With the race to the top four getting hotter by the day, Mumbai Indians would need to bring in all the confidence as they take on the table toppers, Chennai Super Kings in a crucial away league game of the IPL 2015, on Friday.

More often than not, Chennai Super Kings is one of the teams to beat in the IPL, and this season is no different. Having said that, Mumbai Indians would go against the table toppers under the best possible form. They have won four games on the trot, have delivered as a unit, and don’t have any major worries.

Having beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils in their last four encounters, Mumbai Indians have definitely got the momentum. The win against Royals, in particular, is an indicator that the Rohit Sharma led outfit has the ability to beat the best, since Royals are level on points with Super Kings in the points table. A win on Friday would also help Mumbai Indians get ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore into the top four. The form of bowlers has been a major reason for Mumbai Indian’s recent success, and the team management would hope to see them continue that form. Malinga and McClenaghan have been superb upfront as well as, at the death. Spinners Harbhajan Singh and Suchith have done the job of choking the run flow in the middle overs extremely well. And that has helped Mumbai Indians get wickets at regular intervals. The track at Chennai would suit both those spinners, and the off spin-left-arm spin duo, would enjoy the conditions.

Chennai track has aided spinners traditionally. The last two games played here have seen the hosts defending totals of below 150 successfully. Hence, batting first and putting runs on the board might become crucial. It’s also important for the batsmen to convert their starts, as coming in and starting to hit fours and sixes straight away, might be difficult.

The form of Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu would also be a crucial factor for the visitors. Both of them are very good players of spin bowling, and have the ability to knock the tweakers around, and keep the scoreboard moving. Rayudu has scored 106 runs in the last three games, including one fifty, and has not been dismissed even once in those games. His form gives the batting that solidity, which allows the likes of Sharma and Pollard, bat more freely. And if Pollard gets going, the conditions and pitch becomes irrelevant, after a point.

Mumbai Indians had batted really well against the same opposition in Mumbai a few days ago. They were not able to defend the total of 183 in that game, but with the bowlers showing tremendous form, they would believe that they have got it in themselves to get the better of the giants