Rohit Sharma's elegance and Suryakumar Yadav's flamboyance will be pitted against the brute power of Faf du Plessis and grace of Ruturaj Gaikwad when heavyweights Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings cross swords in the IPL in Delhi on Saturday.
MI and CSK head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively and both teams would be keen to continue their winning streak.
CSK are top of the IPL points table with five wins from six games, while champions Mumbai Indians are fourth with three victories from the same number of games.
The biggest positive for IPL champions Mumbai has been the return to form of opener Quinton de Kock, who smashed a blistering 70 not out against Rajasthan.
The faltering Mumbai middle-order also clicked in the previous game, on a comparatively easy batting track after they struggled for runs in the first few games in Chennai.
Suryakumar would need to convert his starts while Krunal Pandya played a useful cameo against Royals, which would have bolstered his confidence.
Kieron Pollard also displayed his hard-hitting skills to provide the finishing touches in the run chase against Royals.
Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult have been exceptional, particularly at the death, and would need to perform again to contain the in-form CSK batters.
Leggie Rahul Chahar, with 11 scalps, has been MI's leading wicket-taker but his spin colleagues Krunal and Jayant Yadav, have failed to make an impression with the ball.
It remains to be seen whether Mumbai persists with Nathan Coulter-Nile or get Ishan Kishan back in the playing XI, which could mean that Pollard would have to chip in with the ball if needed.
Meanwhile, table-toppers CSK have been a force to reckon with this season, having won five of their six games.
Openers du Plessis (270 runs) and Gaikwad (192 runs), who have been in top form in the last few games, would be keen to provide the team with another strong start.
Their middle-order has also been among the runs. Moeen Ali has adjusted well to the role of pinch-hitter with 148 runs at a strike rate of 155, while the presence of the experienced Suresh Raina gives the team a huge cushion.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been in smashing form with the bat. He boasts of the best strike rate in IPL 2021, hitting 109 runs in five innings at an amazing strike rate of 184 -- even better than the likes of AB de Villiers and Andre Russell.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has preferred to hold himself back in the batting order, gives the likes of Sam Curran the chance to attack the bowlers.
CSK bowlers led by Deepak Chahar and Curran have done a splendid job with the new ball, while pacer Shardul Thakur has struggled with his control, conceding runs at nearly 10 per over in six games.
The spin duo of Jadeja and Moeen have been quite economical with the ball, conceding at around six runs per over. They would be looking to pile on the pressure on the struggling MI batting in the middle overs.
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians boast of a superior head-to-head record against CSK, with 18 wins from 30 games played overall between the two teams.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Adam Milne, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Neesham, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Quinton De Kock (wk), Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Yudhvir Singh.
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujra, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.
Match starts at 7.30pm IST.
