21st April, 2022 was a day that both Mumbai and Chennai fans were looking forward to eagerly. Just before the season began the fans would have hoped that the game would be one for the top of the table. Much to the shock and dismay of fans from both sides, the match is taking place for the bottom of the table. DY Patil stadium will witness 9th place Chennai Super Kings face off against Mumbai Indians who are placed in the 10th place. Chennai have played 6 games, winning a single game against RCB and losing other 5 games. Mumbai on the other hand have lost all 6 games so far and yet another loss will blow away whatever chances they have for a top 4 finish.
Ajay Jadeja slams Mumbai and Chennai –
Former Indian player, Ajay Jadeja has come out and slammed the abject performance put up by Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians so far. Jadeja said “the problem is that both Mumbai and Chennai don’t have good top order bowlers. That’s why they are the bottom. CSK are not known for making many changes. An out and out fast bowler would have helped, but it’s too late now” Chennai Super Kings lost the services of Deepak Chahar even before the season could begin. While it was expected he would be back towards the 2nd half of the league, CSK were hit hard with the news that Chahar will be missing the entire season due to aggravation of injury. Mumbai bowlers have struggled a lot with only Bumrah being the sole bright spark. The likes of Daniel Sams, Mills and Unadkat have struggled to give Bumrah the support needed. Mumbai let go some of their prized assets like Boult and Rahul Chahar at the end of last season.
Jadeja speaks about the one positive CSK can look to –
Chennai might not have won a lot of matches, but the fact that they have shown signs of fighting till the end in all of the games. According to Ajay Jadeja CSK might not make too many changes. Jadeja said that the upcoming IPL transfer window towards the end of the year might be utilized by CSK and Mumbai. Jadeja opined “These franchises haven’t used the trading window a lot, but this year, we might see some activity. A lot of sides have players who are on the bench. But I don’t see CSK making any drastic changes. They are just beginning to look in some sort of rhythm. Robin Uthappa has repaid the faith, Ambati Rayudu batted well in the last game. Shivam Dube has done well. What has not worked for CSK is Ravindra Jadeja becoming captain and pushing himself down the order. Apart from the batting order, I don’t see any wholesale changes”
It’s a big game for both Chennai and Mumbai as they will look to keep their tournament hopes alive. A win for either team boosts their chances while a loss will mean that they will be playing the 2nd half of the tournament for pride and to make up the numbers.