3/3

What is happening out there in Sharjah? Bumrah gets one more wicket. He picks two in two overs now as Jagadeesan bites the dust. He edges his first ball to the slip fielder as Bumrah is elated. He misses the hat-trick but boy MI are all over CSK here. 3/3 in just 2 overs. MS Dhoni has joined Faf out in the middle and I'm wondering if the skipper has ever come out to bat in the 2nd over of an IPL game.

Bumrah strikes

Two overs, two wickets and MI are already on top of this game. Bumrah takes the new ball at the other end and bowls a bouncer to Rayudu. The batsman doesn't connect properly with the pull and only gets a glove as the ball lands safely in de Kock's gloves. CSK are in tatters. 10 deliveries into the game and they are already 3/2. Jagadeesan is now in the line of fire.

Early wicket

Oh boy!! Ruturaj has to walk back for a duck. Boult set him up pretty nice with two away going deliveries which was then followed by the inswinger that rapped the batsman on his pads. The umpire says not out but Pollard challenges the decision. There is no inside edge and the ball tracker confirms the ball hitting the leg stump. Early jitters for CSK as Rayudu comes out at number 3.

Toss - MI opt to bowl

The big news is that Rohit Sharma has been rested for this clash. He suffered a strain on his left hamstring in the last game and as a precautionary measure, he has been rested tonight. Kieron Pollard is leading MI tonight.

Mumbai Indians will bowl first going by the change in trend once again where teams have been coming out on top while chasing. But this game is happening in Sharjah where the surface has shown a tendency to slow down, so is this a wise move? We will find out. Saurabh Tiwary replaces Rohit in the XI for MI whereas CSK make three changes to their XI. Jagadeesan is back and so is Ruturaj Gaikwad. Piyush Chawla and Kedar Jadhav make way for the duo as Imran Tahir also finds his place in the XI for the first time this season.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sam Curran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, N Jagadeesan, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard(c), Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Build up

Looking at the current picture though beyond the rivalry, these two teams are at the opposite ends in the points table. They both have something at stake tonight. For CSK, they just badly need a win. Dhoni appeared to have already thrown in the towel at the end of their most recent clash but have they really done that or not remains to be seen. Perhaps, a look at their playing XI could give us an indication. Dhoni did mention that a few youngsters will be given a go now that CSK are almost out of the competition but mathematically, they still have a chance. The chance is indeed minimal but three wins on the trot can change a lot of things as KXIP recently found out. Perhaps, CSK can take inspiration from that and look to stage a comeback that looks unlikely at this stage.

For MI, a win will take them right to the top ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals on the basis of NRR. They have been very good so far in the tournament and are getting closer and closer to a playoff spot. Their never say die attitude almost fetched them two more wins with both contests entering the Super Over but the opposition managed to pip them on both occasions. Unlike CSK, their batsmen have been in good form and that middle order as always has looked extremely dangerous. Lasith Malinga's absence has been hardly felt with the likes of Trent Boult stepping up to the plate. In terms of bragging rights, their fans will get an added incentive if MI wins tonight. They will officially be knocking CSK out of the competition if the result goes their way and no fan from the yellow army would want that. For the neutrals, they would be hoping for a humdinger tonight having already witnessed a few this season. As we wait for the toss, you can read the preview here.

The rich history

In sporting terms, a derby is usually an event involving teams from the same region. Any derby in football is viewed as this massive game that fans of the two concerned teams very much look forward to every year. Amongst the famous ones, one such rivalry always stands out. A clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona can bring the entire football fraternity to a standstill. Even the neutrals love watching this high octane clash as both these teams are usually star-studded and are highly successful. No wonder the contest between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians over the years is looked at upon as the cricketing equivalent of 'El Classico'. No other clash in the IPL garners as much attention as this one does. These two sides have the largest fan base in the country and have won a combined 7 titles in the 12 years of IPL so far.

Just like how Real Madrid and Barcelona go back and forth in terms of pipping each other to the top spot, CSK and MI have managed to do the same. By the end of 2011, CSK had won the title twice with MI having nothing to show for. But 2-0 quickly became 2-2 after four more years with MI making it even sweeter by defeating CSK in the final on both occasions. In 2017, MI went one step ahead in CSK's absence and became the most successful side in IPL history when they won their 3rd title. The following year, CSK staged a dramatic comeback to win their 3rd title and nudge ahead of MI in terms of success having reached the playoff every year they played. The head-to-head was also almost level for many years with MI predominantly holding a small lead. But 2019 tilted the scales heavily in MI's favour. They beat CSK on all 4 occasions last year including the final to not only widen the gap in the head-to-head battle, but also to win a 4th title that in turn enabled them to regain the throne.

This season, CSK did give their fans a reason to cheer at the start of the tournament by picking up a comfortable victory overcoming the odds. Even though the path these two teams undertook since that game has been extremely different, another win tonight will at least brighten up that fan base that has endured a frustrating campaign. After all, factors like form and league standings are irrelevant in derbies. You pick up a win on that particular day, you get the bragging rights. It's as simple as that.