The UAE leg of the Indian T20 League Cricket 2021 begins with a marquee clash, as Chennai (CHE) lock horns against Mumbai (MUM) at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The MS Dhoni-led side is second in the points table after picking up five wins in their seven matches. Meanwhile, back-to-back victories saw Mumbai Indians occupy the fourth spot in the standings.
Previous meeting (Indian T20 League 2021)
Mumbai grabbed a thrilling four-wicket victory over Chennai in a high-scoring thriller in Delhi. Batting first, the three-time champions scored a mammoth 218 thanks to half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, and Faf du Plessis. The Mumbai outfit, in reply, lost three wickets at the halfway point and required 138 runs.
The ever-reliable Kieron Pollard took charge, and the West Indies white-ball skipper reached his half-century in 17 balls – the quickest in Indian T20 2021. With Mumbai Indians needing 16 runs from the last six balls, Pollard hit consecutive boundaries, dispatched a full toss for a six, and ran two in the final ball of the match. He made 87* from just 34 balls.
CHE 218/4 in 20 overs (A Rayudu 72*, M Ali 58, F du Plessis 50; K Pollard 2/12)
MUM 219/6 in 20 overs (K Pollard 87*, Q de Kock 38, R Sharma 35; S Curran 3/34)
Top 5 Fantasy Points scorers (Indian T20 League 2021)
Chennai’s overseas players Du Plessis and Moeen have consistently racked up big fantasy points in Indian T20 League 2021 first leg. The former South Africa skipper has made 365 points from his last four outings in the tournament and leads the franchise’s fantasy points chart with 473 points. Moeen, on the other hand, has made more than 100-plus points twice – against Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians – in Indian T20 League 2021. Ravindra Jadeja, too, has been a favorite pick among fantasy cricket players. The 32-year-old, who notched up a tournament-high 189 points against Royal Challengers Bangalore, has amassed 444 points so far.
F du Plessis – 473 pts, R Jadeja – 444 pts, M Ali – 429 pts, S Curran – 322 pts, R Gaikwad – 293 pts
Rahul Chahar is Mumbai’s leading fantasy points scorer in Indian T20 2021. The leg-spinner, who bagged a four-wicket haul against Kolkata, has 346 points in seven matches. The 173 points against Chennai helped Pollard cross 300 points and is the franchise’s second-leading fantasy points scorer. With three 50-plus scores, Rohit Sharma has impressed the fantasy cricket enthusiasts in the 14th edition of the Indian T20 League. He grabbed 93 points the last time he played at Dubai International Stadium.
R Chahar – 346 pts, K Pollard – 336 pts, R Sharma – 326 pts, S Yadav – 273 pts, K Pandya – 259 pts
Team news
Chennai will miss the services of Sam Curran and could be without Du Plessis for the UAE leg opener. The Englishman is undergoing a six-day mandatory quarantine after arriving in Dubai on Wednesday. He will be available for the clash against Bangalore on September 24. Dwayne Bravo is a like-for-like replacement for the 23-year-old.
Du Plessis, who hit a hundred in Caribbean Premier League recently, has recovered from his groin injury and trained on Saturday. Indian T20 League 2014 Orange Cap winner Robin Uthappa, yet to play a game this season, could find a place in the playing 11 if the South African is deemed unfit. Meanwhile, Lungi Ngidi is likely to get the nod ahead of Josh Hazlewood, who played only three matches in Indian T20 League 2020.
Mahela Jayawardene, the Mumbai head coach, has a full-strength squad at his disposal. The five-time winners are the only franchise not to make changes to the roster from the first leg. With Quinton de Kock, Trent Boult, and Kieron Pollard sure-starters, the final overseas spot could be a toss-up between Adam Milne and Nathan Coulter-Nile. Milne was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Hundred tournament.
Mumbai have plenty of quality slow bowlers in the 25-member squad. Rahul Chahar is likely to be the frontline spinner, with Krunal Pandya, too, playing a crucial role. The Mumbai faithful will be hoping that Jasprit Bumrah will replicate his last season’s performance. The pacer bagged 27 wickets, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Also, after a string of unimpressive performances in Sri Lanka, all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be keen to find his form. He amassed 281 runs at a strike rate close to 179 in Indian T20 2020.
Indian T20 League 2021 stats
Most Runs: CHE – F du Plessis (320 runs); MUM – R Sharma (250 runs)
Most Wickets: CHE – S Curran (9 wickets); MUM – R Chahar (11 wickets)
Most Sixes: CHE – A Rayudu, F du Plessis (13 sixes); MUM – K Pollard (13 sixes)
Most Fours: CHE – F du Plessis (29 fours); MUM – S Yadav (22 fours)
Most Catches: CHE – R Jadeja (8 catches); MUM – H Pandya, S Yadav (4 catches)
Squad
CHE (likely): M Dhonii; R Gaikwad, A Rayudu, S Raina, R Uthappa/F du Plessis; R Jadeja, M Ali; D Chahar, S Thakur, L Ngidi/J Hazlewood, D Bravo
MUM (likely): Q de Kock, I Kishan; K Pollard, R Sharma, S Yadav; K Pandya, H Pandya; R Chahar, T Boult, J Bumrah, A Milne/N Coulter Nile
READ: Chennai set for stern challenge in UAE
READ: Mumbai search form and title upon return to the UAE
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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