Mumbai Indians (MI) face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 12th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday (April 8) in the second game of a double-header. The MI-CSK rivalry has produced some fascinating contests over the years, resulting in the tussle being referred to as El Clasico of the IPL.
Mumbai and Chennai have met 34 times in the IPL, with MI emerging victorious in 20 games and CSK 14. Speaking about the form of the two teams in IPL 2023, Mumbai have played only one game, which they lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The game was billed as the Rohit Sharma vs Virat Kohli clash but proved to be a disappointingly one-sided encounter. Meanwhile, Chennai have played two games, winning one and losing the other.
They began their IPL 2023 campaign with a five-wicket defeat to defending champions Gujarat Titans. In their previous game, they beat Lucknow Super Giants by 12 runs in a high-scoring encounter.
MI vs CSK’s previous meeting in IPL
The last time Mumbai took on Chennai in the IPL was during the 2022 edition in the 59th game of the competition at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 12. Chennai batted first and were bundled out for a paltry 97 in 16 overs.
Captain MS Dhoni top-scored with 36* off 33, but the others failed to make an impact with the bat. The top four fell for single-figure scores, while only four batters reached double figures. For Mumbai, Daniel Sams stood out with 3-16 from his four overs, while Riley Meredith and Kumar Kartikeya picked up two wickets apiece. Jasprit Bumrah also impressed, claiming 1-12 in three overs.
Chasing 98, Mumbai got home by five wickets in 14.5 overs. Ishan Kishan (6), Rohit Sharma (18), Daniel Sams (1) and Tristan Stubbs (0) fell cheaply as MI were reduced to 33-4. However, young Tilak Varma guided the chase with an unbeaten 34 off 32, hitting four boundaries.
For CSK, Mukesh Choudhary impressed with figures of 3-23, while Simarjeet Singh and Moeen Ali claimed one scalp apiece. All-rounder Sams was named the Player of the Match for his excellent bowling performance, which went a long way in restricting Chennai to under 100.