Mumbai Indians hold edge

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There is a lot riding in the Eliminator clash between the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

The long-drawn-out IPL takes a final stretch but for the two teams it’s an important week, beginning at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday night.

The winner of the second playoff will not only qualify for Friday’s virtual semifinal showdown with the loser of the first qualifier, but will also assure themselves of a place in the lucrative Champions League T20, slated later this year.

But for Mumbai and CSK, it’s winning the IPL trophy that would be on top of their minds, more so for the former, who are yet to win the T20 extravaganza.

For the two teams, heavily-loaded with array of international stars, it’s been nothing short of a topsy-turvy season, which explains why Mumbai finished third and Super Kings fourth in the league stage.

In the four seasons of the IPL, Dhoni’s Super Kings have ruled the roost, winning it twice in succession but they have hardly looked a team to make it a hat-trick this time.

They only made it to the playoffs via the backdoor, having been largely dependent on three other teams’ to know their fate.

In the end though, the defending champions were lucky enough to scrape through with a better run-rate, if not small, as the Royal Challengers Bangalore imploded against the Deccan Chargers in a must-win game.

Saying that, the Super Kings will look to fire on all cylinders at a venue, which will have more support for Mumbai for obvious reasons.

Dhoni’s men, the skipper included, have seldom been at their destructive best this season and Wednesday will be the right time to come the party.

For Mumbai, perhaps the most balanced of all units, finding the right eleven has been the issue. With too many to choose from, Harbhajan Singh has tinkered with his line-up once too many.

Dwayne Smith partnering Sachin Tendulkar in their last league game against Rajasthan Royals was their eighth different opening combo in 16 games.

Smith belted 87 in that match and has played a crucial role so far, with his last-over heroics against CSK stunning the defending champs.

The Chinnaswamy turf has traditionally helped the big-hitters and it should well pan out to be a tall-scoring encounter.

Key player Chennai Super Kings: Ben Hilfenhaus

The Aussie pacer will be eyeing nothing less than absolute revenge against Mumbai. He was taken to the cleaners by Dwayne Smith in their league match at the Wankhede, with the West Indian smashing 14 of the last three balls to script a thrilling win.

Hilfenhaus, however, has not shown any scars and has been exceptional with the new ball.

Key player Mumbai Indians: Ambati Rayudu

Two times this season, the little right-hander has played sensational knocks to pull off a memorable wins for his team.

And one of them came at Bengaluru as he took his team to what seemed an improbable win. Rayudu’s battle with Ashwin will also be the one to watch out for, with his ability to use his feet against spin.