Both teams have played 36 games, with CSK winning 16 and MI winning 20.
Head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Stephen Fleming, made a suggestion ahead of his team’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) that bowler Matheesha Pathirana would miss the eagerly awaited match, even if his ailment is not as serious. On Sunday, MI and CSK will square off in a crucial IPL “El Clasico” at Wankhede Stadium. With three victories, two defeats, and six points, CSK is ranked third. In their previous match, they had triumphed over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, MI is also gaining ground; they are currently ranked eighth after winning two of their previous three games. In their previous match, they had thoroughly defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
In their 36 meetings, CSK has won 16 of the matches, while MI has won the remaining 20.
Stephen made the following remarks regarding Pathirana, who missed games against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), during the pre-match press conference: We are optimistic that, if not tomorrow, then very soon, as Pathirana’s niggle was not as severe as we had initially believed. We will ensure that he is at full strength in this way, even though we recognize how important he is in games like this,” Fleming told reporters prior to kickoff.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, the new captain, has garnered huge appreciation from the coach as well, stating that he is “cut from the same cloth” as Dhoni.
“There isn’t a distinction between Dhoni and Gaikwad. He is the epitome of cool. The last captain was, I know, very awesome. However, that is rubbed through because this individual is made of the same material.”
Fleming called Gaikwad out, arguing that the discussions around Gaikwad’s “slow” strike rate needed to be contextualized.
“When it comes to his game and his responsibilities, he is such an amazing young man. I believe that he has been unfairly placed in a category where people have labeled him as slow. But some of these statistics require context.
A superb example of a leader playing with class was seen in the most recent game (CSK vs. KKR). Regarding Ruturaj, I am completely certain,” Fleming continued.
In the IPL 2024, Gaikwad has amassed 155 runs in five games with a strike rate of 117.42 and an average of 38.75. With a top score of 67*, he has only scored one half-century.
Fleming stated that although batting has changed in the IPL throughout the course of the year, bowlers still require assistance.
The last five years in particular have seen a tremendous evolution in the sport of batting. You are now witnessing some incredible expertise. From a skill perspective, the IPL challenge is for the bowlers to level the playing field a little bit,” Fleming stated.
“The two bouncers (rule) is one, and maybe we need to keep looking at other ways to do that,” he said.
Because of the squad’s achievements throughout the years, Fleming stated that his team looks forward to this much-anticipated fixture, which has developed into a great rivalry. It has grown over time to be the most anticipated and star-studded match, with both teams having won five IPL crowns apiece.
We adore it. We eagerly anticipate this match. It’s been a tremendously intense rivalry throughout the years, built on two strong sides playing great types of cricket,” Fleming stated.
“It has turned out to be a few prosperous franchises that have had the chance to outperform the others, not by plan but more by outcomes. That being said, it seems like a huge game or rivalry every time you face a team these days. Thus, we make an effort to keep things very simple, and a key element of our game is to control your emotions and simply enjoy the moment as it is,” Fleming said in conclusion.
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w), Ajinkya Rahane, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Moeen Ali, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Choudhary, Devon Conway, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, RS Hangargekar, Matheesha Pathirana, Aravelly Avanish
Mumbai Indians Squad: Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Tilak Varma, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, Akash Madhwal, Dewald Brevis, Naman Dhir, Nehal Wadhera, Harvik Desai, Piyush Chawla, Kwena Maphaka, Shams Mulani, Luke Wood, Arjun Tendulkar, Kumar Kartikeya, Shivalik Sharma, Nuwan Thushara, Anshul Kamboj.
