(Cricket news) As some of the top teams from the North and South compete against one another for two essential points, fans will also get to see the rivalry between teams from the two regions. This year’s competition is one of the most closely contested games in the tournament’s 15-year history because all clubs are still in contention for the playoffs.
The first match of the IPL’s “Greatest Rivals,” between MS Dhoni’s CSK and Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians, will kick off the rivalry week on May 6 at the Chepauk Stadium. There has never been a match in the history of the IPL that generates as much interest and drama as the match between the two undoubted heavyweights of the league.
Mohammed Kaif, a former cricketer for India, believes the match between CSK and MI would be thrilling since it will include top-tier bowlers and hitters.
Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, Md Kaif said, “One has better batsmen and the other team has better spinners. It will be very difficult for MI to beat CSK on the day. CSK’s spin trio is very strong and in such a situation, Rohit’s team will have to make a new strategy to defeat CSK.”
S Badrinath, a former cricketer for India, called attention to CSK’s difficulties against MI at home and their inexperienced pace bowling attack. The ex-CSK player called attention to Chennai’s inexperienced bowling attack.
Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, S Badrinath said, “CSK fast bowling attack looks pretty inexperienced and that is a concern. Their bowlers will have to rise up. MS Dhoni has managed well with the resources he has but the firepower of MI will certainly make MSD vary of the visitors. Also, CSK doesn’t fire against MI at home. The last time they won against Mumbai at home was way back in 2010 when I was playing with them.”
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where RCB will play DC in the second game of “Rivalry Week,” local lad Virat Kohli will square off against David Warner’s team.
Former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth thinks the controversy between Kohli and Sourav Ganguly off the pitch in the previous match will make the match between DC and RCB interesting.
Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, S Sreesanth said, “This match will be interesting as it will be Virat vs Dada. The match looks good in which there is a little excitement inside the field and a little outside the field. Looking at the kind of relationship Virat and Sourav share, a lot is seen during this match and then such matches motivate the players to give their best.”
At Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Friday, Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals handily by a margin of nine wickets. The standout spinner for Afghanistan, Rashid Khan, took three wickets as the reigning champions put on a commanding performance.
Irfan Pathan, a former cricketer for India, praised the cunning leg-spinner for his performance and claimed that Rashid’s propensity for taking wickets at vital moments is what makes him such a power in the game.
Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, Irfan Pathan said, “Rashid has been a threat to batters right from the start of his IPL career. He’s capable of picking up wickets of big players, and whenever captain Hardik Pandya needs him for wickets, Rashid delivers.”
Also read: Sunil Joshi feels it’s only a matter of time before Jitesh Sharma gets his India cap
