IPL 2021: MS Dhoni vs Rohit Sharma as Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians kick off UAE leg

Two of IPL’s greatest captains, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, will lock horns on September 19 as Mumbai Indians renew rivalry with Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to kick-start the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Sunday.

While Rohit had only a few days to prepare after coming from a successful Test series in England to the UAE via a charter flight, MS Dhoni has been training with his boys for a few weeks, but what he lacks is game time.

With both sides eye a winning start, one thing is for certain no team will spare an inch. Having already played half of their 14 league games, MI, who have three wins from seven games, can’t afford another slow start.

#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #IPL2021 #CSKvMI pic.twitter.com/HdHrSodXaP

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) September 19, 2021

CSK, aka Dad’s Army, finally seemed to have found a winning combination after the disappointment of 2020. Their young guns like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sam Curran delivered in the first half of the season while their spinners — Imran Tahir, Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja — also came to the party. Moeen and Jadeja also impressed with the bat.

Now the team will be hoping its stalwarts, skipper Dhoni and Suresh Raina, too find their touch.

MI, on the other hand, will be hoping to up their game like they often do in pressure situations. Their famed middle-order did not exactly set the stage on fire and their bowling in the powerplay also can be better.

Skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been in stellar touch of late, will be expected to continue in the same vein and the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and leggie Rahul Chahar, come into the event a more confident trio having made the World Cup squad.

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya would be expected to bowl regularly in the tournament which will also tell the India selectors how he is shaping ahead of the ICC showpiece.