Hyderabad:The 'El Clásico' of the IPL 2023 will play out at the Wankhede Stadium when the four-time winners Chennai Super Kings take on the home team Mumbai Indians which has raised the trophy one time more than the visitors. For Mumbai, which is still licking its wounds after Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore crushed it at Chennai.
Mumbai has played 71 matches here at Wankhade and has won 44 of them while losing 27 with a winning rate of 62 per cent. Even while the venue became neutral during the playoff and in the last season, MI played three matches and have won two of them. They had won both the matches with CSK when the venue served as neutral.
As far as the head-on encounters between the two teams, the MI have recorded 20 wins out of the 34 matches it has so far played against CSK in all seasons since it's inception in the Indian Premier League. The winning rate is slightly lower than overall rate and is pegged at 60 per cent, yet it is impressive.
Mohammed Kaif,former Indian cricketer, suggested Mumbai not to lower their guard against CSK as the MS Dhoni-led side has always been known for comebacks. "MI always look strong at home but CSK are difficult to beat on any ground. In such a situation, MI will have to work hard at Wankhede to get their first two points of this season," Kaif told Star Sports.
Yusuf Pathan, former Indian all rounder, backed Mumbai Indians to win the game, going by the statistics which spell out that Mumbai has always been formidable when it enjoys the home team advantage in almost every game it has played at Wankhede Stadium. Yusuf Pathan made these remarks while speaking to Star Sports.
"Fans in Mumbai will always want MS Dhoni to entertain them with his performance but wish Mumbai Indians to win the match. But you see it is difficult to beat MI at home. There have been 10 matches between CSK and MI at Wankhede Stadium so far and MI have won seven times. If you believe in the figures, then Mumbai Indians are definitely going to pocket those two vital points," Pathan said.
Irfan Pathan-His brother and former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan subscribed to his views and used the real world example of home teams winning their first at home games this season as recorded by Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, RCB, and CSK. "It is difficult to pick one winner between MI and CSK but since MI is playing at home this time, they have better chances of winning this game," Pathan opined.
Tom Moody-Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody said: "In the 15 years of IPL, both CSK and MI share nine trophies between them. So, there's a lot of pride in what these two extraordinary teams do and how they operate. These two teams have been doing well and the rivalry is good. It's also going to be a big moment for MI captain Rohit Sharma as he's playing at home and he might just come out all guns blazing."
Srikkanth- Former Indian cricketer Krish Srikkanth advised Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma to not go under the pump. Srikkanth said: "Both these teams will be banking on their bowlers to come out victorious and the team which does well with the bat will win. So, my suggestion to Rohit Sharma should let go of any pressure he has taken on himself. He should look to play his natural game and express himself out there in the middle."
