IPL 2021 final: KKR seek fitting conclusion to dramatic comeback as CSK set sights on fourth title

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has almost reached its conclusion, with the prospect of witnessing a rematch of the 2012 final ahead of us as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Both teams will be vying to give their campaigns a fairytale conclusion with a victory at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday evening. For CSK, the prospect of winning their fourth title in what could be leader MS Dhoni's final season as captain — or even as a player for that matter — will be a fitting comeback after the disappointment of failing to reach the playoffs for the first time last season. For KKR, the disappointment was much more recent, as the threat of elimination loomed in the India leg of the tournament in April-May after losing five of their first seven games. Skipper Eoin Morgan, like Dhoni is an ace leader with a World Cup title listed among his accomplishments, let out a warning at the start of the second leg saying KKR were a side with “nothing to lose.” [caption id=“attachment_10056791” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  While CSK captain MS Dhoni will be playing his ninth IPL final as captain in 12 editions, Eoin Morgan will be making his first appearance in the grand finale as captain. Sportzpics[/caption] “We need to just look at it in one way — we absolutely control everything from here, there is no looking behind,” said Morgan ahead of the start of the UAE leg of the season. And boy has he been incredible in rallying together a side low on confidence after a dismal start, and inspiring them to five wins in seven followed by victories over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 respectively. All that is left now is for them to best a side that can be considered a frequent flyer, if there ever was such a thing for IPL finals. And a victory on Friday will help them complete the kind of turnaround that has rarely been witnessed in the history of the tournament. Gautam Gambhir’s men pulled off a similar stunt in 2014, which was repeated next season by the Mumbai Indians — who ended up winning their second title after losing five of their first six games — is one such incident that comes to mind. Both teams are going in on the back of thrilling finishes against Delhi. For CSK, it was leader Dhoni who walked in to bat ahead of in-form all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja despite going through a lean patch with the bat himself. The veteran keeper-batter, considered one of the greatest finishers of all time, backed his skills to bludgeon the likes of Avesh Khan and Tom Curran out of the park. Like CSK, KKR too suffered a collapse while chasing a modest target after being given a solid foundation by openers Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill, and it took some calm nerves from Rahul Tripathi as he latched on a half tracker from Ravichandran Ashwin to send it sailing over the long off boundary for Kolkata to record their fourth victory on the trot . Dhoni’s return to the ways of the old, along with the way opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and No 3 Robin Uthappa laid the foundation with a 110-run stand, should send out a warning to the KKR attack, especially their spinners who have been at the centre of their recent victories in Sharjah by drying up the runs in the middle overs to steadily create pressure. Expect a pitched battle in the middle overs between the CSK batters and KKR’s spinners in what could turn out to be a deciding phase of the game. Chennai are expected to retain their lineup going into their ninth final in 12 appearances, and with Uthappa’s blazing 63 in the last game, expect Suresh Raina to once again cheer his side on from the dugout. Kolkata, though might just think about all-rounder Andre Russell and the possibility of fitting the Jamaican into the XI should he regain fitness after a hamstring niggle forced him to miss the last few games. Morgan and coach Brendon McCullum might have quite the task of trying to include him — Narine’s recent form makes him somewhat indispensable, leaving Shakib Al Hasan the only other alternative. Shakib has both been economical in the middle overs and lent a finishing touch to Kolkata’s chase alongside Morgan in the eliminator. All of that, however, could be more than made up for by Russell’s lusty blows in the slog overs alone along with his handy bowling skills if he is able to regain his rhythm. Squads: Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert. Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth. Match Starts: 7:30 pm IST. Click here to follow live updates on the IPL 2021 final between CSK and KKR