THE GAME:
That is it! There is no bigger stage than this in the Indian Premier League. This is exactly what the teams fight for in the much loved IPL. This is the position from where a team goes on to achieve the ultimate glory, while the other team can do nothing but just ponder. This is the final of Pepsi Indian Premier League 2015!
This edition of the IPL has been among the closest fought ones. All the teams barring the Kings XI Punjab did really well this time around. The table toppers of the first round, Chennai Super Kings have made their way to Kolkata after thumping the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the neighboring Ranchi. The Mumbai Indians were already on their way to the city of joy once they had the better of the Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai.
These two sides have been the most successful sides in IPL history. In all, the two teams have an aggregate of 3 IPL trophies and 4 Champions League T20 trophies. Consistency and success in club T20 cricket cannot have a better instance than this for sure!
This will be the third occasion when these sides will clash in an IPL final. As of now, both have defeated the other once. In 2010, the Super Kings were brilliant and won the title for the first time. The score was settled in 2013, when at Eden Gardens the men in blue annihilated the men in yellow. With the Eden Gardens once again playing host for the final, expect a clash worth the millions.
STATS CORNER:
MUMBAI INDIANS:
BEST BATSMAN: LENDL SIMMONS – 472 runs
BEST BOWLER: LASITH MALINGA – 22 wickets
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:
BEST BATSMAN: BRENDON McCULLUM – 436 runs
BEST BOWLER: DWAYNE BRAVO – 24 wickets
QUALIFIER CLASH CSK v MI:
These two heavyweights fought it out in first qualifier at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. The Mumbai Indians batted first and got off to an ideal start with Simmons and Patel striking form. The first wicket fell with the score being 90 after 10.4 overs. The Chennai bowlers looked highly ineffective against the Mumbai batsmen. The men in blue were always on top of the men in yellow. Mumbai though, endured a mini collapse of sorts, before Kieron Pollard rescued them with his gigantic strikes. Pollard was eventually dismissed for 41 off just 17. Mumbai Indians posted a healthy 187 in the 20 overs.
The Chennai openers looked terribly out of form, even though Dwayne Smith got a pathetic decision. For the Super Kings, only Faf Du Plessis resisted with a knock of 45. The moment of the day was when Harbhajan dismissed Raina and Dhoni off successive deliveries. Harbhajan surely had a ball against the Super Kings. In the end, the Super Kings fell short by 25 runs as Mumbai marched into the finals
KEY PLAYERS:
ROHIT SHARMA:
More than Rohit’s batting, it has been his captaincy which has impressed one and all. Sharma with the bat has been flawless and been in great nick. The Mumbai batting orbits around Sharma. He began the tournament at this very venue in style with a knock of 98* against the Knight Riders. With Eden Gardens being his favoruite venue, one can expect another positive outing from the Mumbai skipper.
LASITH MALINGA:
Even though Malinga is nowhere near his best, he still holds the aces for the Mumbai Indians. In the 2013 final, it was Malinga’s opening spell which turned the tide for Mumbai. Malinga has found tremendous success against the Super Kings and with their top order not doing well, Malinga has yet another opportunity to wreck havoc.
SURESH RAINA:
This has surely been Raina’s worst IPL. He still needs 56 runs to make it to his magical 400 run mark. He was in a similar situation before the 2012 final, but back then he played a blinder in the final. The onus will be on Raina to deliver for the Super Kings, even though he endures a patch riddled with inconsistency.
ASHISH NEHRA:
Nehraji, as he is being referred to these days has been in the form of his life. His accuracy this time around has been outstanding. At 36, Nehra can easily compete with a bowler half his age. This edition of the IPL has been a memorable outing for him and excelling in the all important final will only amplify the feelings. Nehra’s show with the new ball will be the key for the Super Kings.
PROBABLE XI:
MUMBAI INDIANS:
They will not make any changes to their successful XI.
1. L. Simmons 2. P. Patel 3. R. Sharma 4. A. Rayudu 5. K. Pollard 6. H. Pandya 7. H. Singh 8. L. Malinga 9. J. Suchith 10. R. Vinaykumar 11. M. McClaneghan
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:
The Super Kings too will play with the same XI.
1. M. Hussey 2. D. Smith 3. S. Raina 4. F. Du Plessis 5. MS Dhoni 6. D. Bravo 7. R. Jadeja 8. P. Negi 9. R. Ashwin 10. M. Sharma 11. A. Nehra