Mumbai Indians are all set to face arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in their reverse fixture at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

MI's only defeat outside a Super Over this year has come against CSK. However, both teams' campaign has headed towards opposite directions following the clash.

MI are coming off after a nail-biting loss against KXIP which went down to the second Super Over. CSK have lost their last two games against DC and RR respectively.

Here we take you through some of the talking points ahead of the CSK vs MI match.

The Rivalry

The Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings rivalry has often been referred to as the El Clasico of IPL. Both teams have contested the grand finale of the tournament four times out of which MI has emerged victorious on three occasions, i.e. 2013, 2015, and 2019.

Overall, MI has maintained the upper hand. The men in Blue and Gold have recorded 18 victories out of the 31 encounters between both sides.

Flashback

Both teams clashed at the inaugural match of this year's Dream11 IPL 2020. CSK started with a five-wicket victory over the defending champions. Put to bat first, Saurabh Tiwary's 42 (31) led the mantle for MI as they were restricted to 162/9 in 20 overs.

As for CSK, they lost two quick wickets before a 115-run partnership between Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu changed the game in their favor. It was also their first victory against MI after five consecutive defeats.

Team Form

Mumbai Indians are currently at the third position on the points while Chennai Super Kings are lurking at the bottom. A victory will push MI back to the top of the table while CSK needs to win all four matches and also hope the other results favor them to come anywhere near the playoffs spot.

MI's five-match winning streak was put to a halt by KXIP in the previous match. The game went till the second Super Over where one team finally gained an edge over the other. As for CSK, they have lost four of their last five matches.

Batting Firepower

Quinton de Kock is currently the leading run-scorer for MI. His presence at the top-order is quite valuable for MI. Suryakumar Yadav is capable of turning the game on its head with plenty of shots in his armory. The finishing conundrum of Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers has kept the opposition on their toes. Nathan Coulter-Nile also displayed his audacity with the bat in the previous match.

Faf du Plessis has been CSK's top run-getter in the tournament. The move to promote Sam Curran up the order hasn't paid many dividends but CSK have continued to back their decision. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu have also got some runs under their belt. It's the duo of MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav who have struggled to get going in the finish overs. Ravindra Jadeja has made some important contributions in the last few games.

Bowling Departments

Trent Boult donning the new ball has been a force to reckon with for the opposition batsmen. Jasprit Bumrah is currently leading the wicket tally for Mumbai with 15 wickets. It will be interesting to see whether MI bring back James Pattinson or continue with Nathan Coulter-Nile. Rahul Chahar has stepped his game in the tournament while Krunal Pandya has been economical.

Josh Hazlewood bowled well against RR and will look to replicate the same performance. Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran have been the joint highest wicket-takers for CSK with ten scalps each. Shardul Thakur has also been amongst the wickets. In the spin department, Ravindra Jadeja hasn't looked quite promising. Leg-spinners Piyush Chawla and Karn Sharma have also been inconsistent.

Approaching milestones

- Pollard requires 37 runs more to complete 3000 runs in IPL

- Krunal requires 27 runs more to complete 1000 runs in IPL

- Krunal is also 5 wickets away from completing 50 wickets in IPL

Players to watch out for

Quinton de Kock: The wicket-keeper batsman has been in extraordinary form ever since his 67 (39) against SRH at Sharjah. As he comes back to the same ground, Quinton de Kock would be looking to add to his aggregate of 322 runs this year. His glovework behind the stumps has also been significant for MI.

Jasprit Bumrah: The right-arm pacer has been on a song with the ball again this season. Jasprit Bumrah has not only picked wickets consistently but also been MI's best bowler. With his yorkers at the death, he can be a nightmare for batsmen even at Sharjah.

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