With Chennai Super Kings just a home win away from back-to-back IPL titles, the team will be looking to live up to the expectations of its serial winner captain M.S. Dhoni(ODI and T20 World Cups and top spot in Test rankings with the National team, and the IPL and the Champions League with CSK).
Along the way, the champion has remained undefeated at home in seven league matches, to extend a stupendous home record: CSK has lost just once in 12 matches at Chepauk over two editions.
The core of its side comprises locals (Murali Vijay, S. Badrinath and R. Ashwin) who have kept the home fans content with consistent performances. Surprise retainee Albie Morkel has performed admirably as a new ball bowler and lower-order finisher.
Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger (four Man-of-the-Match awards between them) continued from where they left off from IPL-III.
On those rare occasions that the go-to guys have failed, the squad players (Anirudha Srikkanth against KKR and Wriddhiman Saha against KTK) have pitched in.
Add to all this Dhoni's unflappable captaincy (which Dwayne Bravo paid the ultimate compliment to: “He no panic, we no panic”) and the incalculable element of luck (had it not been for James Franklin's last over heroics against KKR, CSK would have finished outside the top two), and Super Kings' case appears persuasive. Come the final, CSK will be favourite to add to its skipper's trophy cabinet.
The contest though might hinge on a few mini duels. Royal Challengers Bangalore, which has never registered a win against Super Kings in Chennai (across four editions), will have to look no further than the red hot Chris Gayle to breach the champion's stronghold.
Gayle has savaged his way to 608 runs in this edition at a strike rate of 184.80, and has been difficult to get away with the ball (six wickets at an economy rate of 6.56).
The West Indian's presence at the top of the order might prompt Dhoni to open with his main strike option Ashwin (17 wickets), who got the better of the southpaw the last time the teams met.
At the other end, Zaheer Khan will be set to continue his battle against Hussey, and with the CSK side containing a few left-handers, the pace spearhead, will hope to influence proceedings to a greater degree than he did against Mumbai Indians.
Vettori's extra spin option is Syed Mohammed (a slow left-arm bowler like the captain himself), and another talking point will be whether the Kiwi persists with him, given that the likes of Suresh Raina (430 runs), Hussey (429 runs) and Morkel will be backing themselves to go over the top against deliveries turning into them.
While CSK's extended batting line-up allows for a fair amount of flexibility, RCB will be concerned by how its innings almost fell away after Gayle's dismissal. With three full days of rest between its matches and having also played a match less, the local side will also be considerably fresher. At the end of a long and gruelling period of cricket, Vettori will hope that the high of the win will offset the effects of fatigue in the final.
