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Thursday’s clash between former champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium is a special one. Both MI and CSK are the most successful teams in the IPL, having won the title five times each under Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni respectively.
And despite the fact that both players are not the captains of their franchises anymore, the possibility of the duo recovering from their respective injuries and making a comeback in this game adds spice to the mix.
While Rohit, 38, has played four games this season before suffering a hamstring injury, Dhoni, 44, who suffered a calf strain, is yet to play his first IPL-19 match.
On the eve of the match, both Rohit and Dhoni batted in the nets for a good amount of time and were seen striking some big hits. However, a final decision on their participation will be taken only before the start of the match.
MI’s Tilak Varma at the Wankhede on Wednesday. Pic/Ashish Raje
Attacking batter Tilak Varma, who scored an unbeaten 101 off 45 balls during MI’s 99-run win over Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad on Monday, initially termed this one as “just as another game”, before adding though that there would be “some heat” in the contest. “It’s just another game, only the [opponent] name has changed. Cricket is the same as it’s the same contest between bat and ball. It’s just that there is some heat in the game as it’s a game between MI and CSK, and with [such] names it looks like a big game. But I will not see who the opponent is, just see the situation and play according to the demand of the match,” Varma said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
In his first five matches this season, Varma managed just 43 runs before bouncing back with a match-winning century against GT recently. He credited Rohit for giving him good advice. “I was speaking to Rohit bhai and he told me to just play a few balls initially and to trust my ability. He said: ‘Play the first 15 balls, and everyone knows what you can do after that. Don’t see what the equation is, just play those first 15 balls, and then we’ll see what the result is’. That gave me confidence,” said Varma.
After six games, both MI and CSK have won two matches each.
913
Total runs scored by MI’s Rohit Sharma against CSK (including IPL and Champions League T20) — the most by any player in matches involving both sides
40
Total matches played by CSK’s MS Dhoni against MI (including IPL and Champions League T20) — the most by any player in matches involving both sides
One
No. of times MI have won in their last five meetings with CSK
One
No. of times CSK have won batting first against MI at Wankhede in 13 encounters; their other four victories came while batting second
218
The average first-innings total at the Wankhede at this IPL
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