Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019’s grand finale has pitted the table toppers from the league phase and two of the league’s most successful sides against each other. Sunday’s final between three-time champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad will see the sides battling for the right to be called IPL’s most successful team. MI, of course, will be slight favourites having already beaten CSK three times this year.

Furthermore, Mumbai will also have fond memories from their wins in the 2013 and 2015 final against Chennai as well as their 2017 final triumph against an MS Dhoni-led Rising Pune Supergiant team. That said, the boys will be taking nothing for granted and will be aware of the threat which CSK’s spinners will pose on Hyderabad’s slow wicket. Our previous game at the venue saw us get the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad by 40 runs.

Head-to-head

MI 16-11 CSK

Form Guide (Last 5 Games)

Mumbai Indians: W W W L W

Chennai Super Kings: W L L W L

From the MI dugout

The most consistent team in the league this year, MI will be well rested for the final having booked their berth with a win over CSK on Tuesday. All players and support staff have enjoyed a solid season thus far and will keen to end it on a high. Our batsmen as well as bowlers have all contributed in one way or another over the course of the competition and they understandably want to finish with another hurrah. Man of the Match from the last game Suryakumar Yadav and our top-scorer of the season Quinton de Kock will be crucial for us at the top of the order, while power-hitters Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard are expected to carry the responsibility of giving us a strong finish with the bat. As far as the bowlers are concerned, spin will have a major role to play, making Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar’s spells crucial. Pace ace Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga will also be looking to draw upon their experience and contain the CSK batsmen.

Key Player

Our skipper Rohit Sharma has scored 300 runs this season at a strike rate of 129.56 and has two half-centuries to his name. His first fifty of the season came against CSK in Chepauk and it was his seventh fifty overall against Chennai, which is the most by any batsman in the competition. Rohit will be looking for a repeat of MI’s meeting against CSK just like the 2015 final, where he scored 50 from 26 balls to lead us to victory and was declared the Man of the Match. The Hitman can also take confidence from the fact that he’s got the better of counterpart Dhoni in each of the three meetings between the two in the final of the competition.

From the CSK dugout

After overcoming Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2, CSK will be thrilled to have one last opportunity to set things right following three consecutive losses to MI this season. They have steady openers in Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson as well as a balanced middle order that features stars like Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo. On the bowling front, Purple Cap contender Imran Tahir is their biggest threat, while the likes of Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh and Bravo will also have important roles to fulfill.

Key Player

MS Dhoni will be CSK’s most important player and the faster we can get rid of his wicket, the more chances we have of a win. The powerful wicket-keeper batsman has scored 414 runs this season at a strike rate of 137.54 and a phenomenal average of 103.50. He leads the chart for sixes (23) hit by a CSK batsman and is a game-changer who cannot be allowed to spend much time at the crease. Attacking him straight from the start of his innings and not letting him settle is what MI will aim to do.