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.

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. 

IPL 2015, 39th Match Preview: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils

Mumbai Indians (MI) play host to Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 39th match of the 8th edition of the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL), looking to carry on the momentum they have gained over the last five games.

They go into tonight's game having registered two resounding victories over Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their two previous fixtures, and should be high on confidence.

Daredevils, on the other hand, have not been consistent enough throughout this season, struggling to string three victories together so far in this campaign. They, however, would be keen to get back to winning ways after losing their last game against the Royals at the Brabourne Stadium, which marked the 500th game in IPL history.

The stakes for tonight's game are sure to be high, as both these teams are locked on 8 points after 9 games and a win here would see one of them move upwards on the IPL table by the end of today.

But which team is more equipped to outsmart the other? Is there scope for complacency in the hosts' camp? Can J-P Duminy weave his magic with the bat against Mumbai once again? Read on... to get answers to those puzzles.

Mumbai

Rohit Sharma's men have improved as a unit over the last five games, and the team management has to be credited for the return to form of their side.

Ricky Ponting and company have made it a point to stick with the same playing XI for 60% of their last five fixtures, and that trust has brought the very best out of the likes of Vinay Kumar, Jagadeesha Suchith and Parthiv Patel - who were the primary non-performers in the team not so long ago.

Mumbai's opening pair of Parthiv and Lendl Simmons, in particular, has got going as the season has progressed, putting up partnerships of over 30 runs at the top of the innings in five consecutive games.

With Parthiv and Simmons rendering a platform for the middle and lower-middle order to throw the kitchen sink during the latter stages of the innings, the Indians have been able to post totals in excess of 170 on three occasions in their last five games.

Simmons continues to hold Mumbai's batting together

They also have been fortunate to have got to bat first during their recent games, either after winning the toss and electing to do so or being put in by the opposing captain, and such a pattern has worked out nicely for them.

While the openers have found form lately, the engine room of their batting lineup, shouldered by Unmukt Chand, Rohit and Kieron Pollard, hasn't come to the party in recent games.

Ambati Rayudu, though, played an outstanding knock of 53(27) against the Royals, and the Hyderabadi batsman looks a confident player after that match-winning innings not so long ago.

Mumbai, in terms of how they could construct their batting innings, will look to be cautious upfront and have wickets for the second half of the innings. That tactic has worked for them recently, and there's no reason why they shouldn't stick to it.

Coming to their bowling, Lasith Malinga's return to form with the ball has given his side a major boost. The unorthodox Sri Lankan quickie has averaged 1.8 wickets per game over the last five matches, and also become more economical after getting a bit of tapping during the earlier phases of this ongoing season.

Mumbai's bowling form, along with Malinga's, has improved recently

Mitchell McClenaghan has done a terrific job for MI with the new ball, picking wickets and also bowling economically.

He, like Malinga, has taken 9 wickets in the 5 games he has played in the tournament so far. The New Zealand seamer was instrumental to his side defending totals of 157 and 187 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royals, respectively, as McClenaghan picked up 3-wicket hauls in both those games.

Harbhajan Singh has bowled well, though his wickets' column has dried up in recent games. The Turbanator has been well assisted by Suchith, who has done a good job while bowling inside the mandatory powerplay and in tying down the likes of David Miller the other day against the Kings XI.

Vinay has bowled economically in recent games and needs to carry on in that mould, as the season reaches its business end. Rohit also has to be credited for the way he has utilized the bowlers, and restricting Mumbai's opponents from running away with the game at any stage during their innings'.

Going into tonight's game, MI cannot afford to slip up, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) awaiting them in a couple of days time. Getting to 10 points today would mean that they get themselves closer to the current top four and enhance their chances of making it to the last four even more.

They, in a game of this magnitude, cannot afford to be complacent and got to continue doing the same things that have paid dividends lately.

MI's weak link has still got to be their bowling; looking beyond the trio of Malinga, McClenaghan and Harbhajan, there is still a bit of uncertainty over Vinay and Suchith's ability to deliver when the pressure cooker is on but, as long as the batting comes good, Mumbai will be in with a shout tonight and in the games to follow.

Delhi

Tonight's visitors have been striving for consistency until this point of their campaign, but have yet to manage it.

Looking at the playing XI they have put out game after game, you would think that they have a wonderful balance to their lineup, but the big guns in the batting department, barring Duminy, haven't delivered and that aspect has been the major drawback of their season so far.

Someone like Yuvraj Singh, who you expect to come good in this format of the game, has struggled, reason for which has also got to be with the surface at the Feroz Shah Kotla. But the southpaw's tally of 146 runs from 8 innings simply does not reflect the caliber of personnel we are talking about.

With the likes of Yuvraj and Angelo Mathews not making significant contributions with the bat in the middle order, the top three of Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer and Duminy himself, have had to shoulder the responsibility of the entire batting lineup.

Iyer and Duminy, in particular, have done a fantastic job, scoring 290 and 276 runs, respectively, and are up there amongst the top 10 run-scorers so far in the tournament. Agarwal, with 213 runs to his name in 8 innings, has done a good job opening the batting with Iyer.

Albie Morkel did so well for his side in their very first game against Super Kings, who only narrowly won that game after the all-rounder's inspired effort of 73 (55) with the bat. But the South African has not got a look in after that game, which is outrageous really.

Yes, they have persevered with Mathews and been hoping that the Sri Lankan comes good. But despite not making a single half-century in 7 innings so far, he has simply been struck with, and it seems like Delhi have become oblivious to Morkel.

In order for them to progress in the tournament, their batting has to come good sooner than later. Saurabh Tiwary played a good innings of 28 (14) against the Royals a couple of days back, and Delhi would be hoping that he continues from he left off last Sunday.

Delhi will depend on their bowling to win tonight's fixture against Mumbai

Looking ahead to their bowling attack, Zaheer Khan announced his arrival in grandiose fashion by picking 2/17 from his 4 overs in his very first game of the season against KXIP.

Zaheer will relish bowling at the Wankhede, which is his home ground and where he plays for Mumbai Ranji team, and it will be one of the aspects to look forward to, as far as today's clash between Mumbai and Delhi is concerned.

Nathan Coulter-Nile has been the leader of Daredevils' bowling attack, having played all their games this season and averaging 1 wicket per game in 9 outings so far.

In the spin department, Imran Tahir and Amit Mishra have played 8 and 9 games, respectively, so far this season and haven't been bad at all.

Tahir has had a magnificent IPL so far

The South African leg-spinner, in fact, is the fifth highest wicket-taker with 13 wickets so far and he has been superbly backed up by Mishra picking 7 wickets at an economy rate of less than 8 runs-per-over.

Tahir missed his side's last game and made way for Gurinder Sandhu, the New South Wales speedster, but don't be surprised if the 36-year old comes back to the playing XI for tonight's game.

Going into today's game against MI, Delhi will bank on their bowling to keep Mumbai batsmen to a score of not more than 150.

Therefore, today's tussle will, in all probability, be about Delhi's bowling against the hosts' batting lineup, and whichever side performs to its strengths should come out on top.

Final Thought

Mumbai, on current form, will start as favorites for this game. But the beauty of the T20 format is such that the underdog is always capable of springing a surprise.

This, as aforementioned, is a massive contest in determining which of these two sides enhances its chances of making it to the last four and that pressure will surely be evident on both Mumbai and Delhi.

IPL 2015, 35th Match Preview: Can the Mumbai Indians Add More Misery On Kings XI Punjab's Season?

Kings XI won at the fortress of Mumbai - Wankhede Stadium - earlier this season

Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at Mohali on Sunday, as both sides look to gather some sort of momentum towards the business end of this season's Pepsi Indian Premier League.

Today's visitors have found form recently, winning 3 of their last 4 games and are coming into this game on the back of a very good performance at home against Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Kings XI, on the other hand, are win-less in their last three games, slumping to demoralizing defeats at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Delhi Daredevils (DD).

It is an intriguing fixture that will have major repercussions on both sides' chances of making it to the playoffs: a win for MI and they will join the likes of Daredevils and Sunrisers as the teams that have 8 points; a win, however, for KXIP and they could feel they are still in with a chance of making it to the last four.

But which team is more likely to handle pressure better and deliver today? Read on...

Punjab

Last season's finalists have been enduring an abominable season so far, and badly need a win today to gain some respectability on the points table.

The superstars of last year - the Virender Sehwags, the Glenn Maxwells, the Wriddhiman Sahas and Mitchell Johnsons - haven't got going this time around, and much of the responsibility, be it with the bat or ball, has fallen on the likes of George Bailey, David Miller, Sandeep Sharma and Anureet Singh, to deliver in every one of their side's games.

Shaun Marsh, however, has added muscle to that Kings XI batting order, scoring one half-century and getting off to starts in the three other games he has played since coming over from Australia.

The struggling Punjab side will no doubt rely on their talismanic southpaw to bail them out of this wretched form they are in at the moment.

Apart from the Western Australian, Murali Vijay has looked in good touch whenever he has gone out to bat, but the Indian opener is yet to come up with a big score while opening the innings for his side.

Bailey, as a result of the lack of good starts from the side's openers, has had to do the repair work in most of the games. But importantly for Punjab, their skipper is averaging 34 with the bat and has been consistent in scoring runs for his side.

Coming to Kings XI's bowling: Axar Patel, with 9 wickets from 8 games, has carried on from where he left off last season, bowling economically and picking wickets during the middle overs of opponents' innings.

Sandeep Sharma has been bowling brilliantly this season

Anureet and Sandeep have excelled as a new ball bowling partnership, picking up 10 wickets and 9 wickets, respectively, and responded to the pressure of the big stage in a positive way.

Going into today's game, they need to dislodge Mumbai's openers as quickly as possible: Pathiv Patel and Lendl Simmons have come good of late, but they are by no means a devastating opening pair.

The visitors' middle order is brittle, and if Punjab can inflict damage early on in the innings, it will be a test of Mumbai's batting depth and whether they can deliver when the openers have failed to render a good start.

I think, even for a side that is struggling as Punjab are at the moment, the T20 format of the game will give them the freedom to express themselves and one good performance can lead to another.

So Bailey's boys just need to be telling themselves that they need to get that elusive win under their belt and good things will follow.

Their resurgence, however, has to begin quickly or their season could be over in the next couple of games.

Mumbai

Of the two sides, Mumbai are the in-form side and have the winning momentum as a result of victories in their last two games.

Mumbai's openers will hold the key to visitors' chances of winning

The opening combination of Patel and Simmons has averaged over 42 runs/innings over the last four games, and its performances have been vital to Mumbai winning the games against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), SRH and the Royals a couple of days back.

Questions remain over Rohit Sharma's batting position but, as long as the openers get the team off to a good start, it shouldn't be a concern as people are making it out to be.

When it comes to batting, the form of Unmukt Chand will be 'the' concern for the team management that has kept faith on the youngster, who, however, has played some irresponsible shots to get out in his recent outings with the bat.

It remains to be seen if Ricky Ponting and company decide to drop him and bring someone like Hardik Pandya into the playing XI; do not be surprised though, if they decide to stick with the winning combination.

Ambati Rayudu's 53 (27) in the last game will not only be crucial to the Hyderabadi's confidence, but it will strengthen the Mumbai middle order that has oft been reliant on Rohit and Kieron Pollard to deliver the goods.

The bowling form of Mitchell McClenaghan, when it comes to the bowling department, will be of particular delight to Mumbai, whose bowling attack has been poor for much of this campaign.

In the last two games which they have gone onto win, the bowling attack led by Lasith Malinga, has really stood up and played crucial roles in its side's victories.

Vinay Kumar, for me, remains the weak link in the bowling attack, but the Karnataka Ranji skipper might continue to remain in the playing XI because of the lack of better replacements for the medium-pacer.

Going into this game against Kings XI, Mumbai need to carry on from where they left off a couple of nights ago against the Royals.

The confidence levels must be pretty high in the camp right now and, from MI's perspective, it is good that they are playing these games in quick succession.

Today's hosts, if their form so far this season is anything to go by, shouldn't pose much threat to Mumbai, but the nature of the format is such that you cannot take anything for granted.

Mumbai will also like the nature of the playing surface that must be largely akin to the one they play on at the Wankhede Stadium.

Final Thought

Mumbai, on the basis of their current form, will start as favorites for this fixture, but Kings XI aren't a bad side as their results this season have suggested.

It should be a closely-contested game that will depend on the resurgence shown by the home side, and whether they exude fortitude during this tough phase.