When was the last time MI and CSK faced each other just once in an IPL season
Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have the most storied rivalry in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Both teams have five titles each under their belt, and boast a huge fanbase spread across the country. It's former leaders, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni have earned respect from the cricket fraternity due to their batting exploits and quick decision-making skills.
The 'El Classico' of the IPL has taken place on 36 occasions in the tournament's history. MI has had the upper hand with 20 victories, while CSK has 16 wins under their belt. Apart from the IPL, two teams split results 1-1 in two Champions League T20 (CLT20) matches.
Both teams have clashed four times in the final game of the season, with MI having a 3-1 record. The most recent one of them took place in the 2019 season, where Mumbai clinched a thrilling one-run victory in Hyderabad.
On that note, let's know more details of when MI and CSK clashed with each other on only a solitary occasion in a single IPL season.
MI and CSK have faced each other once only in IPL 2011
According to the latest IPL format, 10 teams are divided into two groups. Each team plays twice against the teams in their same group, while squaring off only once against the team from a different group.
Mumbai Indians are in Group A, while Chennai Super Kings are placed in Group B. Their solitary encounter is scheduled on Sunday, April 14, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, if both teams qualify for the playoffs, they will meet more than once in the IPL 2024.
The arch-rivals faced-off on only a solitary occasion in 2011 at Wankhede. The same format was used in this season, with the participation of 10 teams.
Batting first, MI had a bad start as they lost Rajagopal Satish (0) and Sachin Tendulkar (5) in quick successions. However, Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma steadied MI's ship with their sensible approach. Although Rayudu (27) was dismissed in the 12th over, Rohit continued his momentum to find boundaries at his will. He got a fine support from Andrew Symonds as well.
Rohit went on to slam 87 off 48, comprising eight fours and five sixes, while Symonds contributed 31* off 26 to take the team total to 164/4. Doug Bollinger was the top performer for CSK with two scalps.
In reply, the Super Kings lost Murali Vijay (12) and Suresh Raina (5) early. However, it didn't affect Michael Hussey and Subramaniam Badrinath, who were sublime with their timing and impressive strike rate.
Nevertheless, the Sri Lankan pacer, Lasith Malinga secured an important breakthrough for Mumbai, when he dismissed Hussey (41 off 33). The likes of MS Dhoni (3) and Albie Morkel (3) couldn't do enough to trouble the scores.
Harbhajan Singh's triple strike in the 18th over saw CSK reduced to 137/8. In the end, Badrinath remained unbeaten on a well-compiled 71 off 48, with seven fours and two sixes, as CSK fell short by eight runs. Harbhajan finished with his best-ever T20 figures of 5/18 in four overs.
Although CSK lost this game, they went on to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore (now known as Royal Challengers Bengaluru) in the final to lift the trophy for the second time.