46 days and 59 matches hence, two of the strongest teams in the history of the Indian Premier League will once again lock horns against each other, in a quest to lift the trophy at the end of the eighth edition, on Sunday. And, Mumbai Indians will be hoping to do a repeat of the 2013 final, by getting the better of their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings, in the big final, at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

It would be a fitting end to a thrilling season which has turned out to be the toughest among all the IPL editions. Mumbai Indians would be hoping to end the memorable season by stamping their authority in the final, against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men.

Rohit Sharma’s boys have already left their mark during this season by staging a brilliant turnaround, after getting off to a slow start. In many ways, this season has turned out to be a repeat of their 2014 campaign, when Mumbai Indians lost the first five matches but, then won seven of the remaining nine, to scrape through to the Playoffs, where they succumbed to Chennai Super Kings, in the Eliminator.

This time, however, the Hitmen have gone a step ahead. They lost four matches at the start of the season but, then caused a dramatic turnaround to win eight of the next ten games, to finish second in the league stage. And the Mumbai Indians continued their charge, by thumping Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier earlier in the week, to assure themselves of a place in the final.

Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, have had a topsy-turvy season. Though they finished the league at the top of the standings, Brendon McCullum’s absence and Dwayne Smith’s loss of form, have made their batting weaker than what it was at the start of the season. This was evident during Tuesday’s first qualifier at the Wankhede Stadium when Mumbai Indians cruised to a victory against their arch-rivals.

However, with the conditions in Kolkata likely to suit Chennai’s slower bowlers, there is no way Mumbai Indians will take them lightly. And as Rohit’s men have done all through the season, rather than worrying about the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses; Mumbai Indians would like to go in, and execute all their plans.

If that happens, Mumbai Indians will be difficult to stop, since there is hardly anything that lacks in the team’s balance, right now. Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons have emerged as the most solid opening pair of the tournament, and have been creating a platform for Rohit and Kieron Pollard, to end the innings on a high.

In the bowling department too, Mitchell McClenaghan and Lasith Malinga have proved to be a lethal combination, with R Vinay Kumar playing the support bowler’s role to perfection. Harbhajan Singh, who is recently recalled to India’s squad, is having one of his best IPL outings; with newbie J Suchith, playing a perfect second foil.

Incidentally, the final will be played exactly two years after Mumbai Indians had overcome Rajasthan Royals to make it to the IPL-6 final. And they would be hoping to conquer Chennai Super Kings in the final yet again and lift their second IPL title.