IPL 2021: Chennai Super Kings face Mumbai Indians in clash of the titans

The return of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium will not only see fireworks off the field but on-field as well. The two giants of the game – Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – will take on each other in the clash of the titans. From Rohit Sharma’s six-hitting spree, Suryakumar Yadav’s stylish batting to MS Dhoni’s captaincy acumen to Faf du Plessis’ blistering performance, the IPL T20 is primed to be one exciting encounter.

Both the teams head into the match after identical seven-wicket victories over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively. Both teams will be keen on keeping their winning streak alive as the tournament kicks off.

The biggest positive for Mumbai has been the return of opener Quinton de Kock (117 runs), who made a blistering, unbeaten 70 against Rajasthan.

However, the middle-order has yet to fire and complement the top-order. Suryakumar (170 runs) should be converting his starts in the second leg of the tournament while Krunal Pandya (68 runs) needs to up his ante.

Kieron Pollard has been in a red-hot form and will be itching to display his batting prowess on Sunday.

The bowling department will be taken care of pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Both have been sublime in the death and will be giving their all to contain the CSK batsmen.

Meanwhile, CSK, with five wins out of their six games, is a force to reckon with. Openers du Plessis (270 runs) and Ruturaj (192 runs) have been immaculate, providing the team with solid starts on a regular basis.

The CSK middle-order too have done the job albeit a bit inconsistently. The likes of Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni have to fire in order for the team to get some runs under its belt.

The CSK bowling department is being led by Deepak Chahar (8 wickets) and Sam Curran (6 wickets). The addition of Shardul Thakur gives them an extra zest.

The Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians will begin at 7:30 PM IST.