The countdown for the final showdown of IPL 2021 has begun! It’s the battle between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK were placed 2nd while KKR were placed 4th in the points table. The two teams will repeat the IPL 2012 Final, with MS Dhoni being the captain of CSK in both finals.
While Gautam Gambhir, the captain for the Knight Riders in IPL 2012, lifted the trophy then by beating CSK, it will be interesting to see whether the current captain Eoin Morgan will be able to replicate the success achieved by Gambhir for this franchise, or will it be same old CSK who achieves its 4th title.
Players to watch out for:
Ruturaj Gaikwad: This opening batsman has been in red-hot form, especially in 2nd leg of IPL 2021. He even scored a century (101*) against Rajasthan Royals and made a sublime 70 against Delhi Capitals in a successful chase in Qualifier 1. He has scored 603 runs in 15 matches at a strike-rate of 137 and is currently the 2nd highest run-scorer in IPL 2021.
Shardul Thakur: The all-rounder has been a revelation for CSK this year as he is their leading wicket-taker in IPL 2021 with 18 wickets in 15 matches. He mixes slower leg-cutters with scrambled seam which has made him more threatening in UAE leg of IPL 2021. It will be interesting to watch him in the final showdown at Dubai.
Venkatesh Iyer: The KKR opening batsman, who is an MBA graduate in Finance, didn’t feature in 1st leg of IPL 2021 held in India. However, in the 2nd leg, he played all 9 matches including the eliminator and Qualifier 2, and scored 320 runs at an average of 40 with a strike-rate of 125. He is the only batsman in this UAE leg of IPL 2021 to score fifties at all 3 venues; Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Sunil Narine: The mystery right-arm off-spinner from West Indies bounced back after his bowling style was under scrutiny in the last two IPL seasons. He has taken 14 wickets in 13 matches and has been pretty economical @ 6.44 runs per match. He even took a 4-wicket haul in the 2nd leg of IPL.
Venue and Time: - Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai at 19:30 IST on 15 October 2021.
Live Streaming: - Star Sports and Disney Hotstar VIP and Premium Account will be streaming Final of Vivo IPL between CSK and KKR.
Expected Playing XI:
CSK will be keen on including Suresh Raina in the big final against a heavy spin attack. But at whose cost will be the question.
Chennai Super Kings: - Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood.
KKR will definitely like to bring in the big Andre Russell for a crucial battle and might find a spot in place of Shakib Al Hasan.
Kolkata Knight Riders: - Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan / Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy.
Pitch Report:
The pitch at Dubai stadium has been perfect throughout the season where both the batters and bowlers could come to party. Even though runs on the board suggest a better option in a high pressure game, both these teams would be keen to chase given how deep they bat.
Dream XI Fantasy team: -
