope without their swashbuckling opener.

Coming to their bowling attack, Ashish Nehra and Dwayne Bravo have taken 18 and 20 wickets, respectively, but have not really been complemented by the likes of Mohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja - two bowlers who could be looked at as genuine weak links.

Dhoni has also persevered with Ishwar Pandey, who has pegged away indefatigably on an unresponsive wicket in Chennai.

Ravichandran Ashwin has bowled to profile, picking 9 wickets from 11 matches and conceding only 5.73 runs-per-over, which is the most impressive aspect of all.

Pawan Negi, since coming into the side, has bowled well, although it is worth mentioning that the left-arm orthodox spinner was taken for 25 runs in an over by Pandya and Rayudu, who helped their side win that game.

Chennai's bowlers have got used to bowling on the slow wicket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where they have won 6 of their 7 games and Mumbai were the only side to beat them at the so called Lion's Den.

While playing away from home, however, their bowling attack has been taken to the cleaners in all but a couple of games against the RCB and KXIP.

Now, Dhoni is at his best when he has got the luxury of using 2-3 spinners during an innings but, at the Wankhede, I am afraid that the conditions aren't going to be exactly in his favor.

CSK, it is safe to say, are not a superior side to Mumbai, and will be tested in the cauldron that is the Wankhede Stadium.

Final Thought

Mumbai have probably surprised themselves by qualifying for the playoffs after losing their first four games.

Mumbai also have the confidence of having beaten Chennai not so long ago

As aforementioned, once they saw off the Sunrisers at home, they managed to strike consistency in results and played well to win against the likes of the Royals, Knight Riders and Super Kings, teams that saw a dip in form after suffering defeat at the hands of Mumbai.

Rohit & co. are high on confidence and there is simply no reason to suggest that they are 'incapable' of overcoming a Super Kings side which, over the years, has not been great when playing against Mumbai.

Expect this to be a high-scoring contest.

IPL 2015, Match 56 Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians

Royals were the second team to qualify for the IPL playoffs

Even after the completion of 54 games in the 8th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), two playoff spots are up for grabs, with three teams - Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) - vying for that 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the IPL points table.

From Mumbai's perspective, the equation is straightforward: win against the Sunrisers, and you are guaranteed of a spot in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

The visitors, though, have a massive proposition in front of them, as the hosts were quite unlucky to lose against the Royal Challengers on Friday and are a vastly improved unit since the last time these sides met at the Wankhede Stadium.

The Indians, on their own, have done well to be in 5th place on the points table, after losing their first four games and looking absolutely clueless as a unit.

It has been great recovery from both these teams that will look to knock each other out of the competition when they face off at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad tonight. Which side will prevail, playing their best cricket under such extreme pressure? Read on...

Hyderabad

This South-Indian franchise has a chance of making it to the playoffs for the second time in their history since the change in ownership prior to the start of the 2013 season.

This season, in particular, the Sunrisers have played an eccentric brand of cricket under the leadership of David Warner, who, with 556 runs to his name, is the leading run-scorer in this edition of the IPL.

The Australian left-hander has got his side off to many a quick start at the top of the order, along with Shikhar Dhawan, who himself has scored over 350 runs.

However, Sunrisers were all about their openers, and the rest of that batting lineup didn't deliver, for most part of the first half of their campaign.

Things, however, have turned around for the good and the injection of Moises Henriques in that No.3 position has paid rich dividends.

Moises Henriques has helped his side turnaround their form

The New South Wales all-rounder has got runs (276 in just 8 innings) with the bat, and accrued 11 wickets, as well, averaging more than 1 wicket-per-game in his 8 outings for SRH.

Eoin Morgan has come in place of fellow countryman Ravi Bopara, featuring in most of his side's games in the second half of the ongoing season.

His inclusion in the playing XI has added more firepower to the Sunrisers' batting lineup, but the Irish-born batsman would have wanted to contribute more than one 50+ score he has managed in the tournament so far.

The aforementioned quartet has to come good with the bat tonight, if their side is to pip Mumbai and march onto the IPL playoffs for the second time in their history.

The Sunrisers' bowling attack has been spearheaded by Bhuvneshwar Kumar who, with 18 wickets to his name, is fourth on the list of contenders for the Purple Cap in this year's Pepsi IPL.

It has been a bit tricky for Sunrisers in selecting one amongst Trent Boult and Dale Steyn, who has played in just 5 games this season while the New Zealander has featured in 7 of the 13 SRH games so far.

For tonight, however, Steyn will maintain his place in the playing XI, as Boult has joined with the national squad in England ahead of the Test series that begins at the Lord's on the 21st of May.

The likes of Praveen Kumar and Karn Sharma have bowled to the best of their abilities, picking 7 and 9 wickets respectively.

Going into tonight's game, as aforementioned, their batting lineup has to come good. They would relish batting first if the opportunity comes along too, as 6 of their 7 victories in the tournament have come while they have put a total on the board.

Mumbai are a dangerous side to play against, especially with Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya striking form just at the right moment in their side's nail-biting victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, when Sunrisers bowl, early wickets are going to be the key to causing problems in the MI ranks.

Mumbai

The Indians' season has in many ways been akin to the Sunrisers', but they have looked a better all-round side since they got their act together and started to win games consistently.

The openers - Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons - deserve great credit for the kind of starts they have rendered Mumbai over the last 6-7 games, with the left-hander in particular scoring quick runs while Simmons has taken his time to settle down and play a long innings.

In the MI middle-order, Ambati Rayudu has shone as a batsman during the second half of the season, which has seen him play many a match-winning knock against the likes of Delhi Daredevils (DD), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (at the MA Chidambaram Stadium).

Pandya's batting has been so invigorating to watch

Further down the batting order, Pandya has played that 'aggressor role' to perfection in the latter stages of his side's innings; he has shown a good head on his shoulders, too.

Rohit Sharma has disappointed with the bat since scoring that magnificent 98* against the Knight Riders in the season opener at the Eden Gardens. He will look to come good tonight, and find some form before the playoffs, if Mumbai do get there.

Pollard had a mighty important role to play, both with the bat and ball, in his side's last game and will be a confident man going into tonight's game.

Such a batting order will hold Mumbai in good stead against the Sunrisers.

MI's bowling attack has had a mixed bag throughout this IPL, but they have delivered results for their side whenever needed.

Lasith Malinga, after being woefully out of form early on in the campaign, has comeback strongly and led the MI attack like he has done over the years.

He has been well complemented by Mitchell McClenaghan who, with 11 wickets from 9 games, has added more muscle to the Mumbai bowling attack that was taken to the cleaners by the likes of Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Knight Riders during that 4 game win-less run at the very beginning of this season.

Harbhajan Singh and Jagadeesha Suchith have done reasonably well, though the Turbanator has not been consistent and failed to bowl to his reputation on many an occasion this season.

Suchith, the left-arm spinner from Karnataka, has shown good maturity, particularly while bowling in the powerplay overs where Rohit has sought to use him for two overs, at least.

Vinay Kumar has featured in 10 of his side's 13 games, but has been the weak link of this attack, picking up a mere four wickets and conceding close to 8.50 runs per over.

Going into tonight's game, the Indians will be relatively confident of upstaging the hosts and making it to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

They, however, need to remind themselves that things aren't going to be easy against a Hyderabad side packed with stroke-makers, who will hold the key to their side's chances of winning this game.

Like the Sunrisers, Mumbai will rely on their batsman to rise up to the plate and deliver in a crunch game like this.

Final Thought

We should be in for a very competitive game of T20 cricket, with the visitors starting as favorites to make their way into the playoffs.

No disrespect to the Sunrisers, whose strength lies in their batting and the top order, led by Warner, has to come good, if the hosts are to pose serious problems for Mumbai.

The wicket in Hyderabad is a placid one to bat on

The wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is a very good one to bat on, therefore, whichever bowling attack comes out on top will most likely win it for their side.

IPL 2015, Match 51: Five Things We Learned From Mumbai Indians' Victory Over Kolkata Knight Riders

Pollard bowled a brilliant last over, to win it for Mumbai

Mumbai Indians (MI) kept their hopes of making it to the playoffs alive, overcoming a really strong Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side by 5 runs in Match 51 of this season's Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL).

It turned out to be an enthralling game of cricket in the end, with both sides making mistakes throughout their respective batting and bowling innings and the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium surely got their moneys worth.

It was a must win game for Mumbai while Kolkata, with 15 points to their name, were not in a do-or-die situation.

Gautam Gambhir won the toss and chose to bowl first on a slightly two-paced Wankhede track. The visitors brought in Shakib Al Hasan for Brad Hogg and Morne Morkel came in place of Johan Botha, as the two changes in personnel for the Knight Riders.

Mumbai, as we have seen for much of this season already, simply do not have too many resources to call upon, and ended up bringing Vinay Kumar back into the playing XI, at the expense of Jasprit Bumrah, who failed to harness the opportunity he was handed against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) four nights back.

The hosts started off their innings at a good clip, with Parthiv Patel leading the way and getting those boundaries early on in the innings. Lendl Simmons never got his timing right on the night, and was dismissed after scoring just 14 (16).

Parthiv played a loose shot after looking so good for his 21 (13), and Mumbai were in a spot of bother when their openers fell in subsequent overs of their innings.

Things didn't get better thereafter, either, with Ambati Rayudu playing a careless shot and holding out at long-off; Rohit Sharma batted really well while he was in the middle, scoring 30 (21) and played a huge role in steadying the MI ship along with Kieron Pollard.

The Mumbai batsman, however, was dismissed by an absolute peach from Sunil Narine, who didn't threaten too much otherwise, as he was taken for 38 off his four overs.

With the home side reeling at 79/4 in the 12th over, it was down to Pollard to strike some lusty blows and conjure up a total somewhere close to 150; however, it was the other way around last night, with Pollard struggling to find his touch and Hardik Pandya playing the innings of an aggressor.

Pandya's innings was a real mature one, as he soaked up the pressure early on in the innings and went for the boundaries only after the 15th over.

The home side scored 72 off the last five overs, finishing with 171/4 at the end of 20 overs. It was a competitive total that would have made Mumbai happier than KKR, for whom it was a crime to concede so many runs.

172, though, was not a big target by any means, and with the kind of firepower and depth the visitors' batting lineup exuded, you had to fancy them to get the victory and put MI out of the reckoning for the playoffs.

However, it really didn't pan out that way and Mumbai's bowlers did enough to keep their side in it throughout Kolkata's innings.

They kept chipping away at the wickets, though the trio of Yusuf Pathan 52 (38), Gambhir 38 (29) and Shakib 23 (15) kept hitting the boundaries and never allowed that required run-rate to jump over 10.

Therefore, it was pressure on Mumbai, whose bowling attack, apart from Lasith Malinga, flattered to deceive: Harbhajan Singh had an ordinary outing; Vinay didn't threaten his former IPL side, and was quite lucky to dismiss Shakib; Jagadeesha Suchith just bowled the two overs, but got the crucial wicket of Gambhir, and Mitchell McClenaghan didn't get his lines right, though he dismissed Suryakumar Yadav at a crucial juncture in the game.

The home side had to thank Pollard for the way he came and delivered that final over, winning the game for his side and keeping their hopes of making it to the playoffs alive.

In hindsight, what did we learn from a decent MI performance? Read on...

Mumbai, without a shadow of doubt, got out of jail

Mumbai definitely felt the pressure of a must win game last night, and it had an impeding effect on their overall performance.

They got over the line in the end, but not by their own brilliance.

I have repeatedly felt that Mumbai's strongest suit was their batting, and therefore, should be injecting an extra batsman in their playing XI, instead of Vinay, who simply has not done well.

Pandya did bail them out of trouble yesterday, but what if Pollard was dismissed by the barrage of short-deliveries he had to deal with from the KKR bowlers? Or, what if the youngster did something rash, in a bid to up the scoring rate?

An extra batsman in such a situation can always be advantageous, but the MI think-tank has simply been hesitant to go for an extra batsman after the initial few games of the ongoing season. Mumbai's team selection was their first mistake on the night.

It has been so surprising to see Mumbai drop as many catches as they have done this season: the likes of Harbhajan usually pose a safe pair of hands, but has dropped many a catch already this IPL.

Mumbai got out of jail on many an occasion last night

Yesterday it was the turn of Pandya to put down a dolly from Gambhir, who wanted to hit Suchith out of the attack. Thankfully for Pandya and Mumbai, the Delhi Southpaw played a reckless shot in the very next delivery and threw his wicket away; that wicket came at a time when KKR, with Pathan and Gambhir in the middle, threatened to take the game away from the home side. Gambhir's wicket was the second time that MI got a reprieve last night.

On another day, it could have cost the home side. But they need to reflect on these aspects of their game before taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday.

The home side didn't get their strategy right with the bat

Having been put into bat by the visitors, the onus was on Mumbai to set a target in excess of 180 at the very least.

KKR though, with their potent bowling attack, were never going to make it easy for the hosts.

Gambhir rotated his bowlers well, and they responded promptly to their skipper's tactics.

Lendl Simmons couldn't set a solid platform for his side, as he has done previously

Mumbai batsmen - Simmons, Parthiv and Rayudu, in particular - gave you the impression that they were trying too hard and wanted to dominate the KKR attack, which was not the right ploy.

MI, throughout this IPL, have done well when they have batted first and not lost many wickets in the first half of their innings.

However, for some reason, last night they didn't want to stay in the crease for long and thereby put pressure on the KKR bowlers to dismiss them; instead, they gifted them with wickets and played it into the visitors' hands, until Pandya and Pollard got into a partnership of sorts for the fifth wicket.

Rayudu, who has done really well over the last five games, was a major disappointment for me. He simply didn't need to play such a stroke when his side had lost 2 wickets for less than 50 runs, and he joined Rohit in the middle only five balls earlier.

Maybe MI felt that, with Rohit holding fort at the other end, one batsman in every partnership needed to be aggressive and concentrate on scoring quick runs, but the shots they played were reckless and I don't think it was the right way to do it.

Pollard-Pandya partnership turned the game on its head

Continuing on from the last point, Mumbai lost three wickets with just 47 on the board and had 81 balls more to play in their innings.

Pollard walked into bat at No.5, and probably was the crucial batsman in his partnership with Rohit. The hard-hitting West Indian is at his lethal best when he doesn't have to worry about preserving his wicket, but it was not a viable scenario for him to come in.

Rohit did bat well while he was there in the middle but, again, he got out at totally the wrong stage of MI's innings that just about started gathering momentum.

Pandya's partnership with Pollard was mighty pivotal in the context of the game

The scorecard read 79/4 in the 12th over when the MI skipper was castled by Narine, with an unplayable carom ball that was bowled at the right pace, length and line, giving no chance for Rohit to survive.

It was a precarious situation for the home side that was fighting for its life, and lost by far the most significant batsman in the side.

Pandya, though, came in and stemmed the flow of wickets, which was the marquee feature of his innings last night.

He scored 4 runs from his first 6 balls, and his first boundary came in 7th ball he faced. The period from 12th to the 15th or even the 16th over, was going to be crucial to Mumbai, who had to ensure that they didn't lose one more wicket. And Pandya and Pollard were sensible in the way they managed it.

Now, while Pandya played 'the' innings that propelled Mumbai's score to 171, let us not forget the anchor role played to perfection by Pollard at the other end. He didn't score too many runs, and ended up with only 33 (38), but his presence in the middle was crucial to Mumbai and made sure that KKR couldn't breathe easy.

It was that dimension of this partnership which helped Pandya to feed off the situation and use it to his, as well as Mumbai's, advantage.

Pollard and Pandya put together a 92-run partnership in 50 balls for the 5th wicket, and took MI to a total that they could compete with. It was a pivotal partnership in the overall context of the game, and it is safe to say KKR didn't see that coming.

Rohit's captaincy was audacious and spot on

Rohit was spot on with his bowling changes last night

It can be difficult for a captain when his side is relying on one or two bowlers heavily, and the others in the bowling attack are contributing very little to the team's cause.

Rohit has been in that situation on many an occasion this season; he has had to be precise and clever with his bowling changes, and yesterday, in particular, he shone in that aspect of his leadership.

He didn't have a big total to play with and had to go for wickets against a very long KKR batting lineup.

Rohit once again relied on Malinga for wickets, and the unorthodox Sri Lankan quickie bowled 2 of his overs right at the beginning of the innings.

McClenaghan too, bowled 2 of his overs at the beginning of the innings, which meant that two of MI's best bowlers completed half their quota of overs well before the halfway mark in KKR's innings and more importantly, hadn't picked up a single wicket.

Therefore, the likes of Vinay and Suchith had to be relied on more than in the former games, while wickets were also expected of Harbhajan, who had two ordinary games back-to-back against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Royal Challengers.

The Knight Riders did well to not lose wickets during the early part of their innings, which put extreme pressure on the home side.

Rohit kept looking for wickets and his bowlers, though fortunate, responded with crucial blows of Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey, who was run out by Simmons, both the wickets falling in the sixth over of the visitors' innings.

Even after the fall of the two Karnataka batsmen in the same over, Rohit didn't relent and kept bowling Harbhajan from one end. The Turbanator finished his 4 overs on the trot and, as aforementioned, didn't bowl as he would have liked, finishing with figures of 4-0-31-1.

Suchith picked up Gambhir in his second over, and the 11th over of KKR's innings, but the visitors still had Shakib, Andre Russell and S Yadav in the hut and were well in control of chase too, needing a mere 84 from the last 9 overs.

Pathan stood tall and though he didn't play as explosively as he usually does, his presence in the middle was crucial in the overall context of the game.

Rohit, therefore, had to bring McClenaghan and Malinga back for their respective second spells as early as the 14th and 16th over.

At the other end, he was being let down by Vinay, who, even though he picked up Shakib's wicket, was expensive in his last over - KKR's 17th - which went for 14 runs and got the equation firmly in favor of the visitors.

The decision to bowl Malinga in the 16th over paid off, and he picked up Russell for just 2, despite conceding 8 runs.

McClenaghan bowled the 18th over and dismissed S Yadav, who threatened to kill MI's hopes of making it to the playoffs. He had scored 11 from his first 4 deliveries, including a couple of boundaries, but the New Zealand seamer picked him up in the first delivery of his final over.

It was then that it got a bit dicey for Rohit, who had to search for a bowler, apart from Suchith and Pandya, to bowl one of the two overs - 19th and 20th.

He brought Malinga on for the penultimate over, which cost 9 runs for the home side, and it was massive in the context of the game. Rohit, though, didn't have an option, as he only had 21 runs to play with in the final two overs.

Instead of going to Pandya or Suchith for the final over, Rohit took the gamble of turning to Pollard, who, it has to be said, was extremely calm under pressure. He got Pathan's wicket in the very first delivery of his over, and it felt like the game had come under the home side's control.

However, in the next delivery Umesh Yadav scored a boundary thanks to some flimsy fielding from Malinga at short fine-leg, and the game was not over yet, with KKR needing 8 runs from the final 4 deliveries.

Pollard was calmness personified, though, and bowled brilliantly to Piyush Chawla, who couldn't put bat to ball in almost every one of the deliveries he faced in his innings last night.

While you could complement the bowlers for performing in the manner they did, Rohit's captaincy was rather commendable and his tactical decisions proved critical to Mumbai's victory.

The Indians once again showed their adeptness in winning a close game

Mumbai have been excellent in winning cliffhangers this season

Mumbai came out on top in what happened to be a very close game to call. It was far from a clinical performance from Rohit's men, but, in crucial moments of the game, they held their nerve and continued to pick wickets.

Pollard - in his post-match interview - mentioned that it was important for them to get over the line, no matter how they managed it, and the manner of yesterday's victory will give them a great deal of confidence going into the final league game that, without a smidgen of skepticism, will have a lot riding on it too.

Final Thought

MI still need a few results to go their way in order for them to make it to the playoffs.

However, having won yesterday's game, their confidence must be quite high, heading into the game against SRH on Sunday.

They are yet to get their team combination right, but if their batting can fire, Mumbai will fancy their chances of winning that last game and hopefully, other results going their way, make it to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

IPL 2015, Match 51 Preview: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Mumbai Indians ought to sort out their fielding woes

Mumbai Indians (MI) play host to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 51 of this season's Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL), in what will be their final home game for this campaign.

Mumbai are one of the four IPL teams that have a designated home ground and played all their home games on the same venue. But Rohit Sharma's men haven't used it to their advantage, losing three of the six games they have played at the Wankhede Stadium so far.

The Indians come into this game on the back of a demoralizing defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last Sunday, as their bowling attack was ripped to shreds by a certain AB de Villiers, whose 133 (59) propelled his side to 235/1 and victory was never in doubt once they put on such a gargantuan total on the board.

The Knight Riders, on the other hand, played a very good game of T20 cricket last Saturday against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), who had the game firmly within their grasp until Andre Russell came into bat and swung the game on its ahead.

The West Indian's 51 (19) went a long way in his side clinching victory in the last over of that game, taking them into second place and needing one more victory, ideally, from their remaining two games, to make it to the playoffs.

Will they manage to seal their fate on Thursday, as well as bring an end to MI's hopes of making it to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season?

Mumbai

Mumbai have done really well over the last fortnight, which has given them a realistic chance of making it to the IPL playoffs this season too.

Parthiv and Simmons need to continue delivering for their side

They had won five games on the bounce before losing to RCB, and things looked to be working in their favor. The batting lineup has fired consistently over the last fortnight; the bowling attack, led by Lasith Malinga, has played a massive role in at least three of Mumbai's six victories so far; the fielding, though, has been abysmal and it cost them last Sunday, when Virat Kohli, after being dropped on 6 by Harbhajan Singh at first slip, made them pay heavily.

And the manner in which they lost to the Challengers would have been really hard to take: they didn't do much wrong, but de Villiers' innings simply blew them away. It was good to see Mumbai being organized in the way they went about chasing that massive 236, which was always going to elude them, however.

Therefore, tomorrow night's fixture against KKR is going to be a massive test of Mumbai's fortitude, as well as their cricketing skills.

At the beginning of the season, MI were playing shambolic cricket and had to sort out their own problems, in order to enhance their chances of winning a game.

That is no longer the case, as they found out last Sunday; they got to have specific plans for their upcoming opponents - KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) - and nullify the potential threats both those teams carry.

Talking of threats, Knight Riders have them in plenty: Sunil Narine's bowling action has been cleared for the second time this season, and he came back with a bang against KXIP; Russel is enjoying a sublime IPL season, both with the bat and ball and, as a side, there aren't too many chinks in the Knight Riders' armor.

Mumbai actually picked a good side against RCB, as they dropped Vinay Kumar, who has had a poor season with the ball, picking up just three wickets in 9 outings and conceding close to 8.5 runs-per-over, and instilled their faith in Jasprit Bumrah, a selection that, however, didn't make any difference.

Going into these last two games, it is paramount that MI play with the net-run-rate in their mind. Their current net-run-rate is -0.302 and it could well decide whether they progress into the playoffs or not.

Therefore, Ricky Ponting and company might well have to inject another batsman into the playing XI, obviously in place of Bumrah, and utilize the handy bowling skills of Kieron Pollard for that fifth bowler slot.

I cannot think of any other way in which Mumbai can go about strengthening their side ahead of tomorrow's game, which is a must-win really.

The 1-time IPL winners need to keep doing the things that have brought them success this season, but got to be a bit innovative and spontaneous from here on, if they are to make their way into the playoffs.

KKR are a very good side and, as aforementioned, MI got to factor in that before the first ball is bowled tomorrow.

Kolkata

The Knight Riders have been far from prolific when playing away from the Eden Gardens, winning a mere two, which came against Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Kings XI, of the five away games they have played so far this season.

Andre Russell has been a massive player for Kolkata this season

The likes of Robin Uthappa, Russell and their skipper Gautam Gambhir, have been the leading lights of KKR's batting lineup.

The trio of Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav haven't got going and failed to replicate their form from last season.

That is one area where Mumbai could find some joy against tomorrow's visitors, whose middle order has been brittle and Russell has bailed them out of tight situations in a few games.

While the batting hasn't exactly fired as a unit, the bowling attack has done well in most of its side's games this season.

Piyush Chawla and Russell are the leading wicket-takers for KKR, with 11 wickets each and both their economy rates are under 8 runs-per-over, and have been vital to their team's success.

Kolkata's strength lies in the plethora of spinners they have at their disposal and, with Narine coming back into the side, the bowling attack can only get better, challenging the Mumbai batsmen to take them on in a game that they simply need to win.

Going into tomorrow's game, KKR have got the bowling arsenal to shut down Mumbai at the top of the order, where Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons have been consistent as an opening pair over the last 6-7 games for the Indians.

If the Knight Riders, however, can dislodge the Parthiv-Simmons duo, Mumbai's middle order, but for Ambati Rayudu, has flattered to deceive and remains a major worry for tomorrow's hosts ahead of the final two league games.

As a unit, the Knight Riders have been more consistent than their Thursday's opponents and will be under no pressure whatsoever going into tomorrow's game.

Mumbai will have to make the running but Gambhir, who has consistently proven his adeptness in getting the best out of his spinners, will want to continue being proactive as a skipper and ensure his side seals a place in the last four before their final league game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) this Saturday.

Final Thought

It will definitely be advantage KKR, at least to start off with, who have 15 points to their name and are sitting pretty in second place on the IPL points table.

They have better resources in personnel compared to the hosts, and that could have a huge bearing in what is a crunch game for Mumbai.

Do not write off the hosts, though, who have been dogged and showed their ability to win T20 games whenever they have had their backs to the wall in recent seasons.

This, however, will be a different proposition and it remains to be seen how Rohit's men react to it.

IPL 2015: What Are Mumbai Indians' Chances Of Qualifying For The Playoffs?

Rohit Sharma despises losing control of their own destiny, with a loss to RCB last Sunday

Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered a morale-denting defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last Sunday, and now have to rely on other teams' results to have any chances of making it to the last four in this season's Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL).

Mumbai were doing so well until before the game against the Royal Challengers, as they had won all their previous five fixtures and 12 points to their name after 11 games.

The batting lineup, led by the in form opening duo of Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons, have struck form; the bowling attack, led by Lasith Malinga, has started picking wickets; the fielding, however, has been shocking to say the least. But as a unit, Mumbai have improved leaps and bounds as the season has progressed.

Last Sunday's game against RCB was such a pivotal fixture, and the Indians knew it, despite clinching a brilliant victory against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) a couple of days earlier.

It was all down to an astonishing AB de Villiers show, with the South African scoring a blistering 133 (59) and escalating his side's total to a mammoth 235/1 from 20 overs.

MI bowlers had no answer to de Villiers, but the home side was guilty of dropping Virat Kohli, de Villiers' batting partner, when the Delhi dasher gave an easy catch to Harbhajan Singh at first slip in just the third over of the game.

236 was a daunting total to chase and, barring a miracle, Mumbai were always going to come up short.

Another significant dimension to this game was that of the net-run-rate for Mumbai: by way of those five consecutive victories they had managed to bring down the negative net run rate, but a significant loss to the Challengers by 39 runs, saw their run-rate dwindle further to -0.302.

Midst all such odds, what are MI's chances of making it to the last four for the sixth consecutive season? Which are the teams Mumbai can depend on, to clinch that 3rd or 4th spot? Can they do it?

Read on... to get the answers.

Scenario concerning Mumbai in IPL 8

Mumbai, who are currently in 6th place on the IPL points table, have two games - at home against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and away to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) - left to play, and the maximum number of points they can get to, at the end of 14 games, is 16.

Their upcoming opponents are in very good nick, and won't be easy to beat, at all.

As of now, no IPL side is assured of a playoff spot, though CSK sit on top of the table with 16 points, and are followed by KKR with 15 points, as the teams with the most number of points at this very moment.

However, since the Super Kings have a positive net-run-rate (+0.813) and already 16 points under their belt, it will be extremely difficult for Mumbai to catch them, with the South Indian franchise still having two games in hand.

Mumbai play KKR at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, and got to beat Gautam Gambhir's side to keep their chances alive.

But, sadly, even if they do manage to beat them, the Knight Riders will still have a game to play against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the potential of reaching 17 points, which is beyond the reach of Mumbai.

Next up on the table are the Royals, whose season has waned away after registering victories in each of their first five fixtures; they now sit in third place with 14 points to their name and have just one game left to play.

Rajasthan, with their defeat to Chennai, have handed Mumbai a major boost

Therefore, they, like Mumbai, can only get to 16 points, though they have a positive net-run-rate of +0.027.

Royals' fixture against Knight Riders is one which Mumbai will definitely keep an eye on, provided that they beat the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise on Thursday.

If Mumbai beat Kolkata on Thursday and KKR defeat Royals a couple of days later, RR will most likely be out of the reckoning.

On the flip side, if KKR lose both their games and Mumbai win their remaining two, Kolkata, currently with 15 points, will go below Mumbai, who then might have a better chance of making it to the last four.

The other two sides that hold the key to Mumbai's chances of making it to the playoffs are the Royal Challengers and Sunrisers.

Sunrisers have 14 points from 12 games, including a slightly better net-run-rate of -0.017. Their two remaining games are against RCB and MI, which makes this scenario all the more engrossing to work out.

SRH, despite currently having more points than both Mumbai and Bangalore, might have to win each one of those two games, as they both are against teams that are fighting for a place in the playoffs.

From Mumbai's perspective, they will have control over Sunrisers' passage into the playoffs, as they play against them this upcoming Sunday.

However, Mumbai's net-run-rate is way below Sunrisers', which might hold the key to this tussle between these two teams vying for a top four spot.

Shifting focus to RCB, they are in a very good position compared to their rivals for the playoffs. They have only played 11 games, but already have 13 points to their name.

Therefore, two wins from their remaining three games would take them beyond MI's reach, which is why it was pivotal for Mumbai to win against Kohli's men last Sunday.

Also, since RCB only have one game against a direct playoff rival in Sunrisers, Mumbai cannot expect to benefit too much from the Challengers' upcoming fixtures.

Final Thought

Last IPL season, which also followed this 8-team format, 14 points were enough for Mumbai to reach the playoffs as the last entrant.

This season, however, even 16 points may not be enough for a team looking to making it to the last four.

Mumbai will first have to win their remaining two games, before they can hope for other results to go their way.

They also got to keep an eye on their current net-run-rate and somehow turn it into a positive net-run-rate, which might well decide this battle for a place in the IPL 8 playoffs.

The Royals and Sunrisers, more than any other IPL side, will hold the key to Mumbai's chances of making it to the playoffs. Rajasthan can only reach 16 points, even if they win against KKR on Saturday.

Sunrisers, even if they beat the Royal Challengers, will have to play Mumbai and it could become a straight shootout between those two teams.

IPL 2015, Match 43: Five Things We Learned From Mumbai Indians' Victory Over Chennai Super Kings

Hardik Pandya played an absolute blinder to get his side over the finishing line

Mumbai Indians (MI) registered their fifth consecutive victory in the 8th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), as they successfully overcame a star-studded Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side by six wickets.

It was Mumbai's first victory over their illustrious opponents for five games, and they had to give blood and sweat to not slump to their 5th consecutive defeat against the men in yellow.

MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first, which is the norm in any fixture played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, and the home side went into the game with three specialist spinners - Ravichandran Ashwin returned to action in place of Ishwar Pandey, while Pawan Negi and Ravindra Jadeja retained their places - in the playing XI.

Mumbai, on the other hand, had to bring in Marchant de Lange for Lasith Malinga, who was not eligible to play in Chennai.

The hosts, unlike in the reverse fixture between these sides, couldn't really get going with the bat at any stage during their innings, and credit to the visitors for choking up the runs and making life difficult for the CSK batsmen.

The top three batsmen fell cheaply, and the mantle was handed over to Dhoni and Faf du Plessis to get their side to a respectable score. However, du Plessis, in trying to up the ante in the 16th over, fell to Mitchell McClenaghan which really put the squeeze on the Super Kings' innings. It was Negi's ultra-impressive 17-ball 39 that got Chennai over 150, a score that usually is hard to chase at the Chepauk.

Mumbai got off to a good start and had the game in the bag after 10 overs. But in trying to keep the scoreboard moving, the visitors lost three wickets for two runs in the space of two overs, and let the home side comeback into the game. They finally got there in the end, aided by Dhoni's 'tactical error', which you don't often get from the tried and tested Ranchi lad.

It was a morale-boosting victory for MI, albeit it need not have been under such dramatic circumstances. In hindsight, what did we learn from an inspiring Mumbai performance?

Mumbai blunted Chennai's threat upfront with the bat and ball

Brendon McCullum's threat was neutralized by MI's new ball bowlers

This Chennai side is known for doing most of the damage early on in the game, be it with the bat or ball. It was 'the' reason for the ignominious defeat Mumbai suffered at the Wankhede earlier in the season, when Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith made a mockery of the target - 184 - set by the home side that day. Ashish Nehra also got wickets with the new ball, which really set Mumbai back.

I am sure that it would have been discussed in the MI camp prior to the game, and they did well to smother CSK early on in both the innings'.

McClenaghan, de Lange and Jagadeesha Suchith bowled good lines and lengths, and didn't provide the hosts' opening duo with any freebies.

McCullum was the one who showed genuine intent in going for the boundaries while Smith couldn't find his touch. Mumbai should have had the New Zealand skipper in the 3rd over, which was delivered by Suchith, when Harbhajan Singh uncharacteristically put down a dolly. But they weren't punished by the hard-hitting right-hander, who fell in the fifth over to Vinay Kumar's bowling, giving a simple catch to Hardik Pandya, who was positioned on the deep mid-wicket boundary.

It was a much-needed wicket for Mumbai, who not only gained that early impetus in the game but neutralized CSK's biggest threat.

Also, when Mumbai came out to bat, it was great tactical awareness from Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons, who delivered a quick, and perfect, start to their side. They attacked Nehra in particular, and scored a whopping 28 runs in his first two overs, putting Dhoni and the home side under extreme pressure.

The purple cap holder didn't have an answer to both Parthiv and Simmons, who pounced on even the slightest error in line or length committed by the left-arm seamer, who finished with figures of 3-0-45-0.

In the overall context of the game, Mumbai blunting Chennai's threat upfront was pivotal to their victory last night.

Malinga wasn't missed as was first thought

Suchith was one of the MI bowlers who ensured that Malinga wasn't missed

It was advantage CSK for the simple reason that Mumbai had the leader of their bowling attack ineligible to play.

Not only did it mean that de Lange, who hadn't played a single game in the tournament until last night, replaced the talismanic Sri Lankan, but the visitors had to depend on other bowlers to pick wickets for them, which was never going to be easy against a batting lineup of Chennai's calibre.

However, it was so invigorating to see McClenaghan, de Lange and young Suchith take over the baton from Malinga and deliver in the manner they did.

de Lange, in particular, bowled well, taking into account that it was his first game of this campaign. He went for a mere five runs in his first two overs, which saw him bend his back and get the ball to carry nicely to Parthiv behind the stumps. He got a bit of tapping from Dhoni and Negi at the fag end of Chennai's innings, but you expect that in this format of the game.

Suchith continues to impress with each passing game, and it is particularly pleasing to see him thrive while bowling in the powerplay overs, which can be a nightmare for most spinners. Also, when he came on for his second spell, in the 9th over of Chennai's innings, it was Suresh Raina on strike and, against a left-arm spinner, you expect a left-hand batsman to harness the affable angle of the delivery. But Suchith struck to his task and dismissed the southpaw right after being hit for a six earlier in the over.

McClenaghan continued the good work he has been doing since his first game of this edition of the IPL, and bowled better than his figures of 4-0-34-1 suggest.

Harbhajan and Vinay were the not-so-impressive bowlers for the visitors, as they went for 69 runs in 7 overs combined. The off-spinner, who was expected to relish bowling on the Chennai wicket, didn't have a good outing following his magnificent spell against Delhi Daredevils (DD) three nights back.

Vinay... well, is the weak-link as far as Mumbai's bowling attack is concerned. He bowls too short for a bowler of his pace, and doesn't put enough effort into his deliveries. With Pandya showing good signs as a bowler, I would be tempted to play an extra batsman in place of the Karnataka Ranji skipper.

In the grand scheme of things, it was job well done with the ball for MI who, in the absence of Malinga, were expected to struggle.

The playing surface behaved better compared to the previous games in Chepauk

The pitch at Chepauk played better last night

The nature of the surface was something that Mumbai had to contend with, especially for a team that plays on a million-times quicker wicket at the Wankhede Stadium.

In Chennai, the wicket is dry, devoid of grass and moisture, and helps the ball stick to the wicket for a fraction of a second, which makes it tough for the batsman to time his shots.

However, last night, I felt that it was more batsmen-friendly compared to the previous games. Also, there was better carry to the wicket-keeper, and the spinners couldn't extract as much turn as they would have anticipated. Yes, it was on the slower side, but not as slow as in some of the previous games played at this venue.

A better wicket meant that Chennai probably needed a score in the region of 170-180. 158 was still a good score, but it wasn't good enough yesterday, especially, and Dhoni addressed that in his post-match interview.

There also appeared to be a bit of dew in the second innings, which made it slightly easier for Mumbai to chase down the target of 159.

The understated players in the Indians' setup stepped up once again

Pandya thrived on the big stage and made the world take notice

Mumbai's renaissance in this year's Pepsi IPL has been totally down to what the understated players in that lineup have achieved thus far.

The likes of Parthiv, Ambati Rayudu and Pandya can become obscure in a side that boasts of the Malingas, Kieron Pollards and Rohit Sharmas.

However, we simply cannot forget the contributions made by Parthiv and Rayudu, in particular, over the last four games, including yesterday's, which have seen this duo make big runs in crucial games for their side.

Rayudu, being a finisher, has come in at big-pressure situations and played some jaw-dropping innings that are not usually expected of the Hyderabadi batsman, who is more of a grafter.

Patel has been fluent at the top of the innings over the last four games, scoring boundaries at will and putting pressure on oppositions' new ball bowlers - Mitchell Johnson, Nehra and Tim Southee, to name a few - who simply haven't had an answer to the wicket-keeper batsman's audacious stroke-making.

Last night saw Pandya thrive on the big stage and make the world take notice of his talents. When pitted against another contender for the emerging player of the tournament, in Negi, the right-hander punched above his weight and played an absolute gem of an innings that saw Mumbai win from an improbable position of needing 30 runs in the final two overs.

On the field, he continued his good work, taking good catches and stopping boundaries - a display that might well have given him the confidence heading into the batting innings.

It is so pleasing to see MI's understated players come to the party and deliver under crunch circumstances. Such performances have made Mumbai a stronger unit than they first seemed, and yesterday's victory also showed that they are not over-reliant on the superstars of the side.

Mumbai prove their efficiency against CSK, once again

Mumbai have had the better of Chennai over the years in IPL history

As aforementioned, Mumbai had lost their previous four games - all three last season, and the reverse fixture this season - against Chennai, which made the head-to-head record between the sides look much more even, with 10-9 in favor of the South Indian franchise.

However, Mumbai have, over the years in the IPL, been the only side that has really gone toe-to-toe with Dhoni's devils and made them look an ordinary outfit.

Last night too, whenever CSK appeared to take a forward step, Mumbai did well to keep themselves in the game.

They bowled well for a majority of Chennai's innings, and Dhoni's side had notched up a mere 104 at the beginning of the 16th over. Then there was that partnership between Dhoni and Negi, who took their side to 158, giving themselves an advantage going into the second innings of the game.

However, the way MI came out all guns blazing, and took Chennai's bowling apart, was simply wonderful. They, once again, lost their way in the second half of their innings, leaving themselves with too much to do in the last five overs.

The home side started getting a stranglehold of proceedings, and it increasingly looked like MI had committed hara-kiri after getting off to such a good start.

But in Rayudu and Pandya, they once again found two heroes who pinched the game that was firmly in CSK's grasp, shocking the home crowd that is rather used to seeing their side winning and not let these kinds of situations go begging.

Final Thought

It really has been a massive turnaround in MI's season that began with four consecutive defeats. Having won five out of their last six games, they have got to 12 points from 11 games and given themselves a genuine chance of making it to the playoffs.

They still have major work to be done and cannot afford to take things for granted, as they play Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - at home - in their next two games that will go a long way in deciding their fate.

The significance of yesterday's victory over Chennai just cannot be stressed enough, and Mumbai must be high on confidence given the manner of yesterday's triumph.

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians: How The Indians Can Stop Super Kings From Roaring At The Lion's Den?

Mumbai has been the only IPL side to have gone toe-to-toe with Chennai over the years

Mumbai Indians (MI) face an away clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, in match 43 of this year's Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Super Kings have played to their pedigree this season too, dominating teams with a supreme brand of cricket and thriving on consistency in results; no wonder they are currently atop of the table and assured of a playoff spot.

The Indians, after suffering a calamitous start to their campaign with four straight defeats, have done well to register five wins from their next six games and give themselves a genuine chance of making it to the playoffs.

Mumbai have been the only IPL side that has gone toe-to-toe with CSK over the years, though they have failed to win any of their last four games including the ignominious 6-wicket defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, against MS Dhoni's side.

Can they conjure up an unlikely victory tomorrow against the Super Kings, who are playing on another level compared to the rest of the IPL outfits? Read on...

Chennai

The Super Kings are one of the very few IPL sides that possess a wonderful blend of international stars and talented Indian players, who make up a significant 7 spots in their team's playing XI.

CSK's openers are the danger men as far as MI are concerned

The likes of Brendon McCullum, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Smith and Dwayne Bravo are devastating T20 players who have played to potential this time around too and been crucial to their side dominating the tournament until this point of the campaign.

McCullum, fresh from leading New Zealand into the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, has been impossible to bowl to and invariably provided his team with good starts at the top of the order.

He continues to play with so much confidence and no bowler has so far come up with an answer to his imperious approach to T20 batting.

Of late, though, the swashbuckling right-hander has struggled to kick on after getting off to starts and it has had a mitigating effect on his side, who, as a result, have not been able to post big totals or chase them down, like against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

McCullum is the leading run-scorer with 315 runs for the Super Kings, whose second highest scorer is Smith. The hard-hitting Caribbean opener has done well as a Super King after making the move from Mumbai last Indian summer.

Chennai's strength lies in the quick starts provided by their opening duo of McCullum and Smith, but the two-time IPL winners' middle-order, despite the presence of Suresh Raina, du Plessis and Dhoni himself, has surprisingly struggled to score runs this season.

Dhoni, in particular, has been woeful with the bat, struggling to rotate strike, getting bowled against medium pace bowlers and striking it at just 122 runs/100 balls, which, however, does not reflect how poor he has been.

Yes, both Dhoni and Raina have notched up over 200 runs each so far, however, when their side has been in a spot of bother, none of them have actually played a noteworthy innings. Such a pattern was palpable in their defeats, all of which have come away from home, against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers this season.

It will be an area to target for tomorrow's visitors, who need to remind themselves that early wickets against CSK will give them a fair chance of winning the game.

Ashish Nehra has been in red-hot form with the ball this season

Coming to the bowling department, Ashish Nehra, without a shadow of doubt, has been in very good rhythm, bowling very good lines and lengths that have suffocated most batsmen from getting him away.

The left-arm seamer has been well backed up by Dwayne Bravo, who, with 16 wickets to his name, is a vital cog with the ball for CSK.

Mohit Sharma has continued from where he left off for India at the Cricket World Cup earlier in the year, though he has been a touch expensive and going at an economy rate of 8.6 runs-per-over.

Ravindra Jadeja has not been effective as in previous seasons, picking up just 5 wickets and conceding close to 8.5 runs-per-over.

Technically, he has become more round-armish and hence been quite easy for most batsmen to score runs off him while also feeling less threatened to be dismissed.

Ravichandran Ashwin's two-match absence has not affected his side from delivering results, as Pawan Negi has done well with the ball and as a lower order batsman. The home boy, however, is expected to recover in time for tomorrow's game.

Super Kings, as aforementioned, will look to set the tone early on in the innings, be it with the bat or ball.

They have got the personnel to wrest control of the game early on with quick runs or wickets, and will look to do exactly the same against what is actually proving to be a decent MI side that played poorly early on in the tournament.

Mumbai

The visitors come into this game on the back of four consecutive victories, which will have done their confidence a world of good.

They won their last fixture against Delhi Daredevils (DD) on Tuesday night, a victory that was crucial to keeping them in the hunt for making it to the playoffs, and will look to build on from the momentum they have gained recently.

The openers - Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons - have started delivering and been the cornerstone to their side's renaissance. Both the batsmen have been scoring runs recently and are in good touch ahead of this massive fixture.

Mumbai's middle order has had a lot of renovation done to it and simply hasn't look settled, with Rohit Sharma slotting himself at No.4 and Unmukt Chand predominantly being the No.3 batsman, who has failed to deliver.

Therefore, it is mighty important for Mumbai that Simmons and Parthiv get them off to a good start again, and thereby not put their middle order, comprising of free stroke-makers in Rohit and Kieron Pollard, in a catch-22 situation.

Rayudu has been instrumental to his side's recent victories

The form of Ambati Rayudu has simply been superb, with the Hyderabadi batsman playing two match-winning innings in his side's last three games: his 53 (27) against RR was flawless and helped his side post a formidable 187 on the board; against the Daredevils on Tuesday, boy, what a magnificent innings it turned out to be, under pressure?

At first he played second fiddle to Rohit when they were reeling at 40/4; he largely looked for singles and intended to give the strike back to the Mumbai batsman. Once Rohit was dismissed and MI were pushed into a tight corner, Rayudu's approach changed completely and he nonchalantly took his side over the line, with not much effort required from Pollard, who got himself a nice 14-ball 26.

Rayudu and Pollard getting runs should hold Mumbai in good stead, heading into the business end of the tournament that sees them face pivotal clashes against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and KKR after tomorrow night's game.

MI's bowling, along with their batting, has improved on its performance levels as the season has progressed, picking wickets, bowling economically and winning games for their side.

The drawback for MI is that Lasith Malinga will not be available for this game and, having returned to form with the ball, it is a massive hole to be filled for the visitors.

It will be interesting to see how they respond to that selection, and whether they look to strengthen the batting or give an outing to someone like Marchant de Lange, who has been warming the benches from game No.1.

Apart from that, Mitchell McClenaghan has been a crucial component in this MI revival that needs to keep going for the remaining 4 games if they are to make it to the last four.

The New Zealand seamer has picked up 9 wickets from 6 games and, apart from the last game when he got bludgeoned by Yuvraj Singh, added firepower to his side's bowling attack.

Harbhajan will hold the key to Mumbai's chances of winning

Harbhajan Singh had an impressive outing against DD after a couple of tough games with the ball, and the Turbanator will relish bowling at the Chepauk.

The form of Vinay Kumar and Jagadeesha Suchith - the Karnataka duo - has improved, as well, though it remains to be seen how they respond to the strong CSK batting lineup.

Like the hosts, the visitors will also depend on their new ball bowlers and opening batsmen to do their respective jobs well early on in the game, as that is where Dhoni's devils are at their strongest.

Final Thought

The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, given the kind of surface that gets prepared to invariably suit the home side, overwhelmingly favors the side batting first, meaning that the toss becomes rather indispensable and, in many ways, has an influence on the end result of the game.

Chennai will start as favorites for this fixture, but Mumbai, given their form over the last five games, will be a force to reckon with.