MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will square-off against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday in a much-awaited clash in Dubai. While CSK will step-out to play their ninth IPL finals, KKR will look to lay their hands on the coveted trophy for the third time.
The yellow army will take on the purple brigade in the second IPL final since 2012.
Chennai was the first team to qualify for the playoffs this season and also the first team to book their final berth. KKR had a big turnaround in the UAE leg after reeling at the seventh place on the points table in the first half of the 2021 season.
Ahead of the clash of the titans, experts of the games are up with their predictions. Former CSK player Irfan Pathan has put his weight behind CSK. Pathan posted a video on his Instagram and said, “Two captains and they have similar stories. They have been brilliant in their decision making like always. Morgan has made less mistakes and Dhoni has been flawless like always. But, 20 batters have covered the flaws in their batting. Both of them contributed once and both got their teams to the finals. It’s been a great journey for the teams. KKR has played like ‘baazigar’. They played well after the first half and they deserve to play in the finals. KKR’s bowling is amazing. But, will have pressure on their batting in the finals because there are 2-3 batters who are not in the form. But, their top-4 is their biggest strength.”
The former star all-rounder feels CSK have found their missing link after Dhoni’s return to form and Uthappa’s brilliant show in the qualifier.
“On the other hand, 2 batters were lacking. But, Dhoni came back to the form in the last game and so did Robin Uthappa. There was something missing and now that puzzle has been fixed. It’s going to be a terrific game. I think CSK, what about you?” asked the 36-year-old.
Not only Pathan, former Australian speedster Glenn McGrath also picked CSK as favorites to lift the IPL 2021 trophy. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener David Warner also expressed his support to CSK via a post on Instagram before deleting it later.
