The IPL is just a day away, and the excitement is as high as it ever was. The opening game of the upcoming IPL season will mark the longest gap between two IPL matches i.e., the last match of last season and the first match of this season.
Coincidentally the last match of the 2019 edition was played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, and these are the same teams that will be locking horns against each other in the inaugural match in September 19. These teams are the most successful in the history of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians have won 4 IPL crowns, while Chennai Super Kings have 3 IPL trophies in their trophy cabinet. The teams have also etched their name in T20 franchise folklore by winning the CLT20 tournament twice each. While MI has won the most number of IPL titles and most games, CSK has always managed to reach the playoffs and have the highest win percentage.
This rivalry will go down in history as one of the most iconic battles between two heavyweight teams. These teams have faced each other 28 times, and Mumbai Indians have got the better of their bitter rivals on 17 occasions while the Yellow Army has come out on top 11 times.
They’ve had many great matches, some of which have also taken place in the IPL final. Here are the top 5 matches featuring both these IPL giants – CSK & RCB:
1. CSK vs MI, Hyderabad, May 12, 2019:
The ranking in this article will be done based on terms of the most recent matches to oldest matches, but even if it were based on how exciting the match was, this match would arguably rank first. Forget best matches between CSK and MI, this was one of the best matches in IPL history, and to top it, all of it came in an IPL final in 2019.
Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bat first. All their top order and middle-order batsmen got off to good starts but failed to capitalize. Kieron Pollard starred with the bat with his fine knock of 41(25), which came under pressure. Deepak Chahar was the pick of the bowlers as MI was restricted to 149/8.
Shane Watson was in sublime form, just like he was in the 2018 IPL final. Watto amassed a total of 80 runs while his teammates kept losing their wickets. Malinga had given 20 runs in the 18th over, but he showed his class by defending 9 runs in the 20th over, which earned his side a record 4th IPL trophy.
- Man of the Match: Jasprit Bumrah
- Result: MI won by 1 run
