Captain Cool’s CSK may have edge over Indians

New Delhi: A fifth final in six IPLs beckons Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni when Chennai Super Kings take on title aspirants Mumbai Indians at the neutral turf of Feroz Shah Kotla in the first qualifier today.

Chennai finished the group stage on top with 11 wins while Mumbai came in second with the same number of points but a marginally slimmer net run-rate.

Head-to-head in IPL 6, Mumbai can lay claim to having beaten CSK both times; the first on April 6 by nine runs and then by a whopping 60 runs on May 5. But both teams will know full well that past encounters count for little in the knockout phase, and considering CSK have always upped their tempo in this round, it is Mumbai who should be more wary.

Chennai have been carried this far by their big batsmen — Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni — and a clutch of varied bowlers. Hussey has had a very strong season (646 runs), Raina (466) burst to life after a lean run and Dhoni (398) has been excellent down the order, several times bailing CSK out with whirlwind cameos.

The next highest run-getter is Murali Vijay (271) while only Ravindra Jadeja (201) has crossed 124 runs. Thus, the form of Hussey, Raina and Dhoni has been massive. Raina averages 51.14 in IPL knock-out matches, so getting his wicket early will be crucial to Mumbai’s hopes of victory.

The acquisition of five fast bowlers ahead of the season has perhaps not worked as CSK would have planned, but two of their young pace bowlers have done well. Mohit Sharma from Haryana has nabbed 17 wickets at an average of 15.76 and an economy rate of 6.23, consistently providing openings at the top and rarely going for many runs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has bowled Mohit largely inside the first 15 overs and this has proven a successful method.

Stability

The South African all rounder Chris Morris, purchased for an eye-popping $625,000 at February’s player auction, has taken 13 wickets at at higher average and economy than Mohit but has done enough to hold his place in the team for much of the season.

Mumbai’s success in IPL 6 has been more evenly distributed. Rohit Sharma (526) tops the team’s run-charts but Dinesh Karthik (456), Kieron Pollard (325), Sachin Tendulkar (287) and Dwayne Smith (284) have all contributed. The decision to make Sharma captain and sit a struggling Ricky Ponting out of the XI proved a crucial decision, as under Sharma, Mumbai were able to forge a winning run and get Smith up the order, which gave the team stability at the top.

Tendulkar has not played Mumbai’s last two matches owing to a sprained left hand and his fitness is still being monitored. Should he not be passed fit, it is likely that Aditya Tare continues to open. The other opener’s slot will be contested between Smith and Glenn Maxwell.