Mumbai Indians take on Chennai Super Kings at home on Friday, hoping to get on the board in the IPL 2015.

In an event that is spread over a month and a half, which has 14 league games for every team, three early losses is not a huge setback. Having said that, the team needs to start winning as early as possible, to get the confidence going and to gain some momentum.

And that’s what Mumbai Indians would be looking for against a strong Chennai Super Kings unit. They have had some superb individual performances in the three games so far. From Rohit Sharma and Corey Anderson, and from Kieron Pollard to Harbhajan Singh, they have all batted well in different situations. Pollard’s 34-ball 70 against Rajasthan Royals couple of days back is good news for Mumbai Indians, because he is a genuine match winner and a big impact player.

Mumbai Indians made a few changes to their batting line-up against Royals. Skipper Sharma dropped to No 4 from the opening slot; Parthiv Patel, who replaced Aditya Tare, opened the innings with Aaron Finch, and Unmukt Chand replaced Ambati Rayudu at the No 3 position.

There could be further changes in the batting line up on Friday, with the injured Finch unlikely to be available. Sharma’s batting position would remain a crucial slot for the Mumbai Indians, not just on Friday but for the rest of the tournament. He is probably the best batsman in the line-up, and has the ability to bat through the innings on a consistent basis. He dropped himself down to No 4 against Royals to give some more solidarity to the middle-order. But now, with Finch unlikely to start, it would be interesting to see where Sharma bats. Finch’s unavailability could also mean an opportunity for West Indian Lendl Simmons, who has played some cracking knocks for Mumbai Indians in the past.

If the openers can give Mumbai Indians a good start, it could be a different batting unit altogether. That is something they have struggled to get in the first three games. As a result, some big hitting towards the end has got them to the 160-run mark. Coupled with a solid start, they can get to that 180-190 run mark, which could prove decisive.

And a team needs that kind of score against Chennai Super Kings, who have a lot of firepower in their batting line-up. Brendon McCullum is fresh from a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mumbai Indians would do well to get rid of him early.

Availability of Harbhajan Singh would also be a big point for Mumbai Indians. They need a bowler of his class and experience against this batting unit. And his batting, especially after that brilliant knock against KXIP, cannot be overlooked either.