IPL: Best combined XI of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings

There’s absolutely no doubt that Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the two best teams in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the 13 seasons so far, these two sides have accounted for as many as eight IPL titles and have played four finals between them. MI has won it five times (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020) and CSK has won thrice (2010, 2011, and 2018). 

Marquee players such as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni led the franchises earlier. With Rohit Sharma and Dhoni as the current skippers, fans expect a cracker of a game every time the two franchises meet. They have met 31 times with Mumbai having a comprehensive lead of 20-13. 

Many top-class players have played for both these sides which is the reason why fans obsess over them. The second phase of IPL starts on 19th September with this El-Clasico rivalry.

Let’s look at the best combined XI of CSK and MI in the history of IPL

1. Rohit Sharma (C) 

Rohit Sharma is the man who has been the poster boy of Mumbai cricket as well as Mumbai Indians post the great Sachin Tendulkar. The Hitman has been India’s best batsman in all formats for three years and a strong fourth year is quite possible seeing his impeccable form in the series against England. With six IPL titles to his name and five as captain in just eight seasons, it is quite obvious that he will lead the team.

He is a champion player who knows what it takes to perform in pressure situations. He has played 207 matches and scored 5480 runs including 40 fifties and a solitary hundred at an average of 31.49 and a strike rate of 130.51. Surprisingly, he even took a hat-trick way back in 2009 when he was playing for Deccan Chargers against his current team, Mumbai Indians.

Lazy elegance is the term coined by many commentators across the world exclusively for him. He is probably the best player of the short ball India have ever seen. He has been MI’s most expensive buy ever when he bought for a whopping $2.1 million in the 2011 auction. But the Mumbai boy hasn’t disappointed one bit and it would be fair to say that he probably has the biggest role in building a championship-winning team.

2. Faf du Plessis 

Faf du Plessis is a batsman who often goes under the radar but has been a fabulous asset for CSK and South Africa. He made his IPL debut before making his international debut. This shows the faith CSK’s team management had in the former Proteas captain.

He has played 91 games across eight seasons and scored 2622 runs with 20 fifties at an average of touch below 35 and a strike rate of 131.03. He has been a multi-utility asset used as an opener, a middle-order batsman as well as a finisher at times by CSK. Though 37 at the moment, he fields at high traffic positions and more often than not does wonderfully in that aspect of the game as well. 

CSK have never let him go as they have always managed to retain or have used the Right to Match (RTM) card to secure Faf’s services. He was RTM-ed for a mere INR 1.6 crore by CSK and he probably has delivered five times his price, being the crisis man for CSK and also their highest run-scorer in this year’s IPL.

3. Suresh Raina

Talking about CSK, it is imperative to talk about Chinna Thala Suresh Raina. He is a true team player who loves to celebrate his teammates’ success and treats them as his own. He has been with CSK from the inception of IPL and is the best in command MS Dhoni could’ve asked for. He was bought by CSK for a whopping $600,000 and has been worth every penny for the boys in yellow. 

He has played 200 matches and scored 5492 runs including 39 fifties and a solitary hundred at an average of 33.08 and a strike rate just below 137. He is the only player to have scored more than 400 runs in nine seasons, a hallmark of his consistency. The only season CSK didn’t qualify for the playoffs was the one in which Raina didn’t play due to family commitments, which goes to prove that his void is hard to fill. 

He has given it all to the franchise – be it stabilizing the innings, attacking right from ball one or finishing the innings with a bang. He also has taken the most catches in IPL history (104). Despite his dip in form in recent years, he still looks pleasing to the eye and would be raring to win his fourth IPL title with CSK, in probably his last season.

4. Suryakumar Yadav

A player whose hard work has finally paid off with opportunities in the national team and his T20 World Cup selection, Suryakumar Yadav has been around for quite a long time. This mainly has happened due to his ability to bat anywhere in order and score quickly in all parts of the ground. Initially, he was picked up by MI in 2011 but didn’t get many chances due to the star-studded batting lineup and ultimately moved to KKR in 2014. 

The Mumbai batsman played crucial cameos coming at No. 7 for KKR for four long years when MI bought their gem back for INR 3.2 crore in the 2018 IPL auction. Since then, he has had an upward sloping career graph second to none as he has been MI’s highest run-scorer since 2018. He has played 108 matches and scored 2197 runs including 12 fifties at an average of 29.69 and a strike rate of 135.29. 

He is the only player to have played 100 IPL matches and not played international cricket. His wait was over at last and made his T20I debut vs England earlier this year where he smashed his first ball for a six and the bowler was none other than Jofra Archer.

He has played 7 matches for India and already has three fifties to his name. Suryakumar would want to be in his prime form for the second phase of IPL and especially now batting at number 4 for India in the T20 WC.

5. MS Dhoni (wk) 

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, a phrase that describes MS Dhoni’s career in a nutshell. Even if CSK isn’t playing in Chennai, the fans shift their support entirely when Thala walks into bat. In the inaugural IPL auction, he was bought by CSK for a staggering $1.5 million when the overall budget was $5 million and each member of CSK’s management should be given a pat on his back for this decision. 

He has played the most number of matches in the IPL (211) and has created a massive impact in most of them whether it be with the bat, through captaincy, or behind the stumps. He has scored 4669 runs including 23 fifties at an average of 40.25 and a strike rate of 136.67. He has won the most Player of the Match awards for CSK (17) and has scored the most runs from the 16th to the 20th over in IPL.

This fact merely goes to show why he is regarded as the best finisher to have ever played the game. He has played nine IPL finals, the most by any player, and has won three of them. Though at the twilight of his career and has taken retirement from international cricket, fans adore him and switch on their TVs as soon as he walks with the bat in his hand.

Fans across the country would want MSD’s career to end with a well-deserved farewell and CSK winning their fourth IPL title would be a fairytale ending for the career of the greatest Indian captain ever. 

6. Kieron Pollard 

One of the most fearsome finishers to have ever played the game, it is safe to say that no score isn’t chaseable if Kieron Pollard gets going. He has been one of the most impactful players in the IPL and one of their best players ever. There was a bidding war between MI and CSK for him back in the 2010 auction but luckily, MI managed to secure his services and have never thought of an alternative ever since. 

He is the most capped player for MI having played 171 matches. He has scored 3191 runs including 16 fifties at an average of 30.68 and a whopping strike rate of over 150. He also has taken 83 wickets with his clever change of pace and bowling hard lengths, making it difficult for batsmen to take him on. He also has taken the most catches for MI (92). 

The six foot five inches tall, muscular man hits sixes for fun as he just flicks the ball and it sails out of the ground. The vice-captain of MI has always been a big match player and more often than not has been one of the biggest headaches for their arch-rivals, CSK. Imagine the destruction the duo of Pollard and Dhoni would cause to the opposition in the last five overs, probably 100 runs wouldn’t look like an impossible hurdle to cross.

7. Hardik Pandya

Caribbean by heart due to his nature on the field and clearing the ropes consistently without breaking much sweat, Hardik Pandya is one asset that Indian cricket has to preserve and nurture in the years to come. He is the best fast bowling all-rounder in India at the moment – a skillset which that is rare to find here.

He was picked up by Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakhs in the 2015 IPL Auction and is being paid INR 11 Cr since 2018, a story in itself. He, along with his brother Krunal, has been one of the main reasons for the flexibility and depth of the MI squad which has helped them dominate the IPL for a while now.

He has played 87 matches and scored 1401 runs including four fifties at an average 27.47 and a strike rate just above 157 – the best for an Indian. He also is a handy bowler as has picked up 42 wickets at a bowling economy of slightly over 9 runs per over, an aspect he would like to better. 

Along with Kieron Pollard, he is most feared by bowlers in the death as it often seems like a range-hitting competition between the two. Post the Koffee with Karan controversy, he has become more mature as a player which is a great sign for the balance of the Indian team. If he keeps himself fit, Hardik Pandya may end up being one of the best all-rounders India has ever produced.

8. Ravindra Jadeja

Popularly known as Sir Ravindra Jadeja, this was a nickname given by Shane Warne as a joke but the young lad from Saurashtra took all the jokes and criticisms and turned the tables around soon. He was the most expensive player in the 2012 IPL auctions, when he was sold for a whopping $2 million (approx. Rs 9.72 crore then). It was quite an expensive buy and a surprise to many but CSK’s management believed that Jadeja could strengthen the squad in all facets of the game. 

He has repaid the faith shown by MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings by becoming their main Indian all-rounder to date. He has played 191 matches and taken 120 wickets at a bowling economy of 7.63 runs per over. He also has been more than handy with the bat, scoring 2290 runs including two fifties at an average of 26.63 and a strike rate just above 128. 

With the decline of MS Dhoni’s finishing prowess, Jadeja has taken the responsibility of becoming the primary finisher of the team. He runs exceptionally well between the wickets and is regarded as the best fielder in the world by none other than Jonty Rhodes. He is the only all-rounder who has consistently been representing India in all formats of the game. He will be eager to win this year’s IPL which may be the last for Thala Dhoni.

9. Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo, popularly known as ‘the Champion’ is one of the best all-rounders in T20 cricket. He is the only player on the list who has played for MI as well as CSK. During his prime, he was impeccable in all facets of the game, be it batting, bowling, or fielding. He is the highest wicket-taker in the T20s with 546 wickets to his name. 

He has played 144 matches and taken 156 wickets at a bowling economy of 8.39 runs per over which is great because he bowls two to three overs in the death overs. He also is no muck with the bat as he has scored 1510 runs, including five fifties at an average of 29.88 and a strike rate a touch above 129. 

He is the only foreigner to have won the Purple Cap twice (2013 and 2015) and holds the record for taking most wickets in one season (32 wickets in 2013). The finishing score of Dhoni, Jadeja, Bravo is one of the key mantras to the CSKs success formula. 37 years old but still enjoying the sport like a teenager, there surely are some magnificent performances left from the Champion for the world to see.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

How can we not talk about the most skillful fast bowler, the leader of the pack, Jasprit Bumrah? He has gained immense popularity due to his skill and bowling action. He was picked by the Mumbai Indians in 2013 and ever since, it has been a rollercoaster ride for him. 

He has played 99 matches and taken 115 wickets at a bowling economy of 7.4 runs per over which is fabulous considering he bowls two and sometimes three overs at the death. He couldn’t have asked for a better franchise because who better to guide him than Lasith Malinga, who had tasted immense success in international cricket with a not so pretty action.

Bumrah has publicly claimed many times that Malinga taught him the art of bowling yorkers consistently. With his unique bowling action and short run-up, he creates an angle that makes it extremely difficult for batsmen to play him.

His quick arm action also allows him to bowl his variations without batsmen having any clue about them. Bumrah is one of the most skillful bowlers the world has ever seen, so it becomes imperative for the Indian cricket team to manage his workload. He still has many years left in international cricket and he is expected to break many records along with toes.

11. Trent Boult 

Most fans would agree with what a commentator said during a match – “If Trent Boult isn’t able to swing the ball, there’s no swing.” There isn’t a more iconic bowling pair than Boult-Southee in the history of New Zealand cricket. He currently is the best left-arm fast bowler in IPL by a country mile. 

He has played 55 matches and picked up 71 wickets at a bowling economy of 8.52 runs per over, something which he would like to improve on. He is one of the most lethal bowlers to face in swinging conditions especially to right-handers as he swings the ball sharply leading to an LBW and can also make the ball move away through the angle for a caught behind or a catch in the slip cordon. 

He has probably the best bowling partner he could ask for in Jasprit Bumrah as it allows him to bowl three overs in the powerplay with the new ball when he is the deadliest. He is the best left-arm fast bowler ever produced by the Kiwis. The 32-year old is extremely sweet and mellow off the field but remains true to his name on the field – a thunderbolt for the opposition.