Chennai Super Kings have turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the season so far. The three-time champion hardly looked like their old selves. Rajasthan Royals thrashed them in the last game by seven wickets to leave them with the slimmest of hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. Now, they will turn up against an in-form Mumbai Indians. Both teams previously met in the curtain-raiser of IPL 2020, where CSK came up victorious by five wickets. The scenario has changed drastically since then and Super Kings from Chennai will have to play out of their skin to pose a challenge in front of MI. In order to keep the last hope of qualifying alive, CSK will have to make changes in their playing XI.
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Here is a look at the CSK Predicted XI against MI:
Faf du Plessis: Faf du Plessis, fourth in the orange cap race, is the only in-form batsman in the CSK team. It was a rare failure for him against Rajasthan Royals. He will try to make amends and come good against MI.
Sam Curran: The trump card of opening with Sam Curran didn’t turn into a fruitful move for CSK. He is in fine form with the ball and has bagged 10 wickets in as many games. He can be the x-factor in the CSK lineup.
Ambati Rayudu: Ambati Rayudu looked promising so far with the bat but failed to convert his starts into big scores. He has happy memories of the reverse encounter earlier this season and can get inspiration from it.
N Jagadeesan: N Jagadeesan is likely to replace Kedar Jadhav in the playing XI. He is only one-game old in the IPL but looked good during his only outing. Jagadeesan scored a good-looking 33 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in that game.
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MS Dhoni: CSK skipper is having his worst season in the IPL. Dhoni looked ineffective with his batting and managed just 164 runs so far. The onus lies on him to change the fortune of his team in the remaining games.
Ravindra Jadeja: Ravindra Jadeja is in good form with both bat and ball in the IPL 2020. He is giving CSK the final flourish with the bat while chipping in with the ball as well. The team management has a great deal of expectations from him and he has to step up against MI.
Ruturaj Gaikwad: This is a change which might not happen but Dhoni did mention that some players will be given opportunities and Gaikwad should come into the match in place of Watson, who will then allow Tahir to walk into the playing XI.
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Deepak Chahar: Deepak Chahar bowled beautifully with the new ball. He has snared 10 wickets in the same number of games while having an economy rate of just over 7 runs per over. Chahar has to give his team a good start with the ball.
Shardul Thakur: Shardul Thakur is bowling in tandem with Deepak Chahar. He is chipping in with crucial wickets in the middle overs and has managed nine wickets in seven games. MI has to watch out for his knuckleballs.
Josh Hazlewood: Despite having limited outings in IPL 2020, Josh Hazlewood looked promising with the ball. He has only one wicket in two games, though, he didn’t allow batsmen to break free. Hazlewood is expected to hold his place in the playing XI.
Imran Tahir: We sincerely hope Dhoni finally picks this wizard because he is a match winner with his wicket taking abilities and could be a handful against a strong batting line-up like that of Mumbai Indians
CSK Predicted XI against MI: Faf du Plessis, Sam Curran, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, N Jagadeesan, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir
Source: IPLT20.com