Chennai: Handed a reality check in their last league fixture, defending champions Chennai Super Kings will bank on home advantage to seal their place in when they take on a confident Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. After the gruelling league phase of the ongoing IPL, the stage is set for the Playoffs with CSK and MI clashing for a place in 12 May's final. There is hardly anything to differentiate between the two sides when it comes to their trophy cabinet, as both CSK and MI have won the title three times. The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK has been patchy after a strong start and finished its league engagements with a six-wicket defeat to Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Sunday. But CSK will be happy to return to their den to take on table-toppers MI, probably its biggest IPL rival, to decide which team seals a spot in the final. CSK boast of a tremendous record at home this season, winning six of their seven games at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, and come Tuesday, it will act as a big advantage for the hosts. A defeat, however, will leave both the teams with a second chance in Qualifier 2 on 10 May. The CSK top-order has fired in fits and starts in the league phase and will need to come out all guns blazing against a formidable MI bowling attack that includes Jasprit Bumrah (17 wickets), Lasith Malinga (15 wickets), the Pandya brothers (Hardik 14 wickets and Krunal 10 wickets), leggie Rahul Chahar (10 wickets) and possibly Mitchell McClenaghan. Skipper Dhoni (CSK's highest run-getter with 368 runs from 12 matches, three fifties) has been the mainstay of a rather inconsistent CSK batting unit and along with openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina holds the key in Saturday's game as the usually fluent Ambati Rayudu has struggled to get going. CSK, however, will miss the services of the Kedar Jadhav, who sustained a freak shoulder injury in the match against Kings XI. But Jadhav wasn't in the best of form and his absence could open up a spot for either Murali Vijay or Dhruv Shorey. Bowling has been CSK's strong point so far this season and becomes even more potent on M A Chidambaram stadium's sluggish wicket. Imran Tahir (21 scalps), the second-highest wicket-taker this season after Kagiso Rabada (25), has been at the forefront of an effective CSK spin trio, also including veteran Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja (both with 13 wickets each). And the success of Tahir and Co against the powerful MI batting line-up could very well determine the course of the match. MI captain Rohit Sharma (386 runs), the impressive Quinton De Kock (492, third leading run-scorer), Hardik Pandya (380) and Kieron Pollard will be hard to stop once they get going and CSK's bowlers have a tough task at hand. The onus would also be on the ever-improving Deepak Chahar, who has taken 16 scalps so far, to pick up early wickets for CSK and stifle the rival batting line-up. Going by the head-to-head record this year, MI holds the upper hand, having won both its encounters against CSK in the preliminary phase. MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene would be aware of the job at hand and won't take CSK lightly despite the Lions' recent wobbly form. CSK will certainly receive a boost by playing the Qualifier 1 at home with the crowd fully backing the team in what promises to be a cracker of a contest. Teams: Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Anmolpreet Singh, Siddhesh Lad, Ankul Roy, Evin Lewis, Pankaj Jaiswal, Ben Cutting, Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare, Rasikh Salam, Barinder Sran, Jayant Yadav, Beuran Hendricks and Lasith Malinga. Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Shorey, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Rituraj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Sharma, K M Asif, Deepak Chahar, N Jagadeesan, Scott Kuggeleijn. The match will start at 8 pm and will be shown live on TV by Star Sports Network. The match can also be streamed live on Hotstar. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from IPL 2019, click here For the full schedule, date, time and venue of all the matches of IPL 12, click here Check out the full points table for IPL 2019, including holders of Orange and Purple Caps<doc-sep>IPL 2019 Live Cricket Score: MI vs CSK, Qualifier 1, IPL 2019 by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on Live Score Updates Mumbai Indians 132-4 (18.3 Ovs) Hardik Pandya 13 (11) Chennai Super Kings 131-4 Deepak Chahar 3.3-0-30-1 Mumbai Indians won by 6 wkts Live Scores Full Scorecard A fine knock from Suryakumar Yadav helped MI into the final © BCCI Suryakumar guides MI to the final: In the end, it's a comfortable win for MI, thanks to a mature innings from Suryakumar. He finishes unbeaten on 71, with Hardik Pandya providing support in a 31-run stand as Mumbai Indians get over the line with six wickets in hand and 1.3 overs to spare. Fifty, wickets and drop: Soon after Suryakumar reached his fifty with a four off Tahir, the legspinner sent back Kishan and Krunal Pandya off successive deliveries. Kishan misread a flipper and was bowled while Krunal handed a catch back to the bowler. In the next over, Watson was late to react to an edge from Suryakumar's bat and the ball only struck his fingertips. A couple of important boundaries have come as well, as MI move to 116 for 4 after 16, needing 16 more. Suryakumar accelerates: Having scored a boundary via a cover drive off Bravo, Suryakumar employs the helicopter shot off Tahir for a couple of fours in the 11th over. MI are 80 for 2, needing 52 more. MI slow down: In the three overs after the powerplay, only 15 runs have come while no boundaries have been scored as Jadeja, Bravo and Tahir keep it tight. Meanwhile, Suryakumar and Kishan haven't attempted anything fancy, appearing focused on building a partnership strengthening MI's grip. They are 59 for 2 after 9. CSK need some wickets to put MI under more pressure. Reprieve: Suryakumar has been positive, having scored three fours so far. But his third boundary was a lucky one as Vijay was late to react to the ball at mid-on and and lets it through to give the batsman a lucky break. Deepak Chahar being the unfortunate bowler. Ishan Kishan then tries to take on Harbhajan for a big one over cow corner, and is lucky that the resultant leading edge travels to the boundary. However, he was pretty much in control of his shot when he sent one sailing over deep mid-wicket for the first six of the innings. MI end the PP at 44 for 2. Harbhajan strikes: De Kock attempts to go inside out but sees du Plessis hold on to a good catch at long-off. A wicket for Harbhajan in his second over. De Kock departs for 8 off 12, leaving MI at 21 for 2. Review fails to save Rohit: The first ball that Deepak Chahar bowled was creamed through the cover region for a four by Rohit. However, the bowler comes back well by rapping the MI skipper on the pads to send him back leg-before. Rohit opted for the review but replays revealed it was umpire's call. MI hold on to the review but lose a key wicket early.Meanwhile, Dhruv Shorey is on the field as Rayudu walks off limping. Harbhajan bowls a fine follow-up over, troubling de Kock. Seven runs off that, as MI move to 15 for 1 after 2. CSK end up with 131: The 18th over starts with a boundary by Rayudu off Bumrah. But it's a tidy over otherwise as the concedes only eight in the over.But it's time for some Dhoni carnage in the 19th as the CSK skipper clears long-on and then goes straight down the ground for two back-to-back sixes off Malinga, with 15 coming off the penultimate over. Bumrah thought he ended Dhoni's stay off the first ball in the final over. But the bowler had over-stepped, confirmed the replays. Dhoni, meanwhile, had a discussion with umpire Nigel Llong, who had earlier refused a change of gloves for the skipper. However, it was a fine over from Bumrah, who conceded only nine runs, as CSK finished with 131 for 4. Spinners slow it down again: Krunal Pandya, bowling the 16th over, gives away only five runs to end with figures of 1 for 21. Rahul Chahar finishes his quota in the next over, conceding only three to end up with 2 for 14. CSK are 99 for 4 after 17. How many will they get in the last three? Two overs for Bumrah and one for Malinga? Finally some sixes: Using Jayant Yadav's off-spin against the right-handers was a gamble taken by Rohit, which didn't quite work in the 14th over. Dhoni sent one sailing over long-on for the first six of the game while in the same over, Rayudu clears the deep mid-wicket fence. This is the most expensive over so far for MI while the next one - from Hardik Pandya - yields eight as CSK move to 91 for 4 after 15. How many will they get in the last five? Second wicket for Chahar: A ripping leg-break from Chahar and Vijay was nowhere close to the ball when he came down the track and tried to work it away. De Kock does the necessary as Vijay is out stumped for a run-a-ball 26. CSK are 68 for 4 after 13. Rebuilding time: It's been slow going after CSK lost three wickets in the powerplay. Vijay and Rayudu have been watchful, with only one four coming in the 6-10 overs period. CSK are 50 for 3 after 10. CSK lose third: Some much-needed boundaries for CSK. Watson glanced a Bumrah delivery before pulling another for two fours in the fifth over. Vijay got a streaky four off a leading edge in the final over of the powerplay which was bowled by Krunal. He followed it up with an slog-sweep to fine leg, again not in complete control of the shot. Krunal, however, has the last laugh as he strikes off the final ball of the sixth over - Watson mistimes a pull and departs for 10 off 13, with Jayant taking a good catch at mid-on. CSK are 32 for 3, Rayudu walks in. No-ball, free-hit, dead ball, four and wicket: Plenty happened in the first over that Jayant Yadav bowled. He started by overstepping the line and the subsequent delivery, which was hit for a four by Raina, was called a dead ball as MI had changed the field. The next ball, which was still a free-hit, was sent to the boundary by Raina, who fell soon after, miscuing a big hit with the bowler hold on to the skier. CSK in plenty of trouble at 13 for 2 after four overs. Chahar strikes: Spin does the trick for MI as Rahul Chahar strikes off his first delivery in the third over. Substitute fielder Anmolpreet Singh holds on to the ball at backward point after du Plessis cuts one straight to him to depart for an 11-ball 6.There's plenty of turn on offer from the track for this game. Will this be a battle of the spinners from both sides? CSK are 7 for 1 after 3. Almost a wicket: Krunal Pandya comes on to bowl the second over and almost picks up a wicket off his second delivery. Du Plessis, tries to carve one over the off side but ends up slicing it and the ball brushed the fingertips of a leaping Bumrah at short third-man to travel to the boundary. A fine over from Krunal, who concedes only five. CSK are 6 for 0 after 2. Will Faf make an impact? After facing five dot balls from Malinga, du Plessis gets off the mark with a single to cover in the opening over. Toss and teams: CSK skipper MS Dhoni wins the toss and opts to bat. One forced change for CSK as Murali Vijay replaces the injured Kedar Jadhav. Mumbai Indians bring in Jayant Yadav for Mitchell McClenaghan. Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir<doc-sep>Chennai: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has admitted that his side were outplayed by Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL Qualifier 1, with the Rohit Sharma-led side adjusting better to the slow Chepauk track than the home side. Fleming said MI played a "nice brand of cricket even in our conditions" as the visiting side chased down the target of 132 in 18.3 overs to win the match by six wickets to enter the final. "They (MI) were confident, playing well and putting us under pressure. They were playing a nice brand of cricket even in our conditions...they have simply outplayed us," Fleming said at the post-match conference on Tuesday. "They (MI) have got some players who are more suited to the conditions. They have a pretty good record in Chennai and adjust to the conditions. They are in form and have a nice, balanced side. It is a good challenge when you come up against a side like that it can always be 50-50," he added. Fleming said his batsmen needed to pace the innings better during the Powerplay overs if the team was to post match-winning totals and give the bowlers a defendable target. "It (pacing the innings) is tough. That is the problem we are finding, we are so far behind in powerplays. We are doing things right from overs 6 to 20, the run rate today I think was 7 and (then) 10 (in the last six overs). We're getting the right runs there, (but) we are just finding ourselves behind in Powerplays," he said. The New Zealander said the slow starts had not helped the side's cause and added a score of 40 or more in the powerplays would have helped. "You run the risk if you over-attacked in the middle in those conditions, you can find yourself bowled out for 100. So you've got to have an element of safety. By the time you get that it's around 14 overs, from there we were able to go at 10 an over which got us through to a competitive score. "But we need to have more balance in the first six overs — around 40 would be nice. That may get you to a score of 150-160 which can be a match-winning score. We're just falling behind at different stages but it's the first six that are holding us back. Maybe we just throw the shackles off and have a crack in the next game and see if we can just get ourselves into form and confidence," Fleming said. The CSK batting line-up, including last year's top run-getter Shane Watson, has not clicked but Fleming defended the decision to back the misfiring batsman and said he did not believe in chopping and changing. "You have got to back them. We back players because they're proven performers, doing all the right things, but it is just not working. This can be a cruel game, especially when you're playing in conditions like this for over half the season," said the head coach. "So we make quite balanced decisions or have quite robust discussions around it. And this year we've just backed the players we've got and will continue to do so." For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from IPL 2019, click here For the full schedule, date, time and venue of all the matches of IPL 12, click here Check out the full points table for IPL 2019, including holders of Orange and Purple Caps<doc-sep>
IPL 2019 CSK, MI look to avoid Vizag detour by Prakash Govindasreenivasan • Last updated on Will Mumbai be able to breach the Chennai fortress once again? © BCCI As if the stakes aren't high enough already ahead of the first qualifier of IPL 2019, there are a few metaphorical carrots dangling in front of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians - turning the knob further on this rivalry. The two three-time champions don't just have the chance to take one more step towards an unprecedented fourth IPL title, but also, in the process, have the opportunity to lay an inconvenient diversion and the risk of elimination for the other. In a two-horse race for the trophy cabinet domination, there can be no better match-up for such a fixture. And then the plot thickens further. The overall head-to-head (11-15 in favour MI) puts the two sides on a more-or-less even keel. But a closer look reveals Mumbai Indians' recent grip over CSK. MI have lost just once in their last seven meetings against them, and just a fortnight ago, became the first side to beat MS Dhoni's men at Chepauk since... themselves in 2015. CSK could argue that they aren't the similarly in-rhythm orchestra without their master arranger - MS Dhoni - who skipped that match, but the fact remains that MI have had the wood over the title holders for a few seasons now. There's an intriguing back-and-forth in terms of results in knockouts too - CSK lead 4-3 but two of those three wins for MI earned them the trophy. For Mumbai Indians to level that figure, they have a worrying middle-overs trend to reverse. And that's easier said than done, considering the fulcrum of CSK's success this year has been in the way they've controlled matches in the same phase with the ball [picking 36 wickets and conceding runs at an economy rate of 6.65]. Suryakumar Yadav - MI's No.3 this season - has scored a series of promising 20s, but has failed to consolidate further. MI have also had uncertainty at No.4, leaving Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard to do a sweep up job at the death. Hardik's potency this season has saved MI in many-a-fixture, but Mumbai could do with a better batting foundation from the top-order in such a crucial game. When: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Qualifier 1, May 7 2019, 7:30 PM IST Where: M A Chidambaram stadium, Chennai What to expect: The usual - temperatures soaring past 35 degrees celsius late evening and a pitch playing to perfection for spinners. Team news Chennai Super Kings A shoulder injury in Sunday's game against KXIP ended Kedar Jadhav's IPL 2019, and opened up a middle-order vacancy, expected to be filled by Dhruv Shorey. Shorey has filled in for the regulars this season, but predominantly as a substitute fielder. Incidentally, the one fixture he played in, was against Mumbai Indians at Chepauk, as a replacement for an unwell MS Dhoni. With Jadhav not being used as a bowling option all season, CSK can turn to a specialist batsman in Shorey to plug the gap. CSK might also have a Mitchell Santner dilemma. The New Zealand spinner was one of the few positives from the league stage game against MI at this venue, picking up 2 wickets for 13 runs in his four overs. But deciding on who could make way for Santner will be tricky. Shane Watson has had three single-digit outings since his 96 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but replacing him when the team itself is in the midst of ordinary batting performances will be quite a gamble. If they go through with it, they will have to rely on Ambati Rayudu to wiggle his way out of a rut, while also taking up the responsibility of opening the batting. Probable XI: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Dhruv Shorey, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir Mumbai Indians Mitchell McClenaghan impressed at the Wankhede Stadium in his comeback game, but as the action shifts to a sticky, slow Chepauk strip, the New Zealander might have to make way for a spin option - like leggie Mayank Markande (if fit) or left-arm spinner Anukul Roy. Such a swap would also give Mumbai Indians the luxury to play an additional overseas player - which means they can pick between Ishan Kishan and Evin Lewis to bat at the troubled No.4 position.