In match 27 of the Indian T20 League 2021, the two most successful teams in the league’s history face-off as Mumbai take on Chennai at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

Mumbai are placed 4th in the points table with an equal number of wins and losses from their six matches so far. They beat Rajasthan in the last game and look more comfortable in Delhi. The good news will be the return of Quinton De Kock and Krunal Pandya among runs. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav missed out in the last game and will be eager to bounce back. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult restricted the opposition to a below-par score while leg-spinner Rahul Chahar claimed crucial wickets. Ishan Kishan might replace Jayant Yadav in the playing XI in this match.

Chennai are at the top of the points table with 5 wins from their 6 matches and are looking unstoppable at the moment. With Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad in tremendous form, not much has been required of the middle order, which consists of Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja. In the bowling department, Chahar is blowing hot and cold, whereas Shardul Thakur is having an average season so far. Sam Curran, Ngidi, Moeen Ali and Jadeja form the remainder of the attack and can be taken for runs by a strong Mumbai unit. Expect an unchanged playing XI for this game.

Both these teams come with a lot of pedigree. Thus, look forward to a proper heavyweight clash and expect nothing less than a thrilling game of T20 cricket at Delhi on this super Saturday.

Match Details

• Match: Mumbai vs. Chennai, Match 27
• Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
• Date & Time: May 1, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST

Statistics

• Head-to-Head Record: Mumbai (19) - Chennai (13)
• Last 5 Games Record: Mumbai (4) - Chennai (1)
• Average 1st Innings Score (Last 5 Games): 161 runs 
• Chasing Record (Last 5 Games): Won 4, Lost 1

Probable Playing XI

Mumbai

Quinton de Kock (WK), Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jasprit Bumrah

Chennai

Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur

Weather and Pitch Report

Delhi is expected to have clear weather during the match. The temperature will be around 35 degrees during the game. 

As seen in the previous two games, the pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is quite good for batting. Although there is a little bit of assistance for the pace bowlers early in the match, run scoring is fairly easy here as compared to the sluggish Chennai pitch. Batsmen can hit through the line and clear short boundaries easily. Expect spin to play an important role in the first innings. 

With the dew factor in mind, both captains will look to field first on winning the toss. The pitch will get easier to bat on as the match progresses. A first-innings score of around 180 runs should be a competitive one.

Top Fantasy Picks

• Rohit Sharma is the top run scorer for Mumbai, with 215 runs at a strike rate of 125.73. He was dismissed early against Rajasthan for his lowest score (14) of the season. He will look to bounce back with a big innings here. 
• Quinton De Kock was adjudged the Player of the Match for his knock of 70* runs off 50 balls in the last game. After a disappointing few innings on a difficult Chennai track, he is back to his aggressive best. He will look to continue in the same form here. 
• Rahul Chahar has been a match-winner for Mumbai this season, picking up important wickets at crucial moments in the game. He is the highest wicket taker in the team, with 11 wickets to his name and the best figures of 4/27.
• Faf Du Plessis is the top scorer for Chennai this season, with 270 runs at a strike rate of 140.62. He has been giving quick starts to the innings and scoring big runs consistently. He scored consecutive fifties in the last three matches.
• Ruturaj Gaikwad has hit form in the last few matches after a slow start to the tournament. He has scored 192 runs at a strike rate of 129.72. His last three innings read 75, 33 and 64. He will look to continue the rich vein of form in this match.
• Lungi Ngidi did exceedingly well in his two matches of the season, with 3/28 against Kolkata and 2/35 against Hyderabad. He has an average of 12.6 and an economy rate of 7.87. He is a genuine wicket-taking option for Dhoni here.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeeper: Q de Kock
• Batsmen: R Sharma, S Yadav, R Gaikwad, F du Plessis
• All-rounders: K Pollard, R Jadeja
• Bowlers: T Boult, R Chahar, S Thakur, L Ngidi

• Captain: S Yadav/R Sharma
• Vice Captain: F du Plessis/R Gaikwad

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 in the coming days. 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.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!