IPL 2021, Match 30: CSK vs MI, Stats Preview: Player records and approaching milestones

Cricket fans must gear up for some T20 madness as the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner. The gala tournament will resume on Sunday (September 19) with all the remaining matches taking place in the United Arab Emirates. The opening clash of the UAE leg will see Chennai Super Kings taking on Mumbai Indians at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.

Two of the most successful IPL franchises, CSK and MI share a history of rivalry. While MI are the most successful IPL franchise with five titles in the bag, the MS Dhoni-led side holds second place with three trophies in the cabinet. With the two sides being powerhouses, their matches are famously termed as the ‘Clash of the Titans.’ Hence, both teams would be raring to resume their campaign on a winning note.

Notably, both sides were pretty impressive in the first half of the season. Defending champions Mumbai Indians weren’t at their prime in the initial half. However, they gained momentum steadily and did exceptionally well in their last few games. At the time of season suspension, the Rohit Sharma-led side was fourth in the team standings, having won four of their seven games.

On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings were on a roll. After a horrendous campaign in the 2020 edition, the Men in Yellow bounced back, and how! They did well in all three departments and registered one win after another. As a result, they won five of their first seven games and held second place when the tournament got postponed.

While CSK are currently above MI in the table, Rohit Sharma’s men emerged victoriously when these two sides met earlier in the season. It was nothing but a nail-biter where MI narrowly won the contest by four wickets. They apparently chased down 219 in the very last ball of the game.

Meanwhile, let’s look at important stats and numbers ahead of the 30th game of the Indian Premier League 2021:

Head to Head record: In the IPL history so far, both teams have played 31 games against each other. In these games, MI have the upper hand winning 19 games while CSK have emerged victorious in 12 matches.

60.27 – Chennai Super Kings are the most successful IPL team in terms of win percentage. They have won 111 of the 186 games they have played with a win percentage of 60.27, leading just ahead of their competitor Mumbai Indians (59.04). Meanwhile, MI have 122 wins in 220 IPL games, most for any team.

20 – Rohit Sharma needs 20 runs to complete 5,500 runs in IPL. He’s currently the fourth leading run-scorer in IPL history with 5480 runs in 207 runs.

9 – Suresh Raina can also achieve the 5,500-run landmark in IPL. He is just nine runs away from the milestone.

1 – Krunal Pandya needs 1 more wicket to reach 50 wickets for Mumbai Indians in IPL. He will become the second Mumbai Indians player to score 1000+ runs and take 50+ wickets for Mumbai Indians, after Kieron Pollard.

5 – Hardik Pandya is five hits away from completing 100 sixes in IPL. In 87 games so far, Pandya has slammed 95 sixes.

2 – Ravindra Jadeja needs two sixes to reach 50 IPL sixes for Chennai Super Kings. He will be the fifth Indian player to do it for CSK after MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, and Ambati Rayudu.