IPL 2015: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings - 5 things to look forward to
Two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings square-off against Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier of the 2015 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). CSK finished at the top of the league table and are pursuing their third IPL title. However, they have a difficult task in hand as they come up against the Mumbai Indians, who look unstoppable at the moment, in their own backyard – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Let’s have a look at 5 things to look forward to in this game:
1. Dwayne Bravo vs Kieron Pollard
The mouth-watering battle between the West Indian duo of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard makes today’s encounter all the more interesting. Although they are close friends off the field and like to enjoy their time, they are also tough competitors who never shy away from having a word or two with the opposition. With both players playing similar roles for their respective franchises, their battle might well decide the final outcome of the match.
While Pollard hasn’t had the greatest of seasons for Mumbai, Bravo has been as consistent as ever, scoring 166 runs and taking 20 wickets from 14 matches.
2. Michael Hussey returns to the CSK side
With New Zealand’s Test series against England beginning on Thursday, Brendon McCullum will not be available for CSK during the play-offs. Considering the New Zealander’s imperious form in recent months, it is undoubtedly a big blow to Chennai but they couldn’t have a better replacement than Michael Hussey. After all, Hussey is CSK’s 3rd highest run-scorer ever with 1692 runs from 47 matches at an average of 43.38.
The 39-year-old Hussey was with Chennai Super Kings from 2008 to 2013 before being bought by Mumbai Indians for the 2014 season. After playing for Mumbai for one season, Hussey was bought back by CSK for this season of the IPL.