The Indian T20 League 2021 returns after a 4-month-long break as Chennai take on Mumbai in Match 30 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday evening.
Chennai had done well in the first leg in India, winning 5 out of their 7 games, and they are comfortably placed 2nd in the points table. On the other hand, Mumbai are in the 4th spot after an average first leg, which consisted of 4 wins in 7 matches.
Mumbai have enjoyed a good record against Chennai and have won the last 8 out of 10 games played between the two teams, including the earlier league game this season. It will be interesting to see if Chennai are able to undo this poor record here.
Match Details
- Game: Chennai vs. Mumbai, Match 30
- Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
- Date & Time: Sep. 19, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST/6 PM Local
Probable Playing XI:
Chennai
Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C and WK), Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
Mumbai
Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Adam Milne
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be mostly fair in Dubai, with the temperature predicted to be around 36 degrees during the game.
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Dubai International Stadium has generally been a good batting surface. The batters will require timing and power in their shots, given the fairly big boundaries. Spinners will come into play as the match progresses. The average first-innings score in the 2020 tournament played here has been 171 runs.
Toss
The team batting first has won 16 of the 26 games played here last season. As the wicket tends to get slower as the game progresses, batting first is a preferable option here. A first-innings score of around 170 runs can be a competitive one on this surface.
Top Fantasy Picks
Wicketkeeper
- Quinton de Kock is coming into this game on the back of 2 unbeaten half centuries in the T20I series in Sri Lanka. He scored 155 runs in seven matches, including a high score of 70*, in the season so far.
Batters
- Ambati Rayudu will be a key for Chennai, with Faf du Plessis likely to be rested for this game due to injury. He is comfortable against both pace and spin, and has a good record against Mumbai. He scored 72* in the last match between these two teams.
- Suryakumar Yadav’s consistent performances at No. 3 have been one of the reasons for Mumbai’s recent success in the league. He has scored 173 runs in seven matches so far at a strike rate of 144.16 in this year’s tournament.
All-Rounder
- Ravindra Jadeja had an excellent first half of the 2021 season, putting in match-winning performances with both bat and ball. He scored 131 runs and took 6 wickets in seven matches, including a standout all-round game against Bangalore.
Bowlers
- Shardul Thakur might be a little expensive at times, but he is a wicket taker for Chennai. He took 5 wickets in seven matches in the first leg. Moreover, his performances in the Test series in England will give him the much-needed confidence here.
- Rahul Chahar has been the best bowler so far for Mumbai in the first leg, having picked up 11 wickets in seven matches, with best figures of 4/27. He has been the enforcer on the low slow tracks of India and will be looking to continue his good form here.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: Q de Kock
- Batters: A Rayudu, R Gaikwad, R Sharma, S Yadav
- All-rounders: R Jadeja, M Ali
- Bowlers: S Thakur, J Hazlewood, R Chahar, A Milne
- Captain: R Jadeja/M Ali
- Vice Captain: Q de Kock/S Yadav
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the Indian T20 League. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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