CSK had emerged victorious over MI by four wickets in their season opener clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 23. But after that, both teams that have bagged five IPL trophies each have been in the bottom half of the points table \u2013 MI at the seventh spot and CSK rooted in the bottom place.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMI looks very, very strong. They won a very, very good game in Delhi. Against CSK's top-order, Trent Boult\u2019s role will be critical because he bowls a good line and has a good yorker. Tilak Varma is in a different gun form. So, here I feel MI has the upper hand over CSK because they have a lot of power hitters. Karn Sharma is in good flow and has played for CSK as well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThis game is important for both teams because the matches they win from now onwards will help them climb up in the points table. It is a very, very important match for CSK, as MI are already coming after wins. If CSK wins, then the league stage pool will become a lot more interesting,\u201d said Raina, a JioStar expert, to IANS in a virtual interaction, ahead of the upcoming week of the tournament, starting from Sunday, labelled as \u201cRevenge Week\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Raina also felt CSK\u2019s bowling attack, spearheaded by left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad (12 wickets), left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed (11 wickets), and right-arm fast-bowler Matheesha Pathirana, shaped as crucial figures for their success against MI. \u201cThe ones who can prove to be true ace players for CSK are Matheesha Pathirana and Khaleel Ahmed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cNot to forget, the way Noor Ahmed has bowled, because you will see Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Rohit Sharma \u2013 they all play a lot of sweep shots. So, their strength in the middle overs is the wrong \u2019un and can slip in a slider as well. So, they will have to play against him a little carefully there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
At the Wankhede Stadium, the Mumbai Indians have won seven times against the CSK, while suffering five defeats in IPL games.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI remember whenever we played at Wankhede, the toss used to be very vital. The power-play of six overs, whether you are defending or setting targets, it is very important to bat very well in those six overs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIf you lose one wicket in six overs on this wicket, whether the total is 70, 80, or 90, who handles the pressure better amongst these two teams with five trophies each, will be the key. But as I said, MI has the upper hand over CSK,\u201d added Raina.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also highlighted that CSK\u2019s batting order hasn\u2019t shown the required intent and willingness to reduce the number of dot balls. As per statistics from Cricket-21, CSK have played 297 dot balls, which is just marginally less than KKR\u2019s 301 dot balls. But in terms of balls per boundary and boundary percentage, CSK are the worst team with figures of 6.6 and 51.71 per cent respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think the intent is missing because we're losing a lot of wickets in power-play, and CSK has been playing a lot of dot balls. They have to have that mindset of playing the least number of dot balls and looking to rotate the strike. When you're batting in the first six overs, you have to go hard in power play.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThen the game will change from overs 7-14, where you can identify the bowler for hitting fours and sixes, as well as use their pace and run hard between the wickets. You have to play less number of dot balls, and if CSK has to beat MI, they have to play their A game,\u201d concluded Raina.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think the intent is missing because we're losing a lot of wickets in power-play, and CSK has been playing a lot of dot balls. They have to have that mindset of playing the least number of dot balls and looking to rotate the strike. When you're batting in the first six overs, you have to go hard in power play.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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