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Mumbai caught in mid-table scrap

Match facts

May 5, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)
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Big Picture

A team that hasn't lost a single home game this season takes on another that's yet to lose an away fixture. Either way, on Sunday, one team's sequence will be broken. Mumbai Indians are back at Wankhede Stadium where they have won all their four games, described as a "fortress" by their captain, Rohit Sharma. After three consecutive victories - during which their batsmen posted scores of above 160 - their batting suffered a rare meltdown against Sunrisers Hyderabad, managing an underwhelming 129 in a heavy defeat. Mumbai have been displaced from the top four following Sunrisers' win against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday and will look to regain lost ground. Close on their heels is fourth-placed Rajasthan Royals, who also have 12 points, and play later on the evening.
Super Kings are all but through to the playoffs, with nine wins from 11 games. Against Kings XI Punjab, they showed they could recover quickly from a rare MS Dhoni failure, courtesy Suresh Raina's first IPL century that took them to an imposing 186. Though they won by a comfortable 15 runs, the contest was a lot closer than that margin suggested. An area they need to address going forward is the bowling. In their last five games, their bowlers have conceded scores of 185, 186 and 171. Their batting, though, has been consistent and potent. They could be a change at the top of the order, with M Vijay likely to return for Wriddhiman Saha, who was carrying an injury on the eve of the game.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings WWWWW
Mumbai Indians LWWWL

Players to watch

Michael Hussey hasn't had a constant opening partner, with Super Kings experimenting with the likes of Saha, S Anirudha and even R Ashwin at various stages. Vijay was the preferred partner, but a finger injury kept him out of the last three games. Saha has scores of 39, 13 and 18 and it's a chance for him to nail down the position, if given another opportunity. Vijay was also recalled to the India one-day side for the Champions Trophy.
Sachin Tendulkar has scored only one half-century in this edition, in Delhi. Save for his 44 against Pune Warriors, he hasn't fired consistently at his home ground. His dismissal in Hyderabad, bowled by Ishant Sharma, was worrying. Bowlers will look to attack his stumps.

Stats and trivia

  • Lasith Malinga needs two more wickets for 200 wickets in T20 matches

  • Mumbai have a commanding head-to-head record against Super Kings at the Wankhede, having won all their three games there

Quotes

"The team has not been at its best this year, but is still very much in contention."
Mumbai Indians allrounder Kieron Pollard
"If you look at some of our fields that have been set, they have been quite different, subtle, but really different. I can tell you we are finding the right fields for different bowlers at certain stages of the match." Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming

CSK 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st9MEK HusseyM Vijay
2nd0MEK HusseySK Raina
3rd0MEK HusseyS Badrinath
4th9MEK HusseyDJ Bravo
5th16MEK HusseyR Ashwin
6th6MEK HusseyMS Dhoni
7th12MS DhoniRA Jadeja
8th2RA JadejaCH Morris
9th0RA JadejaMM Sharma
10th25RA JadejaB Laughlin