IPL 2019, MI vs CSK, Qualifier 1: Chennai opt to bat; Jadhav misses out

The one who wins tonight graduates to the season finale while the losing team will have another chance to prove their mettle in Qualifier 2

After a long streak of 44 days and 56 matches, here comes the 1^st Qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019. The table toppers, Mumbai Indians have arrived in Chennai to lock horns with the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday. In their final group stage encounter, both the teams had contrasting results. Mumbai defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to acquire pole position in the points table while Chennai lost the game to Kings XI Punjab and slipped to 2^nd position. The one who wins tonight graduates to the season finale while the losing team will have another chance to prove their mettle. They will face the winner of the eliminator on May 10 at Vizag. Toss Update: Chennai have won the toss and they will be batting first. They have made one change for tonight’s big game; Kedhar Jadhav is out due to a shoulder injury, hence, Murali Vijay replaces him in the side. “We will bat first. We don't think too much about the opposition, we rather would like to focus on our preparation. It would be disrespect to the others if I say that we focus only on Mumbai Indians. We have to respect every opposition. Mumbai are a balanced side,” said Dhoni at the toss. Mumbai have also made one change in the team. They have dropped Mitch McClenaghan and brought in off-spinner Jayant Yadav. “We would have batted first as well. Considering the nature of the surfaces of late, that's what we would have liked. We now have to prepare well for this. We do have a good record here but that doesn't matter much. Got to focus on our strengths and play good cricket tonight to come out on top,” said Rohit Sharma. Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga