CSK vs MI: Decoding Shane Watson's performance against Jasprit Bumrah
Chennai Super Kings will take on the Mumbai Indians in the 41st game of IPL 2020. In a rather unlikely campaign, CSK occupy the bottom spot on the standings. Meanwhile, MI haven't looked back since their defeat to CSK in the tournament opener. Their pace bowling attack has jeopardized almost every opposition. Considering the same, let us analyze Shane Watson's performance against Jasprit Bumrah.
A look at the battle
In the IPL, Watson has amassed 3,860 runs from 144 matches at an average of 31.12. On the other hand, Bumrah owns 97 wickets in 86 matches, including a best-match haul of 4/20. So far, Watson has managed to score 25 runs off 34 balls by Bumrah, while Bumrah has dismissed him twice. This shows Bumrah has had to wood over Watson.
How Watson fares against Mumbai Indians
Watson's numbers state that he loves playing against Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Over the years, he has aggregated 466 runs from 22 games at a strike-rate of 118.58, against them. The tally also includes 21 sixes and 50 fours.
Watson's strike-rate drops to 112.21 in powerplay against MI
Ever since Watson joined CSK, his blistering starts have been pivotal for the top order. He has been a vital force in the first six overs. However, his numbers against MI illustrate the opposite. He owns a total of 239 runs from 22 matches in the powerplay at a strike-rate of 112.21, against them. Besides, Bumrah owns six wickets from nine matches against CSK.
What to expect?
It's not quite often that the Yellow Army are not in the top-four with playoffs approaching. Such has been their plight as the senior players, including Watson, haven't risen to occasion. Thus far, he has scored 285 runs from ten games at 31.66. It remains to be seen how he tackles the variations of Bumrah, who is their leading wicket-taker this season (15).
