Published: May 23, 2015, 05:03 PM (IST)
Edited: May 23, 2015, 06:49 PM (IST)
Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns in the final of the eight edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Mumbai Indians lead the head-to- head record against Chennai Super Kings 11-10 and if their previous encounters are anything to go by, one can expect a good game. Nikhil Popat picks five clashes which could decide the course of the game.
Mumbai Indians (MI) scripted a brilliant turnaround to be the first team to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 final having being at the bottom of the points table after their first four games. The very team they beat to get through to final were Chennai Super Kings (CSK). MI strolled past CSK at Wankhede in Qualifier 1, but this time, they are going to play at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The conditions will be a different, however, MI have the momentum and will be confident of winning their second IPL trophy. MI vs CSK, IPL 2015 Final at Eden Gardens, Preview
CSK will be playing their sixth IPL final in eight years; something that speaks volumes about their consistency. They have been in such situations before and know how to do deal with the pressure. The biggest advantage for CSK will be that they have come to IPL 2015 final without any noticeable contribution from Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, their main batsmen. Their bowlers have led the way and with conditions likely to favour spinners, Dhoni will be expecting another good show from them. CSK to lock horn against MI in IPL 2015 mega final
These two teams have played each other thrice this year, with Mumbai Indians leading the counter 2-1. The following are the key clashes which may decide which way the pendulum swings.
Dwayne Smith vs Mitchell McClenaghan: Dwayne Smith has tapered off after getting good starts earlier in the tournament. He has gone past a score of 20 only twice in his last eight attempts. His aggressive batting has often been the reason for CSK’s success. He will need to find his mojo against his former team. He will find it tough though against Mitchell McClenaghan who has been the pick of MI bowlers. McClenaghan has been a revelation for them and Mumbai will want him to continue his good work at the top of picking wickets. IPL 2015 Qualifier 2: Mike Hussey satisfied to contribute
Ashish Nehra vs Mumbai Indians openers: Ashish Nehra has been amongst the wickets this IPL. He has picked up 22 wickets in 15 games and is the joint third highest wicket-taker with Lasith Malinga in this edition of IPL. Nehra’s wickets at the top have set the platform for the spinners to dominate and Chennai will want him to strike against MI, who have probably the best opening combination this year. Both Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons have played their natural game and reaped rich rewards. In the last two games Mumbai have played against Chennai, the openers got them off to a flier, with stand of 84 and 90. If Mumbai start in similar fashion it might signal early trouble for Chennai. Ashish Nehra: I have been bowling well over the last few years
Harbhajan Singh vs Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni: Harbhajan Singh is the highest wicket-taker against CSK in IPL history and no wonder he has had a superb time against them this year as well. In all three games against CSK this year, Harbhajan has picked up five wickets and all of those have been game changing ones. In Qualifier 1, he picked up Raina and Dhoni in one over and it swung the game in Mumbai’s favour. Both Raina and Dhoni are likely to face him again in the middle-overs and in spin-friendly conditions, how these two play the off-spinner will be key.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs Mumbai Indians’ middle order: Ravichandran Ashwin has turned back time after a troublesome period in international cricket. He might have picked just 10 wickets in IPL 2015, but it is because teams have preferred to play him out. He has been at his economical best, conceding at a rate of just 5.59 in 12 innings. He’s insisted on slowing down his pace, flighting the ball and has got good purchase off the wicket. After the openers, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard have attacked spinners often and with Kolkata wicket, likely to assist spin, Ashwin’s spell might be the deciding factor of the game.
Rohit Sharma’s love affair with Eden Gardens: Rohit loves to bat at Eden Gardens. He scored a brilliant 98 in the opening encounter of IPL 2015 and it backed up his good work at the very venue before. Earlier, he had smashed 177 on his Test debut at the same ground, as well as his famous 173-ball 264 — the highest score in One-Day International (ODI) history. He had also scored a hundred on his IPL debut at the same ground. He has scored 257 runs in eight IPL games at an average of 42.83 striking at 139.7. If Chennai are to go past Mumbai, they will know, getting rid of Rohit early will be very crucial. Rohit Sharma’s and Eden Gardens: The love-affair continues
The last time these two sides played at Eden Gardens, it was the IPL 2013 final. MI elected to bat first and were restricted to a score of 148 thanks to a spell of 4 for 42 from Dwayne Bravo. CSK though collapsed in the chase and despite an unbeaten 63 by Dhoni, Chennai lost the final by 23 runs. A lot has changed since then and Dhoni will hope his team put in a better performance this time around. With the two teams always setting up thrillers, expect another good contest in the final.
(Nikhil Popat is a cricket lover and a PotterHead. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
