Tense battle as Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians face off at the Wankhede

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A lot has changed since Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings squared off in the season opener a month back.

The IPL-4 finalists have largely been underwhelming since, with Mumbai doing only marginally better – six wins to Chennai’s five, having played one less match.

The batting has misfired for both, and their odds have expectedly tanked.

Yet when they face each other here on Sunday, they are still very much in contention for a knockout berth despite not having performed to their potential.

The equation for Mumbai is very simple– they need to win three from their remaining six games to ensure their presence in the play-offs.

They’ll feel confident against Chennai at home on Sunday, having not only beaten them by eight wickets this season, but also because of their Champions League triumph last season.

Overall in IPL, Mumbai have an edge over Chennai with a 5-4 win record.

Their bowling was their saving grace in their one-run win over Pune Warriors playing away, with Lasith Malinga just a few strikes away from claiming the purple cap (17 wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 5.23).

Harbhajan Singh’s welcome return to form will be a massive relief to both the off-spinner himself and the team.

A couple of good spells has seen his economy rate dip under seven, and the best way to get himself back in the hunt for a team India place is to do well against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team.

Dhoni has been calm under pressure so far, but his batting skills are being put under spotlight in almost every game.

He’s failed to register a single fifty plus-score this season, and along with Murali Vijay (31 runs) has contributed to Chennai’s slide.

Seeing their batting fail, Dhoni will hope Aussie import Ben Hilfenhaus can revive the team’s fortunes.

If he can get past Mumbai’s top order, the hosts can collapse very quickly and will surely miss Kieron Pollard, who will sit out of the game with an injured shoulder.

Sunday’s result could go a long way in scripting the fortunes of both sides for the remainder of the tournament.