While CSK enjoy home advantage tonight, MI hold the psychological edge having beaten them twice already

Handed a reality check in their last league fixture, defending champions Chennai Super Kings will bank on home advantage to seal their place in the summit clash when they take on a confident Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 here today for a place in the May 12 final. Both CSK and MI have won the title thrice earlier.

The MS Dhoni-led CSK has been patchy after a strong start and finished its league engagements with a six-wicket defeat to Kings XI Punjab on Sunday. But CSK will be happy to be in their den to take on table-toppers MI, its biggest rival.

Fine home record
CSK has a fine home record this season, winning six of its seven games at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and that's a big advantage for the hosts. A defeat, however, will provide both teams a second chance in Qualifier 2 (May 10).

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 wkts), the Pandya brothers (Hardik 14 wickets and Krunal 10 wkts), leggie Rahul Chahar (10 wkts) and possibly Mitchell McClenaghan.

Skipper Dhoni (CSK's highest run-getter with 368 runs from 12 matches, 3 fifties) has been the mainstay of a rather inconsistent batting unit. Along with openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina holds the key in today'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 Sunday's match against Kings XI. But Jadhav wasn't in the best of form and his absence would open up a spot for either Murali Vijay or Dhruv Shorey. Bowling has been CSK's strength this season and becomes even more potent on MA Chidambaram Stadium's sluggish wicket.

Imran Tahir (21 wickets), the second highest-wicket taker this season after Kagiso Rabada (25), has been at the forefront of an effective CSK spin trio, which includes Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja (both with 13 wkts each). The success of Tahir & Co against the MI batting line-up could decide this match.

Loads of runs
On the other hand, 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. Going by the head-to-head record this year, MI holds the upperhand having won both its encounters against CSK in the league phase.

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