Mumbai Indians will have their task cut out against the formidable CSK side in the first fixture after the resumption of IPL 2021 and it will be a belter of a game. Mumbai has gone 1-0 up in the battle against CSK this year in the first half of IPL 2021 and the rivalry is expected to heat up the fans in the ground.
Rohit Sharma-led defending champions Mumbai Indians hold the 4th spot currently in IPL 2021 points table with 8 points. Chennai Super Kings hold the 2nd spot with 10 points. The Rohit Sharma-led side has already won five titles under their belt and the defending champions will be up against the three-time champions Chennai Super Kings. This will be one of the most interesting battles in IPL and here are 3 MI Players Who Can Be The Man Of The Match.
IPL 2021: CSK vs MI- 3 MI Players Who Can Be The Man Of The Match
Kieron Pollard
Sportzpics for IPL
Kieron Pollard turned out to be one of the game-changers for the Mumbai Indians in the first phase of the IPL and he smacked 87 off 34 balls against the same opponent- Chennai Super Kings in India in the first half of IPL 2021. He hit eight sixes and six fours in the knock and made sure that his team got over the line in a tough chase of 219 runs.
Mumbai Indians will be happy that they have the services of the West Indies captain who is one of the fearsome strikers of the cricket ball. Kieron Pollard will be keen to get his best all-round game against CSK especially and he has been in good form in the recently concluded CPL 2021.
In the first leg of IPL 2021, the West Indies all-rounder scored 168 runs in 7 matches at an average of 56 and strike rate of 171+. Kieron Pollard formed a critical part of the victorious MI squad in the 2020 season, smashing the ball at a strike rate of 191. He is loved by the Mumbai fans and big Trinidadian will look to set things straight again in the 14th season.
Quinton de Kock
The South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock likes the ball coming onto the bat and he scored loads of runs in the UAE in the previous edition. He struggled to find his form in the spinning wickets in India in the first half of IPL 2021 but seemed to get better when the wickets changed. The left-hander will be one of the challenges for the CSK bowlers as well.
Quinton de Kock scored 155 runs in the first phase of the IPL 2021 at an average of 31 and he excelled at times but he will need to convert his starts into a big score this time and this will be the right scenario for him to show his skills.
The Proteas batsman has been a spectacular batting form, which was visible during the recent Sri Lanka vs South Africa T20I series. Quinton De Kock had a terrific 2020 season, scoring 503 runs including four half-centuries at the top in UAE, and will look to perform in a similar fashion in the UAE leg.
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best bowlers in recent times in the world at the moment and he showed his class in the recently concluded red-ball Test series against England. He finished as the highest wicket-taker for India in the four Tests and picked up 18 wickets. In his prime form, Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the match-winners for the Mumbai Indians and has bowled splendidly in the India leg of IPL 2021 as well.
The right-arm quick was superb in the previous edition IPL 2020 in UAE too by being the 2nd highest wicket-taker and he enjoyed the conditions really well. He used the pace of the wickets to his advantage and executed the yorkers to perfection. He will be one of the candidates for the man of the match in the first game against CSK and he relishes the challenge against big teams.
In the first leg of IPL 2021, the right-arm pacer with an unorthodox action scalped 6 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 32 and an economy of 7.11. In the previous season in IPL 2020, he picked 27 scalps in 15 games averaging an awesome 14.96, and was 2nd highest wicket-taker.