Clash of titans: Intriguing battle on cards

WHEN two captains who have nine IPL titles between themselves go against each other there are bound to be tremors. A sell-out crowd is eagerly waiting to witness MS Dhoni take on India skipper Rohit Sharma in what could be one of the final clashes of one of finest connoisseurs of the game.

- ASHOK VENUGOPAL

CSK have 11 points from 10 games, while Mumbai have 10 points from nine games. If one looks at the pattern of how teams make it to the play-offs, one needs to win a minimum of eight games to make it to the final round. CSK has four games left and must win a minimum of three to keep their hopes alive. "You don't want to calculate what you have to win and what you don't have to win. We of course had the rain that (last) game that has given us that extra point, but we just have to take every game as it comes and try and win every match. This tournament is about pressure from the start, but you just take each game as it comes and try and win them as you can," said bowling consultant Eric Simons on the eve of the clash.