Pepsi IPL 2013 Finals (Pay per View)

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians

At the starting of the Pepsi IPL 2013, those who predicted that Chennai Super kings would step into the finals are totally correct. Though for Mumbai ot has been a mixed bag till the captaincy of Ponting but after Rohit Sharma got the responsibility of captaincy, it has been a whole new Mumbai side. After Rohit came into captaincy Mumbai won many a matches on the trot with R.Sharma leading from the front, not only as a captain but also as a batsman. He is among the top 5 run getters this season.

The Mumbai team with 22 points, i.e. 11 wins out of 16 and Chennai Super kings also with 22 points have made it to the Finals.

Chennai who won against Mumbai got the direct ticket to Finals. But Mumbai had to defeat the winner of the eliminator match which was played between the "Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad" and so did Mumbai.

The past evening i.e. on 24th May, Mumbai faced Rajasthan and defeated them to earn their way to the finals. Now these two teams were at the top of the table at the end of the league stage. So one can say that these two teams deserved to be in the finals. 

Now whoever wins the finals, it is sure that it will be an Indian captain holding the shining golden cup. Be it Dhoni or be it Rohit. They both have managed their troops efficiently which has helped them to pave their way to finals.

Amongst the controversies and presence of fixing, these two teams have made sure that none of this affects their game. Though the Co-Owner of the CSK team is believed to be a part of this fixing controversies, the CSK have still managed to keep their calm and perform their best.

Now to mention some of the names of players who contributed to their respective teams.

Chennai:

1. Dwayne Bravo : Current Purple cap holder. Has bowled efficiently, picking up wickets at the right intervals. Though his bowling average is a bit high still he has proved to be a gem to this team.

2. Mohit Sharma : This young cricketer has attracted everyone's attention. The medium pacer has played not only an important role but a match winning role in CSK's league stages. No matter who the Opposition is, he will take a run up and bowl good length  deliveries difficult to score off. He was the man whom Dhoni could trust blindfolded.

3. Chris Morris: The young South African pacer with his performance has surely brought on him the spotlight. He performed whenever the captain needed him. Most remarkable was the last over against Kolkata Knight Riders where he had to defend 19 runs against Morgan and Pathan and he gave away just 4 runs. He was surely a "worth bought" player for the CSK.

4. Michael Hussey : Mr. Cricket, the name given to this player. Be it the first over, be it the last over, if you loose your length a bit, this man punished you by hitting elegant boundaries and lofted sixes. The current Orange cap holder was scored more than 700 runs this IPL and will probably retain this cap at the end of this season.

5. Suresh Raina : What if the opening batsman failed to give a good start? What if we need 15 runs an over? What if we need to get a momentum at the end of the innings?
This man has all the answers. Boundaries do not matter once this man gets his rhythm . He is the pacemaker of this team who accelerates the run rate and brings in the momentum needed to score big totals. He with his brilliant performances has helped CSK on numerous occasions to register easy wins.

6. M.S Dhoni : Going Going and Goneee....This is what the board displays once he hits a six. 88 m, 90 m boundaries ? No problem, Call M.S D and he will clear them all. Truly the man with the golden touch. % finals out of 6 and 2 titles is what this captain has achieved. Comes in at the end of the innings and shifts the gears to increase the momentum. And talk of captaincy, field placement, wicket keeping, fair play,etc etc. This man has answers to all these questions. 

The best allrounder for me.(#Though he do not bowl (>_<). )

Mumbai:

1.  Mitchell Jhonson : The express bowler has performed upto his name. Though this unlucky fella did not get selected in the Ashes series, but still he has proved why he is one of the best pacer in the world. Bowling wicket to wicket and picking up wickets at the right time has been the story with this bowler. One of the reason why Mumbai has made it to the finals.

2. Kieron Pollard : People say catches win matches, and this man proves it. Place him wherever you want and then watch an extremely difficult catch being converted into a simple one. One can forget most of the catches but not the one he took to dismiss Marsh and Dhoni. Those two were absolute blinders. Need a fifth bowler or a regular bowler, call this Caribbean guy. Want to accelerate the innings? Send this guy. One of the better allrounders of the cricketing world.

3. Harbhajjan Singh : Like Gangnam style? Pacifier dance? or Bhangra? or all of these? Well this player can perform all those. Each wicket he takes, not only entertains him but also the crowd. The lost spinner seems to gain back his form at the right time. The class spinner has bowled excellently in high pressure games and gave away very few runs and grabbed important wickets too.

4. Dwayne Smith : The madman of cricket. Dwayne smith with some of his blazing  terrifying innings. Why am i saying terrifying? Because when he hits the balls, no fielder dares stop it.

How can one forget the blazing 28ball 68 run innings against the CSK. If this man gets going, beware CSK.

5. Rohit Sharma : Captain Mumbai. Helped his team to recover when they were in need of some desperate wins. Played some crucial innings throughout this IPL to help his team win. High hopes will abide by him in the finals.

6. Dinesh Karthik :The wicket keeper bats man who started the IPL 6 brilliantly but then gradually slowed down a bit.But credit must be given to him because in the league matches he was the one because of whom Mumbai registered some important wins. During the first few league matches, this guy seemed unstoppable as he scored quick runs and converted them to 50s,60s and 70s. But gradually he slowed down. But who knows maybe if he fires in the Finals Mumbai could well lift the cup. 

Players to watch for :

CSK: MSD,Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Hussey, Bravo, Raina

MI    : D. Smith, Rohit Sharma, Malinga, Jhonson, Harbhajjan

Verdict

Both the teams have performed well and have brought justice to their owners. The players in both the team are in sublime form and one can expect a nail biting game in the finals.

For me the battle will be CSK : 55%

                                          MI     : 45%

#P.S : Sorry Mumbai fans.

Probable team:

CSK : MSD (c), M. Hussey, S. Raina, M.Vijay, D.Bravo, R.Ashwin, R.Jadeja, A.Morkel, C.Morris, MSharma, and S.Badrinath.

MI : R.Sharma(c), A.Tare, D.Smith, D.Karthik, H.Singh, L.Maliga, M.Jhonson, K.Pollard, A.Rayadu, R.Dhavan, P.Ojha.