Chennai will look to prosper through Matt the Bat

In fact, Hayden has been a thorn in MI's flesh each time. In three games against Mumbai, he has scores of 81, 44 and 60 not out.


No doubt, he will figure high in MI bowler's team meeting ahead of today's home game against Super Kings at the Brabourne Stadium.

Adding to the excitement around Big Matt is that he could give the Mumbai public their first glimpse of his Mongoose bat.

Ever since he unleashed it for the first time on the hapless Delhi Daredevils bowlers in their game on March 19, Matty's Mongoose has been the cynosure of all eyes at the IPL. During his sensational 93 off 43 balls, Hayden played 34 balls with his favourite Mongoose and smashed five fours and seven sixes.

The Mongoose bat is especially designed for Twenty20 cricket. It has a longer handle and the extra amount of wood is distributed over a small area to generate more power.

"It's not a bat for defensive options," said Hayden earlier in the tournament. "I will use it during certain phases of the match," he added.

The burly opener has used it in three games since, and if he survives the initial overs today, the Brabourne crowd can expect the wave of the big hand to his dug out to bring on his sledgehammer.

Overall, MI are on a roll having won three out of their four games while CSK are struggling with three defeats in five games. But, the Hayden threat will loom large on MI. He has been the batsman of the IPL. In the first season, he played only four games and scored 189 runs at an average of 63. In the second, he topped the batting charts by a long shot with 572 runs in spite of playing four games less than second placed Adam Gilchrist (495 runs in 16 games). This year too, he's Chennai's main run-getter with 176 runs so far.

Against most left-hand batsmen MI spearhead Zaheer Khan has the psychological edge, but he also doesn't enjoy a distinct edge over Hayden. Zaheer has got Hayden out quite a few times but Hayden has taken apart the Indian bowler on many occasions too. Coach Stephen Fleming said with his proven record as a high-pressure player, Hayden would be a key player in CSK's scheme of things for today's crucial game.

"Hayden is a big-game player. He is a very positive guy and I expect nothing different tomorrow. If it is his day he will win the match. Hayden is certainly the big drawcard and a big player for us. The bottomline is the key players are relied upon (in pressure situations). And, certainly with injuries, they are relied upon more," said Fleming.

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