MI vs CSK: Key Battles that could decide the Eliminator

Mumbai Indians lock horns with Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator at the Brabourne Stadium. MI scripted a dramatic turnaround to reach the playoffs after losing their first five matches in the UAE leg. They won seven out of the remaining nine to edge out RR and make it to the top four. CSK, on the other hand, had a good start to the tournament, they comfortably booked their place in the playoffs but faltered at the end which cost them a top two finish. One team is going to get eliminated from the competition in this tie. Here are the top contests to look forward to in the Eliminator. Simmons vs Badree The West Indian team mates will look to get the better of each other at the start of the innings. The injury to Jalaj Saxena has proved to be a boon for MI as his replacement, Lendl Simmons, has brought about a turnaround in their fortunes. The MI opener has been in terrific form and has already amassed 327 runs from seven innings. He possesses the best average among the MI batsmen, 54.50, and his runs have come at a decent strike rate of 132.38. He is the only centurion in this IPL so far. [caption id=“attachment_1545395” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of MS Dhoni. BCCI[/caption] Once he gets going, it’s impossible to stop him and this is where Samuel Badree will play a vital role for CSK. The leg-spinner opened the bowling in the World T20 and had a very good outing. MS Dhoni has utilised the same strategy of opening the bowling with him. So far he has played just four games but has bowled frugal spells upfront. Overall, he has the best economy rate of all CSK bowlers, 6.92. His ability to build pressure can just frustrate the batsmen. Simmons has been dismissed by a spinner in four out of his six innings and this can be another major factor which CSK can take into consideration. We’ve seen how opening partnerships play an important role in team’s victory. Badree played against MI once this season and provided the early breakthrough, removing CM Gautam at the Wankhede Stadium. He will be Dhoni’s go-to man to provide a breakthrough first up. But with Simmons in form, we have a riveting battle in store. Dwayne Smith vs Bumrah Just as Dwayne Smith started off in a blistering fashion, there were clamours from the MI fans that why did the franchise let an in-form player go? The West Indian has brought about a massive change in his approach, brutal hits are now laced with sensible ones and twos. He has paced his innings really well throughout the tournament. Once he gets settled he can be really dangerous. He is currently the highest run-getter for CSK with 535 runs (second-highest overall) from 13 innings at 38.21 and SR of 138.96. He’s been involved in one hundred partnership (Opening) and seven fifty plus partnerships. The former MI man has had good outings in the two matches against his old franchise in this edition with scores of 29(22) and 57(51) (Man of the Match). The MI bowlers need to get him early and this is where young Jasprit Bumrah will play an important role. After an injury to Zaheer Khan and the departure of Lasith Malinga, he has been the spearhead of the pace department. He has handled the responsibility pretty well with the new ball. In their final group stage match against RR, he built the pressure at the start with a maiden to Shane Watson (8 off 18 balls) which eventually led to the departure of the RR skipper. It will be a big challenge for the youngster and MI would be hoping that he steps up to the occasion. Ashwin vs Anderson: This is one battle to look forward to. Corey Anderson played one of the best knocks one can ever witness in T20. The reason why MI are in the playoffs is because of his 44-ball 95 against RR in their final group game. He didn’t have a good start and in the first ten matches his figures read - 150 runs from 127 balls with 11 fours and 7 sixes. He was dropped from the side but on his comeback he played one of the most crucial innings for MI, 95 off 44 balls with 9 fours and 6 sixes. He can turn the game around single-handedly on any given day. He has the momentum with him now and this is where CSK would bank on Ashwin to deliver the goods. Ashwin may have been in news for being carted around by Glenn Maxwell but he’s been impressive against the other teams. He has the second-best economy rate among the CSK bowlers, 7.08 and with a left-hander at the crease, it’s a high possibility that Dhoni will unleash Ashwin against Anderson. His clever variations can be very handy against the New Zealand all-rounder. Ashwin has had decent outings against MI in the previous matches of this tournament with figures of 20/0 and 30/3. The contest between one of the most dangerous batsmen and one of the most astute bowlers would be the one to look forward to. Harbhajan vs CSK middle order Harbhajan Singh has been MI’s unsung hero in this edition, in fact, he’s been consistently doing well for them over the past few years. He has picked up crucial wickets at important junctures to revive MI, choked the scoring and went for just 6.45 runs per over, scalping 12 wickets from 13 matches at 25.5. He has bowled frugal spells in the middle and built pressure which has helped the other bowlers too. The CSK middle order consists of the likes of Suresh Raina, David Hussey, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni. Raina hasn’t had a good tournament hence he will be looking to make amends, Hussey has had a good start to the tournament and is a busy player, Jadeja and Dhoni can turn the match on its head with their big hitting prowess. Harbhajan had a very good outing against CSK in their first tie at the Dubai International Stadium where he finished with figures of 2/27. He had both Raina and Faf du Plessis stumped in that match. The off-spinner is crucial to MI’s chances and his spell could be the difference between the two side. Dhoni vs MI’s death bowlers This is where MI’s biggest challenge lies. Stopping the king of finishes. His numbers are staggering, in the last five overs of the tournament, he has amassed 264 runs from 144 balls at Strike rate of 183.33 with 17 fours and 16 sixes. To top it all, he has remained not out in 9 out of the 14 innings he has batted in. MI have a big problem in their death bowling, earlier, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga had been doing brilliant job but in their absence it will be a huge challenge for the likes of Bumrah, Harbhajan and Pollard against the CSK skipper. Pollard has been taken to the cleaners at the death. Dhoni finished off the match in their previous two outings in the tournament - 14* (11) and 22* (12). It may just turn out to be a one-sided affair. Mohit Sharma vs Kieron Pollard Last season, Mohit Sharma shone with his skills opening the bowling but this season, at the start, he proved that he can be a good death bowler too. With his clever pace variations, he was one of the best death bowlers but at the end of the group stages he went for a plenty. Here’s where Pollard would be looking to pounce upon the Haryana pacer. Mohit had the better of the West Indian all-rounder in their first encounter of the tournament at Dubai International Cricket Stadium where he cleaned him up with a slower ball in the 19th over. He turned the match around in that over with three wickets and conceding just two runs. His overall figures against MI in the last five overs in two matches read - 24/4 from four overs - which is impressive. Pollard hasn’t had a good time against CSK at the death but if it’s his day, then Mohit may continue to receive the battering in the death overs just like the previous few outings.