IPL 2023: Moeen Ali compares MI vs CSK rivalry with that of Manchester United and Liverpool

The Indian Premier League season 16 has been an action-packed tournament so far as fans have enjoyed every game in the first week. With the home-and-away format being applied in the tournament after four years, the ongoing edition is expected to be even more entertaining for the fans.

And to take the entertainment level several notches higher, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will face off against each other on Saturday, April 8 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Over the years, the rivalry between Mumbai and Chennai has got intense as the two sides have been involved in several thrilling encounters. Every year the fans eagerly wait for the two of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL to clash and give another mouthwatering match.

Ahead of the first game of the ongoing season between the two sides, CSK all-rounder Moeen Ali has compared the rivalry between the two teams to that of the football clubs Manchester United and Liverpool.

“This is a game I really look forward to. These are the two most successful franchises and the fan-following is huge and this is one of the biggest games you can play as a cricketer outside of international cricket. In football’s point of view it is like Manchester United playing Liverpool. These are huge games,” Moeen was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. 

Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL (in terms of trophies won) as they have won the coveted title five times closely followed by Chennai who’re the second most successful unit with four titles to their credit. In the head-to-head battles between the two teams, MI have an upper hand as the Rohit Sharma-led side has beaten the MS Dhoni-led team 20 times out of the 34 matches played between them.

Furthermore, MI have beaten Chennai thrice in the IPL final to win the IPL trophy while CSK have beaten MI once in the final to win their first IPL trophy in 2010. Notably, the rivalry between the two heavyweights is famously called the ‘El Clasico’ of the IPL.

MI raring to open their account

However, the two sides weren’t seen at their best in the 2022 edition as Mumbai had their worst season ever finishing last on the points table while CSK finished second-last on the table. In the ongoing season, Mumbai have continued their poor run from the last season as they were hammered by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opening game by eight wickets.

On the other hand, CSK started off with a loss against Gujarat Titans in the curtain raiser of the season and registered their first win against Lucknow Super Giants in their second fixture.