For cricket aficionados in India, M.S. Dhoni’s name instantly evokes thoughts of his near mystic ability to conjure up victory.
His calm, cerebral presence has inspired many wins, and his legion of fans will expect another act of cricketing sorcery when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faces Mumbai Indians (MI) in Pepsi-IPL-8’s title-decider at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.
Indeed, many feel CSK needs an element of magic to recompense the dearth of form that seems to be coming in the way of realising a third title. Dhoni’s men have suffered a dip in performance after a formidable run in the league stage.
MI, on the other hand, has had a spectacular resurgence, winning eight of its last nine matches to book a ticket to the final. It definitely has the momentum, having beaten CSK in two of their three meetings in this edition.
Captain Rohit Sharma has reason to stay positive as both form and figures favour his side: MI won its maiden title the very year (2013) he took over the reins, against the same opponent at the same venue.
CSK has been incredibly consistent at making IPL finals, but it has been beaten in three of its five previous title clashes. In this edition, the team has struggled in the play-offs.
It surrendered quite easily to MI in Qualifier-1 before a rather laboured effort helped it surpass Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier-2.
The absence of New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum seems to have affected CSK’s batting, a department that has come to weigh heavily on Dhoni’s mind. Veteran Australian Michael Hussey eased some of the load with a fine 56, which ensured CSK’s successful run-chase against RCB in Qualifier-2 and a passage to the final for the sixth time in eight years.
“Two years ago, we had beaten Mumbai Indians in Qualifier-1 and they went on to defeat us in the final. On this occasion, we lost to them in the first qualifier and so hopefully, it will be our turn to win the final now,” was how Hussey sought to read the signs ahead of the title clash.
Dhoni himself has not been able to raise his teammates’ confidence with the bat. Others such as Suresh Raina, South African Faf du Plesis, the West Indian Dwaynes — Smith and Bravo — appear to have forsaken their prolific form.
CSK’s bowling has been more consistent with the likes of R. Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Bravo and Mohit Sharma doing more than the batsmen in determining the team’s fortunes.
For MI, Rohit has led by example. The elegant batsman has a special relationship with Eden Gardens.
Apart from having set the ODI world record for the highest score (264) here, he scored an unbeaten 98 when MI opened the season against Kolkata Knight Riders.
West Indians Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard have lent solidity to the order while the Indians — Ambati Rayudu, Hardik Pandya and Parthiv Patel — have also made fair contributions.