Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2015 Final at Eden Gardens, Preview: Arch-rivals clash in dream finale

Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will compete in the final of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday. The road so far has been a long one, and both sides will be super-charged as they eye another IPL crown. Scorecard: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2015 Final

CSK have reached their sixth final in eight editions of IPL; a testament to the fact that they are hands down the most consistent side of IPL. On the other hand, MI have made it to their third final. Co-incidentally, both of MI’s finals have been against CSK. While the yellow army won the first encounter in IPL 2010, MI came out on top in IPL 2013.  IPL 2015 Highest run-scorer: List of best batsmen in IPL 8

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Coming to IPL 2015, the two sides could not have had a more contrasting start. Much like they did in IPL 2014, MI were off to a terrible beginning, losing their first four games on the trot. However, once they arrested their slide, MI gained momentum. The similarity with their IPL 2014 campaign continued when they played the final match of the league stage again, with a win necessary for qualification. They managed to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and end at No. 2 on the points table by virtue of most wins after CSK. IPL 2015 Highest wicket-taker: List of best bowlers in IPL 8

On the other hand, CSK were consistent throughout IPL 2015. Barring the occasional close defeat, CSK defeated their opponents quite comfortably. One of the five losses they suffered in the league stages came at the hands of MI. In fact, this will be the fourth time MI and CSK face each other in this year’s IPL. IPL 2015 Most 6s and 4s: List of most dangerous batsmen in IPL 8

While CSK beat MI in Mumbai on the first occasion, MI managed to return the favour in Chennai before smashing past them in the first qualifier. The fortunes of each side have been largely dependent on their opening batsmen and their bowlers. Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel have done admirably for MI, while Dwayne Smith and first Brendon McCullum then Michael Hussey have been excellent for CSK. IPL 2015 Leading fielders: List of Best fielders in IPL 8

Meanwhile, the spin department of both sides has flourished. Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin, the two main spinners, have not been amongst the wickets, but both men have created immense pressure, and have gone at under seven runs per over. The backup spinners, J Suchith for MI, and Ravindra Jadeja and Pawan Negi for CSK, have also done well. IPL 2015 most dismissals by wicketkeeper: List of best wicketkeeper in IPL 8

Both teams have had a bit of trouble with the middle order. Suresh Raina has not yet scored 400 runs in IPL 2015, which is the first such occurrence in the eight-year history of IPL. Rohit Sharma has been in good nick, but often gets bogged down by quick wickets, and has not had the opportunity to express himself. Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015: Complete coverage

The West Indian all-rounders on each side have been talismanic as well. Kieron Pollard has scored some valuable runs, and has also bowled a few key overs for MI. Dwayne Bravo is the current holder of the Purple Cap, and might well end the tournament as leading wicket-taker.

On the whole, the match should be worthy of a final. Rohit loves Eden Gardens, and he alone will cause CSK a couple of sleepless night. On the other hand, the CSK spinners will be keen to exploit the conditions to their advantage. The side winning the toss will likely elect to bat first. But when it comes down to it, there is little to choose from between both sides. MI hold the slight advantage, but CSK are a side that knows how to win games. A match worthy of a final can be expected at Kolkata.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Parthiv Patel (wk), Unmukt Chand, Aditya Tare (wk), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprith Bumrah, Pawan Suyal, Akshay Wakhare, R Vinay Kumar, Aiden Blizzard, Siddhesh Lad, Mitchell McClenaghan, Abhimanyu Mithun, Marchant de Lange, Hardik Pandya.

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c&wk), Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Ishwar Pandey, Mohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Ankush Bains, Baba Parajith, Rahul Sharma, Mithun Manhas, Pawan Negi, Kyle Abbott, Andrew Tye, Ronit More, Pratyush Singh, Samuel Badree, Eklavya Dwivedi, Matt Henry.

Time: 20:00 IST | 02:30 GMT

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)