Daijiworld Media Network

Delhi, May 21: Time for the play offs! And what better game than Chennai vs Mumbai to start the final stage of the tournament. Chennai finished on top of the league but Mumbai were not far behind. In fact, Mumbai defeated Chennai both times the sides clashed in the league stages. Chennai though, have the better record in the final-stages; they have never lost to Mumbai in a play-off/knockout encounter. A huge game on the cards then!

Chennai have won the toss and elected to bat.

Rohit: 'We had a very good season but this is the crunch time. It's important that we make it count here. The conditions here are dry but the wicket looks good to bat on. It will be a high scoring game. Chennai are a very good side. We have to leave everything behind and take it as just another game. We would have batted first as well but the wicket won't change much. We have 4 changes. Dwayne Smith, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha and Mitchell Johnson are in. Coulter-Nile, Maxwell, Dhawal Kulkarni and Rishi Dhawan miss out.'

Dhoni: 'We won't approach this game differently but the fact that we are in the top 2 means that we have one more game even if we lose this. It is a good move to give the top 2 teams 2 chances, especially in this format. Mumbai have played really well and they have been consistent. It was not too hot this season. We are midway through the summer, it's pleasant in the evening and we have nothing to complain about. Looks like a good wicket. We have to be at our best right now and we'll go in with that attitude. Albie Morkel replaces Jason Holder.'

Teams:

Chennai (Playing XI): Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Mahipal Sharma

Mumbai (Playing XI): Aditya Tare, Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Johnson, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Pragyan Ojha, Munaf Patel

Sachin Tendulkar is not fit.

Match Preview:

The first qualifier is going to be a cracker thanks to two heavy-weight teams of the sixth edition battling each other in an epic clash on Tuesday. A resilient Mumbai defeated Chennai in both their home and away fixtures and would be looking forward to dominate them once again and complete a treble of victories on their arch-rivals. On the other hand, the two-time champions would be keen to avenge their humiliating defeats and romp in the finals for the fourth consecutive time.

Chennai

Rank in previous edition: Runners-up, lost to Kolkata in the finals by 5 wickets

Journey so far:

Chennai finished with 22 points at the top of the points table for the first time in Indian T20 League history and they have been one of the top teams this season. They have balanced win-loss record having won 6 out of their 8 home games and 5 out of their 8 away games. Except for that one embarrassing loss against Mumbai where they folded up for 79, their defeats have been pretty close.

From the venue point of view, Chennai have won 3 out of the 4 games they have played at Kotla in all editions of the Indian T20 League and it has been a good ground for them so far. However, the last time they played there against the home team they lost by 8 wickets.

Batting composition:

Chennai are a strong batting side with an excellent combo of foreign and domestic talent. Michael Hussey, their top run-getter with 646 runs, is bound to get them off to a flying start in the upcoming match as well. He is ably supported by Suresh Raina at number three who has currently accumulated 466 runs nd has never disappointed playing in that yellow jersey. And then they have the Captain Cool himself with a neat bundle of 398 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 165. Other players like S Badrinath, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja have been useful as batsmen chipping in at crucial times and taking Chennai home on many occasions.

Their only disappointment has been Murali Vijay who has failed to click in any of the matches this season and has been a liability throughout. However, Chennai will be hoping that he finally hits the purple patch in the decider.

Bowling unit:

They do not boast of too many big names in their bowling unit but their run this season has been spectacular. Dwayne Bravo has to be the pick of the bowlers with 25 scalps to his name and has put up an all-round show throughout the season. So has Mohit Sharma, their young find, a surprise package with an impressive tally of 17 wickets. Also, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin have been decent holding up the spin department well. Chennai will be tempted to replace Jason Holder with a now-fit Albie Morkel as the West Indian has been a bit expensive in last few matches. With Morkel in their line-up, Chennai will have a formidable attack to take on an intimidating Mumbai batting outfit.

Mumbai

Rank in previous edition: Finished 4th, lost to Chennai in Eliminator by 38 runs

Journey so far:

For a while, they relinquished the top spot on the points table but finished second owing to a huge loss in their last league game. However, they have been one of the top teams with little at fault this season. Finishing on 22 points, but with a slightly less average than Chennai, Mumbai have done well so far to to grab the second position. They have11 wins out of their 16 games, 8 of which have been at home. This also means that their 'away' record has been significantly poor with five major losses.

At Delhi, their record is even poor having won only 2 games out of the five they have played in all editions of the Indian T20 league. Their last match was a forgettable affair with a massive 9 wicket loss at the hands of the hosts.

Batting composition:

If Chennai have been amazing in chasing down significant targets, Mumbai have been great this season setting up mammoth totals. They have one of the most star-studded batting line-up and some of their batsmen have been in excellent form this season. Skipper Rohit Sharma has led by example hitting feisty knocks amassing 526 runs. Dwayne Smith has looked dangerous at the top while a meek Sachin Tendulkar has looked good in patches. Although Dinesh Karthik fizzled out after his initial outburst, he has the capability to hit some lusty shots and rapidly increase the run-rate. Keiron Pollard is another fantastic hitter who has been dormant for most of the season but when in form, he can take apart any bowling attack mercilessly. All eyes will be on the top 5 of the batting unit and if Mumbai get a chance to bat first, they are likely to set up a massive total for Chennai to deal with.

After sitting out for two matches, Sachin Tendulkar is likely to make a comeback and Mumbai will hope that the veteran will play an innings of impact to set up a convincing win.

Bowling unit:

Bowling has been Mumbai's strongest forte and they have put on a remarkable performance in this edition with the ball. Mitchell Johnson has been the star with 22 wickets and has brilliantly led their ruthless bowling attack. Lasith Malinga did not begin the season on a high, however, he has got his groove back from the few games. Being the only bowler to take 100 wickets in the history of the tournament, he will want to add a few more to his kitty. Harbhajan Singh has been economical and Mumbai's best spinner (19 wickets @ 6.66 rpo). Pragyan Ojha has done well in few matches and he will be looking forward to prove that he is capable of much more.

Head to Head: 13 played; Mumbai - 8, Chennai - 5

Previous Encounter: Mumbai defeated Chennai by 60 runs

Conclusion: It is difficult to predict a winner in this thrilling encounter as the loser will get a second chance to nail the finals berth. However, in all likelihood, there is a crackling contest on cards and we can expect a close action-packed clash.