Two times champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday. They had earlier met in the final in 2010 which was won by the CSK.
Overview:
The Sunday's final is the fourth meeting for the teams this season. MI defeated CSK twice earlier this season before the latter came out victorious in the Qualifier 1 to move straight to the final.
CSK, who topped the table, come into the contest after defeating MI in the previous game. They are the favourite to win the title this season but the recent controversy around the team following the arrest of its Team Principal, Gurunath Meiyappan may affect them. They need to leave the off-field crisis aside and concentrate on the match.
MI come into the contest after defeating Rajasthan Royals by four wickets in the Qualifier 2. They conceded defeat to CSK in the Qualifier 1 but bounced back in the next game to book a place in the final. They have good record against the Chennai franchise in the IPL and that will boost their confidence.
Previous Meetings:
MI have 8-6 win-loss record against CSK in their 14 meetings till date. MI won two and CSK won one in their three meetings this season.
Team News:
Chennai Super Kings: Michael Hussey (86) and Suresh Raina (82) helped the team script a win against RR in the Qualifier match. They are in good form this season and will be expected to put up a similar show in the final. Skipper MS Dhoni is one of the best finishers in the game. They also have Murali Vijay and Dwayne Bravo in the line-up.
Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo took three wickets apiece, while Mohit Sharma took two in the previous game. They also have Albie Morkel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Chris Morris, Dirk Nannes, Ankit Rajpoot, and Jason Holder in the attack. Their performance has been impressive this season.
Mumbai Indians: Dwayne Smith (62) and Aditya Tare (35) helped the team chase RR's 165 total in the Qualifier 2. Dinesh Karthik is in good form and Rohit Sharma has performed on a few occasions. Kieron Pollard is one man who can change the course of a game. Unluckily, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is likely to miss the final after sustaining a wrist injury in the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Harbhajan Singh took three wickets while Kieron Pollard took two in the previous match. Mitchell Johnson's performance this season has been outstanding though he failed to take any wicket in the last two matches. They also have Lasith Malinga, Pragyan Ojha, Dhawal Kulkarni, Abu Nechim, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Rishi Dhawan in the bowling attack.
Prediction:
CSK may be the favourites but MI are a formidable team with many star players. Considering their good record against the CSK, MI should lift the cup for the first time in the IPL.
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (C), Albie Morkel, Srikkanth Anirudha, Ankit Rajpoot, Baba Aparajith, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ben Laughlin, Chris Morris, Dirk Nannes, Dwayne Bravo, Francois du Plessis, Imtiyaz Ahmed, Jason Holder, Michael Hussey, Mohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Nuwan Kulasekara, R Karthikeyan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ronit More, Shadab Jakati, Subramaniam Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha
Mumbai Indians: Ricky Ponting (captain), Abu Nechim Ahmed, Akshar Patel, Aditya Tare, Aiden Blizzard, Ambati Rayudu, Amitoze Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dinesh Karthik, Dwayne Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Harbhajan Singh, Jacob Oram, Jalaj Saxena, James Franklin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, Munaf Patel, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Phil Hughes, Pawan Suyal, Pragyan Ojha, Rishi Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Suryakumar Yadav, Sushant Marathe, Yuzvendra Singh Chahal
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 8:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
