Bangalore blaze versus calm Chennai for glory (Preview)

Just one more game and IPL-4 will have its worthy winner. After 73 games and 7 weeks of high-voltage, sometimes attritional cricket, the tournament that was preceded by the euphoria of World Cup victory is drawing to a close at Chepauk. The event itself has been a microcosm of the brand of cricket it promotes; a gala opening, dwindling audience numbers, the much hyped inclusion of Sourav Ganguly, pitch controversies, Murli’s omission, Shane Warne’s farewell, the battle for Orange Cap, Lasith Malinga’s ownership of the purple cap and finally the fury of the Gayle storm. To be precise, the entertaining journey has been full of ups and downs; the fans could not have asked for a better ending with two of the best teams on display locking horns in the final.

Bangalore and Chennai have by far been the two most dominant teams of the season, albeit, in contrasting styles. Bangalore are the proverbial one-man-show, while as, Chennai are a perfect advertisement of the team effort. There is no doubt that Chris Gayle so far has been the show-stopper, over 600 runs in just 10 innings. The Jamaican marauder has hit the most number of sixes (44) in an amazing exhibition of destructive hitting. Even though, there are others in the team like Virat Kohli and Daniel Vettori with commendable performances against their names, Gayle’s failure has invariably meant discomfort for the team. The big man has to fire one last time for Bangalore to earn their first IPL crown or the rest have to lift their game to a level where the shock of a Gayle malfunction can be absorbed.

For Chennai, it is an all-too-familiar feeling of being in the final. In previous three editions, the hosts have made it to the summit-clash twice, wining and losing in equal proportion. The defending champions have accomplished IPL stars in the form of Suresh Raina, Badrinath, Ashwin and international men of repute, Michael Hussey, Doug Bollinger and Albie Morkel. Dhoni’s leadership is what gives this team the cutting edge when it comes to tactics and on-field man-management. What really neutralizes the Gayle factor is Chennai’s impeccable home record this year. Not a single loss in seven outings on more-often-than-not sluggish Chennai surface.

The two teams have faced each other two times during the last 6 days, each side with a win. The Chennai crowd would surely get behind their team but the visitors have the arsenal to silence the crowd with an explosive performance from Gayle and co.

CHENNAI

Players who can make impact...

MS Dhoni…..Some sportsmen are made for big occasions. And, Indian and Chennai skipper Dhoni certainly belongs to that league. His match winning knock in the world cup final barely two months ago supports that auspicious label. Going by his contribution in big matches, one can expect yet another blockbuster performance from him. Bangalore can underestimate him at their own peril. What makes Chennai a formidable outfit is the skipper’s ‘cool as a cucumber’ exterior and his ability to keep composure under pressure. His captaincy will be helped by the fact that he is no stranger to the finals in the IPL winning it once and emerging runner-up in the inaugural event.

Doug Bollinger….The Aussie pace-man has been one of the most economical bowlers in the tournament where bowlers have leaked runs in abundance. He ha made admirable adjustment to the low and spin friendly tracks of subcontinent, wickets with the new ball and giving nothing away in his comeback spell. The duel with marauding Chris Gayle could well be billed as a battle between two game-changers in the final. Chennai will be pinning their hopes on the spearhead to snare the big fish early and help them wrest initiative.

SQUAD

Abhinav Mukund, Albie Morkel, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Ganapathi Vignesh, George Bailey, Joginder Sharma, K Vasudevadas, Michael Hussey, MS Dhoni (c)(wk), Murali Vijay, Nuwan Kulasekara, R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Scott Styris, Shadab Jakati ,Srikkanth Anirudha, Sudeep Tyagi, Suraj Randiv, Suresh Raina, Tim Southee, Wriddhiman Saha,Yo Mahesh.

BANGALORE

Players who can make impact...

Chris Gayle… The man of tournament. The most valuable player. The best batsman. The most influential player of the season. If any player deserves all these honours, it has to be Mr. Chris Gayle. Ever since he came as a replacement in the Bangalore side, the southpaw has been on prowl. And, the prowler has feasted on opposition bowlers with unprecedented disdain, swagger, thus making them look mere passengers who just roll their arms to see the ball fly in all directions. Such has been impact of his big hitting; the name can substitute the franchise name. If Gayle hits his straps once again in the grand finale, chances of Chennai defending their title are as good as over.

Daniel Vettori….Vettori, the leader, the astute thinker of the game, the calm head, the tactician and the wily bowler make him one man institution. A good student of game as he is, Vettori comprehends any match situation well and has a brain that every now and then comes up with a plan to get over it. On a slow Chennai pitch, Vettori’s four overs of left arm spin could well turn out to be a deciding factor in the game. For, he has an uncanny ability to read batsmen’s mind and indiscernible change in flight, trajectory and pace to bamboozle any batsman. All this makes him a fantastic operator and stylish Vettori would be keen to lead from the front on the big day. His tactical battle with his opposite number MS Dhoni will be worth watching.

SQUAD

AB de Villiers, Abhimanyu Mithun,Abrar Kazi,Arun Karthik,Asad Pathan,BN Barath,Charl Langeveldt,Cheteshwar Pujara, Daniel Vettori (c),Dirk Nannes,Johan van der Wath, Jonathan Vandiar,Luke Pomersbach,Mayank Agarwal,Mohammad Kaif,Muralidharen Gautam,Nuwan Pradeep,Raju Bhatkal,Rilee Rossouw,Ryan Ninan,Saurabh Tiwary, Sreenath Aravind, Tillakaratne Dilshan (withdrawn player) ,Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan.