Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians: IPL 2018 cricket live stream, preview

• MI lead CSK 12-11 in head-to-head meetings
• Rohit Sharma's men are reeling at the last spot on the points table with one win in six games
• Shane Watson scored a century as CSK won their last match in Pune against Rajasthan Royals

High-flying Chennai Super Kings take on wooden spooners Mumbai Indians in the 27th match of Indian Premier League at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday, April 28.

When is the match between CSK and MI and how to watch it on TV, online in India

The much-anticipated IPL encounter between the former champions will start at 8 pm IST, 3:30 pm BST.

Star Sports 1, Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports Tamil will provide live television coverage of the match. Live stream will be available on Hotstar.

CSK vs MI, IPL 2018 preview

MS Dhoni's comeback men were staring at a defeat in their season opener before Dwayne Bravo's magical 30-ball 68 helped them gun down a 166-run target in a last-over thriller. Ever since CSK have made it a habit to win close games while the defending champions have been agonizingly finishing on the wrong side in tight finishes.

While CSK need only a couple more wins to seal a playoff spot, MI, who are reeling at the bottom of the points table, cannot afford to lose another match if they are to keep their chances of qualifying to the knockout stages alive.

CSK will be high on confidence as they are heading into the match on the back of a blockbuster five-wicket win over Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore on the road. Skipper Dhoni took fans down the memory lane with a 34-ball 70, helping the two-time champions gun down a massive 206-run target at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

CSK batters in fine form

Dhoni should be happy with the team's batting form, given the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Sam Billings and Dwayne Bravo have contributed to the team's cause consistently. Suresh Raina's form should be a cause for concern but the left-hander is more than capable of turning it around.

Nonetheless, the skipper would want their bowling unit to step up as they have conceded aplenty more often than not. English pacer David Willey, who was spotted during the team's training session Friday, might be included in the playing XI in place of Billings, who failed to fire in Bengaluru.

Can Rohit, Bumrah buckle up and deliver for MI?

On the other hand, the Men in Blue have a lot of issues to address, including the batting form of the likes of skipper Rohit, Kieron Pollard, and Hardik Pandya.

Jasprit Bumrah, considered one of the best limited-overs bowlers going around, has not been as stingy as he is known to be while Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has also failed to light up the season for the Men in Blue.

Nonetheless, the visitors will be banking on leg-spinner Mayank Markande, who had troubled the CSK batsmen in their early-season meeting, to deliver the goods once again Saturday.

Probable playing XIs

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, David Willey, Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Adam Milne

CSK vs MI global TV listings and live stream