Confident Mumbai face Super Kings challenge

Cheni, May 7: Following four consecutive wins, a confident Mumbai Indians will look to extend their winning streak and enter the top four when they take on table-toppers Cheni Super Kings (CSK) in the return leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.

Mumbai are currently fifth in the standings with 10 points from 10 games, having won five and lost five, whereas CSK, with a superb run, are placed at the summit with 14 points from 10 games, winning seven and losing three. A win on Friday will seal their place in the playoffs.

In the previous meeting on April 17, the Cheni-based team came out victorious, beating home team Mumbai by six wickets. Batting first, Mumbai posted a challenging 183/7 in 20 overs but a superb batting display by the visitors helped them chase down the target with 20 balls remaining.

But Friday will be a new day for the Mumbai Indians as they will look to hold on to their winning momentum after a sluggish start to the season.

In their last match against the Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday, Mumbai were spot on in both their batting and bowling, beating Daredevils by five wickets.

After Mumbai bowlers restricted Delhi to 152, skipper Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu displayed brilliant batting skills in a rain-affected tie to steer the team to a comfortable win.

On the other hand, CSK outplayed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 24 runs in their last encounter on Monday. Suresh Rai struck a half-century to help his team to 148 while some tough bowling by CSK bowlers helped the team clinch a victory.

However, pacer Lasith Malinga will be missed on Friday as Sri Lankan cricketers are not allowed to play in Cheni. Other pacer Mitchell McCleghan, who produced some match-winning spells for Mumbai in the past few matches, will look to deliver in Malinga’s absence. IANS