In the upcoming IPL's El Clasico, two teams with divergent T20 strategies will face off yet again. Mumbai relies heavily on data and match-ups, while Super Kings' approach is still guided by Dhoni's instincts. Unfortunately, the absence of key players has diminished the excitement of this high-profile match.
Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard will be on the sidelines for their respective teams, while Mumbai's star bowler Jasprit Bumrah remains injured and will miss the entire tournament. Moreover, Maheesh Theekshana has not yet joined the Mumbai squad, and Jhye Richardson will also be absent due to an injury. On the other hand, CSK had a good start to the season at Chepauk, but they might struggle away from home.
In their first match against Gujarat Titans, Super Kings dominated initially but eventually lost the game. The inclusion of Sisanda Magala, the South African death-bowling specialist, could bolster their seam attack. However, it remains to be seen whether Magala will adjust quickly and whether Mitchell Santner will be benched after his impressive performances in Ahmedabad and Chennai.
Super Kings' batting depth, with Deepak Chahar listed at No. 11, seems well-suited to the Wankhede pitch. Mumbai's batting lineup also boasts considerable firepower, but their bowling attack appears weak. This season, Mumbai's success on the bowling front might depend solely on Jofra Archer's performances.
Mumbai might consider starting the match with only three foreign players and utilizing Jason Behrendorff as an Impact Player during their bowling innings, replacing one of their batsmen. If the Wankhede pitch provides some initial swing, Behrendorff's left-arm seam bowling skills from his time with the Australian and Perth Scorchers teams could pose a challenge for Super Kings' opening batsmen.
Probable bat-first XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Tim David, 8 Hrithik Shokeen, 9 Arshad Khan, 10 Kumar Karthikeya/Piyush Chawla, 11 Jofra Archer
Probable bowl-first XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Tim David, 7 Hrithik Shokeen, 8 Jason Benrendorff, 9 Arshad Khan, 10 Kumar Karthikeya/Piyush Chawla, 11 Jofra Archer
Super Kings are expected to include Magala in the playing XI, replacing Santner, following his impressive ODI five-wicket haul. Tushar Deshpande, who played a crucial role in Super Kings' recent win in Chennai, has been collaborating with the team's bowling coach Bravo to improve his performance in the death overs. If Super Kings bowl first, Deshpande could be a potential starter, and then Ambati Rayudu could take his place as an Impact Player when Super Kings come out to bat.
Probable bat-first XI: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ambati Rayudu, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt&wk), 9 Sisanda Magala/Mitchell Santner, 10 Rajvardhan Hangargekar, 11 Deepak Chahar
Possible bowl-first XI: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt&wk), 8 Sisanda Magala/Mitchell Santner, 9 Rajvardhan Hangargekar, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Tushar Deshpande
