IPL 2021, CSK vs MI Preview: Five-Time Champions Mumbai Take On Heavyweights Chennai Super Kings In Phase 2 Opener

MI vs CSK, IPL Phase 2: The entire Indian Premier League (IPL) is an opportunity for Rohit Sharma to cement his credentials as a capable and deserving T20 captain.

MS Dhoni poses with Rohit Sharma, Photo Courtesy: PTI

CSK vs MI, IPL 2021 Phase 2 Match Preview: Two of the most successful teams in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will kick-off the UAE leg of the cash-rich tournament on Sunday. Legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is currently placed at second spot in IPL 14 points table with five wins from seven matches, while Mumbai Indians (MI) is at number four with eight points from four wins off seven games.

Mumbai Indians had a very slow start, but the defending champions later managed to pick up pace towards the end of the tournament. After average outing in the first few games, the Blue Brigade returned back to their old form in their sixth and seventh match. But just when Mumbai had found its rhythm, the T20 league was postponed due to Coronavirus cases inside IPL-bubble. Mumbai's two most important players, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have just returned from the Test series against England and they might find it a bit tough to adapt to white-ball cricket.

On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings also welcomed back a star player into the squad, returning from Ind vs Eng Test series - Shardul Thakur - who came up with a heroic match-winning performance for India in the fourth Test against England. CSK might have an edge over Mumbai in the UAE leg opener as they have got proper rest and have done better preparation, training.

Faf du Plessis can prove to be vital as an opener along with Ruturaj Gaikwad. The South African batsman was the third highest run-scorer in the league with 320 runs in seven matches at an average of 64. Considering the power hitting and batting strength in both the teams, a high scoring match can be expected. The entire IPL is also an opportunity for Rohit to cement his credentials as a capable and deserving T20 captain.

Chennai Super Kings full squad: MS Dhoni (Captain), Ambati Rayudu, C Hari Nishant, Cheteshwar Pujara, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Harishankar Reddy, Imran Tahir, Josh Hazlewood, K Bhagat Verma, K Gautam, Karn  Sharma, KM Asif, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Narayan Jagadeesan, R Sai Kishore, Ravindra Jadeja, Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur and Suresh Raina.

Mumbai Indians full squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Adam Milne, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Neesham, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieran Pollard  , Krunal Pandya, Marco Johnson, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult and Yudhveer Singh.