Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh talked about the excitement that a match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) creates ahead of the two teams blockbuster tie in IPL 2023 on April 8, 2023 in Wankhede Stadium.
Harbhajan Singh is amongst the few cricketers who have played for both MI and CSK and has won the IPL trophy with both sides as well.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan backed MI captain Rohit Sharma to have a good game, adding that it is very difficult to beat MI at the Wankhede.
"In big matches a big player should perform. So I believe Rohit Sharma will score and Suryakumar Yadav should bat at No.3. If Green plays with Tim David lower in the batting order then both can be destructive. The match is at the Wankhede Stadium and to beat Mumbai Indians at this venue is very difficult. Both teams have a great batting order,” said Harbhajan.
Harbhajan Singh also compared the competitive environment of a CSK v MI match with that of the India v Pakistan encounter. MI has won the IPL five times, while CSK is second on the list with four titles to their name.
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"When both these great teams compete against each other, then they create an environment similar to the one of India-Pakistan. I have been part of many of their matches. If you want to become a great player, then you have to perform in these kinds of matches,” Harbhajan added.
He called MI’s bowling better than that of CSK’s and said that the team that wins the toss will opt to bowl first.
"The team winning the toss first will definitely opt for bowling and look to chase the target. This is a chasing venue, very short ground and good bounce. Both teams don't have enough bowling power but Mumbai's bowling is comparatively better than Chennai. The team winning the toss first will have the advantage,” said Harbhajan.
While CSK has won one game and lost one in IPL 2023, MI will be looking for their first win after losing their opening encounter to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
(India Today inputs)
