Mumbai take on team on the upswing

Match facts

Big picture

Sachin Tendulkar is in town and not surprisingly, there's a mad scramble for tickets to see him in action, despite the game being 'sold out' even before Chennai Super Kings' previous game two days ago. Two victories on the trot have boosted Chennai's chances in the tournament as they finally make their way up. Anticipation is bigger than ever because the team has just picked up some steam after four consecutive defeats. They were at No. 4 briefly before Rajasthan's thrilling win in Nagpur pushed them one slot below.

Chennai have five more games to play, and need to win at least three more to stand a chance of making the semi-finals. M Vijay's two brutal knocks have given the team much-needed momentum but if the team has to progress in the same vein, the bowling has to complement the efforts of the batsmen. Save for Doug Bollinger's brilliance on a batting pitch against Rajasthan, the rest made heavy weather in defence of 246. Rajasthan's effort was commendable in getting close, but it should never have got so close. When your most experienced bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan, gets hammered for 52 off four overs, you know you have a problem.

No such worries for Mumbai Indians who stormed to their fifth successive win. They look the most settled unit in the competition and it's no surprise really that they're still the table leaders. For a tournament of this length, the challenge for any winning team is to not lose steam. Mumbai suffered on that count last year after a good start and Tendulkar would have learnt from that experience.

Form guide (most recent first)

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Team talk

Mumbai coach Robin Singh ruled out resting key Indian players who will be taking part in the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. He said Mumbai considered this to be a very important game, so the indications are they will stick to their winning combination.

Chennai didn't reveal any team changes either. "We will play the best team for tomorrow's match," Muralitharan said. "We do not want to lose the momentum since we have still not qualified for the semi-final. We will take this match with all seriousness. May be, after we are assured of semi-final slot, we might rest a few players."

Previously…

Mumbai 3 Chennai 2 The last time these teams met, at the Brabourne Stadium, even a total of 180 wasn't enough for Chennai to defend. Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan hit half-centuries to cut the target to size.

In the spotlight

Bollinger v Tendulkar: The Australian left-arm quick was a revelation in his IPL debut, acclimatising in record time after leaving New Zealand. With figures of 2 for 15 in four overs, it seemed like he was bowling on a different pitch to the rest. He had the pace, bounce and subtle variations to succeed on that comatose track, hurrying the Indian players with his extra yards of pace. Can he do the same to Tendulkar?

Morkel the bowler: An economy rate of 8.84 after nine games isn't what you'd expect from your main allrounder. Albie Morkel may have done well enough to hold his place as a batsman alone, but as an opening bowler - not his main trade - he has fallen short on more than one occasion. Batsmen have feasted on his length deliveries and he can't even rely on movement or pace to assist him. He leaked 56 off four overs against Rajasthan, which happen to be the worst bowling figures so far in IPL 3. It rains runs when Morkel's in action, irrespective of whether he has bat or ball in hand.

Prime numbers

• Chennai have hit the most sixes (67) but have also conceded the most sixes (55) among all IPL teams this season.

• Spinners have conceded 7.60 per over at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in this IPL but the seamers have been more expensive, leaking 9.48.

• Only four men in the current Mumbai squad - Sanath Jayasuriya, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh and Abhishek Nayar - featured the last time these teams met in Chennai.

The chatter

"The fact that they won by a thin margin even after notching up close to 250 runs tells its own story. The bowlers have to get their act right if the CSK has to go the entire distance"
Former India batsman and Tamil Nadu coach WV Raman highlights Chennai's biggest weakness

"In this tournament, any side can beat any other and we are quite confident at the moment. We put up the highest total, our batsmen are in good form and we are looking forward to maintain the momentum."
Muttiah Muralitharan