IPL 2021: CSK vs MI – MI’s Predicted XI For The 1st Match

Sep 17, 2021 at 1:19 PM

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IPL 2021: CSK vs MI – MI’s Predicted XI For The 1st Match

IPL 2021 UAE leg will see Mumbai Indians will take on Chennai Super Kings in the opening game. The much-awaited encounter will take place on September 19 at Dubai International Stadium. 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.

During MI vs CSK’s first encounter in IPL 2021, Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by 4 wickets. With Kieron Pollard’s spectacular unbeaten 87-run-knock, MI chased down the mammoth target of 219 runs in the match. The team will seek to defeat CSK once again in the UAE leg. Ahead of the high octane match, let’s take a look at Mumbai Indians’ playing XI for the first match against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021’s UAE leg.

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians ©BCCI/IPL
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians ©BCCI/IPL

IPL 2021: CSK vs MI- MI’s Predicted XI For The 1st Match

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma (Image Credit: Twitter)

Rohit Sharma will lead Mumbai Indians in the first match of IPL 2021. The MI skipper will be on the top of his confidence after his recent success against England in the Test series, where he smacked his first overseas century. In the 1st leg, Rohit Sharma was the team’s highest run-getter with 250 runs in 7 innings averaging 35.71.

He had scored 5480 runs in 207 IPL matches averaging 31.49 with 1 ton and 40 fifties. Rohit Sharma led the Mumbai Indians to a successful campaign in the 2020 season, which was their second consecutive title.

Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock of Mumbai Indians plays a shot. (BCCI/IPL)
Quinton de Kock of Mumbai Indians plays a shot. (BCCI/IPL)

For the wicket-keeper’s role, Mumbai Indians will go with South African batsman Quinton de Kock. The Proteas batsman has been a spectacular batting form, which was visible during the recent Sri Lanka vs South Africa T20I series. In the first leg of IPL 2021, the left-handed batsman scored 155 runs in 6 matches at an average of 31. He also smacked one unbeaten half-century.

Quinton de Kock had a terrific 2020 season, scoring 503 runs including four half-centuries at the top. The left-hander also has a great understanding with his opening partner, Rohit Sharma, and his explosive hitting makes things easier for the MI skipper at the other end. His form and performance will be vital to MI’s fortune.

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav (Image Credit: Twitter)

Sunryakumar Yadav will be a great batsman for MI at the middle-order in the opening game. Yadav showed a magnificent batting performance during the Sri Lanka tour earlier in July. During the first leg, the right-handed batsman scored 173 runs in 7 innings at an average of 24.71. He also held a strike rate of 144+.

Asked to open the batting, Suryakumar Yadav excelled in his role and scored over 500 runs in 2018, including four fifties. In IPL 2019, he amassed 424 runs to be MI’s second-highest run-getter. He outperformed himself in the 2020 season scoring 480 runs at a strike rate of 145 and went on to make his T20 International debut later for India.

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan. Photo Credit: (Twitter)
Ishan Kishan. Photo Credit: (Twitter)

Mumbai Indians might keep Quinton de Kock as the wicketkeeper in IPL 2021 opener against CSK. However, Ishan Kishan might also make it into the playing XI as a batsman. During the ODI series against Sri Lanka in July, Ishan Kishan smacked half-century on his ODI debut. In the first leg, he scored 73 runs in 5 matches averaging a below-par 14.6, and will certainly try to make amends in the UAE leg.

Bought for a whopping INR 5.5 crore, Ishan Kishan, who played 14 games in 2018, played seven in 2019, scoring just 101 runs with an average of 16.83. Ishan Kishan was the top run-getter for Mumbai Indians in the 2020 season, scoring 516 runs at an average of 57.33, and later went on to make his International T20 debut where he scored a fearless fifty.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya[photo: Twitter]
Hardik Pandya is another confirmed player for Mumbai Indians in the opening game of the IPL 2021 UAE leg. The younger Pandya largely failed to hit a big knock in the first leg. In 7 matches, he scored 52 runs in 6 innings averaging a pathetic 8.66. However, he is toiling hard in training and all set for a good performance in the UAE leg.

In the 12th edition of IPL 2019, he scored 400 runs and picked up 14 wickets, proving his versatility. After missing out on a lot of action owing to a back injury, Hardik Pandya made a phenomenal comeback in the 2020 season, playing the finisher role for the team and hammering the ball in the slog overs at a strike rate of 178.

Kieron Pollard

Mumbai Indians' Kieron Pollard after playing a match-winning knock against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2021 match. Sportzpics for IPL
Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard after playing a match-winning knock against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2021 match.
Sportzpics for IPL

Kieron Pollard is another player who will be part of Mumbai Indians in the opening game of IPL 2021 against Chennai Super Kings. In the first leg, the West Indies all-rounder scored 168 runs in 7 matches at an average of 56 and strike rate of 171+. He also smacked a match-winning knock of 87 runs against CSK in the earlier encounter.

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. After not bowling in 2018 and 2019, he picked 7 scalps in the last two editions.

Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

Krunal Pandya is another player who might make it to MI’s playing XI in the opening game. In the first leg, the left-handed batsman scored 100 runs in 7 innings at an average of 16.66. He also picked 3 wickets. On spin-friendly UAE grounds, Krunal Pandya might emerge as a crucial bowler for Mumbai Indians.

He hit the winning runs in the 2020 season that gave MI their fifth title. An important member of the side, Krunal Pandya will once again be required of playing the dual role of picking wickets with his left-arm spin and providing a boost to the middle order.

Rahul Chahar

Rahul Chahar's rapid rise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). | Photo Credit: Instagram
Rahul Chahar’s rapid rise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). | Photo Credit: Instagram

Rahul Chahar will be part of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021 opener against CSK. In the first leg, Rahul Chahar gave a magnificent bowling show, picking 11 wickets in 7 matches at an outstanding average of 18.36 and an economy of 7.21. He is the 4th highest wicket-taker in the tournament currently.

Mumbai Indians showed confidence in this skilful leg spinner and gave him 13 of the 16 matches they played in 2019. There is no dearth of talent in him and he surely proved that in the 2020 season scalping 15 wickets in as many matches, not letting the batsmen get away with his clever googlies.

Trent Boult

Trent Boult. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
Trent Boult. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

Trent Boult will be one of the pacers for MI in the opening game of the IPL 2021 UAE leg. The New Zealander bowled brilliantly in the first leg, picking 8 wickets in 7 games at an average of 27.87. He owns an economy rate of 8.46 so far and picked a three-wicket haul in one match.

Trent Boult was truly sensational in the 13th edition of IPL 2020, sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah. He picked up 25 scalps in only 15 appearances averaging only 18.28 and was the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2020.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah (Image Credit: Twitter)

After his successful bowling show against England in the Test series, Jasprit Bumrah would be quite confident for IPL 2021 UAE leg. He is another player who will definitely play for MI in the opening game. In the first leg, the right-arm pacer 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.

Marco Jansen

Marco Jansen
Marco Jansen. Image-BCCI

For the third pacer, Mumbai Indians might induct Marco Jansen into the playing XI. The uncapped Proteas player played 2 games in the first leg, picking 2 wickets at an economy of 7.50. He picked 2 wickets in one match but remained wicketless in the other. His bowling average in his debut IPL season was 22.5 before IPL 2021 got postponed for bio bubble breaches.

Other Options:-

Nathan Coulter Nile

Nathan Coulter-Nile
Nathan Coulter-Nile

The right-arm pacer picked five wickets in the seven games he played for the Mumbai Indians in the 2020 season. MI bought him again in the 2021 auctions for INR 5 cr. He remained wicketless in IPL 2021 playing only 1 game.

Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav Photo Credit - IPL
Jayant Yadav Photo Credit – IPL

Photo Credit – IPL

Although he featured in only 2 games in the 2020 season, the spinner Jayant Yadav made it count by getting an early breakthrough with the ball for MI in the finals of the 13th edition. Although he has only played 14 IPL games, 31-year-old Jayant Yadav is a senior in the domestic circuit and has represented India in four Tests and one ODI.  He has picked 7 scalps in 17 IPL games averaging 53 but with a decent economy of 6.74. He picked 1 scalp in IPL 2021.

Mumbai Indians Predicted XI:-

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile/Jayant Yadav/ Marco Jansen, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

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