IPL 2018 Final Preview: MS Dhoni and Chennai bank on experience in showdown with Rashid Khan-inspired Sunrisers

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  • Dhoni and CSK are aiming for a third IPL title. Image - IPL/Twitter.

    Five days after Faf Du Plessis’ blinder of a knock helped Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first IPL Qualifier at the Wankhede Stadium, the two sides will meet again at the same venue for one final shootout for the trophy.

    In these five days, while the Super Kings have been and relaxing in Mumbai, the Sunrisers have had to travel to Kolkata and back to play the second Qualifier.

    The final on Sunday will be the fourth time that the two teams will be meeting this season. MS Dhoni’s Super Kings have prevailed in all three previous encounters.

    CHENNAI’S PEDIGREE

    When it comes to making IPL finals, no one is as consistent as Dhoni and the Super Kings. The Chennai skipper will be playing in his eight IPL final in 11 years, a truly mind-boggling number. Chennai themselves will be turning up for their seventh IPL final in nine years as they look to seal their return from a two-year suspension with a title win.

    Despite their record  when it comes to the IPL, it is a trophy that Chennai have not lifted since 2011 when they became the only side to successfully defend the crown. Since then, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders have added three and two titles to their names respectively while Chennai have failed at the final hurdle on three occasions.

    It is a trophy Dhoni will be determined to bring back to the city of Chennai after a seven-year wait. Much of what ‘Captain Cool’ has done this season both individually and as a skipper points to an unwavering focus towards ending that title drought.

    PLAYER IN FOCUS

    That it will be the Sunrisers and not Kolkata Knight Riders who will fight Chennai on Sunday is down solely to Rashid Khan. The Afghanistan leg-spinner’s all-round show snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for Hyderabad.

    For all his mesmerizing skills with the ball, the 19-year-old showed that he also has the batting prowess to back it up with an unbeaten cameo of 34 runs off just 10 deliveries. With the ball in hand, Rashid remains a game-changer and simply the best in the format. His three huge wickets on Friday took his tournament tally to 21. Add that to an economy-rate of 6.78 and and you realise how sensational the Afghan teenager has been in the IPL this year.

    LIKELY LINE-UPS

    Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (wk, c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

    Sunrisers Hyderabad: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul

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