Both CSK and MI will be vying for their fourth IPL title on Sunday (Source: IPL)A day before the final of the 12th edition of Indian Premier League, former India cricketer Anil Kumble and New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum shared their views on the summit clash that will be played between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. The match will begin at 7.30 pm on Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
While Kumble strongly believes that Mumbai have the upper hand over their opponent, McCullum is confident on CSK retaining their IPL title.
Highlighting the key strengths of Mumbai on Star Sports special show Select Dugout, Kumble said, “It’s all about pacers in Hyderabad and we know that the average runs per wicket for pacers is 45.2 for spinners and 27.5 for pacers in Hyderabad. CSK depends very heavily on their spinners.”
He further stated, “Moving on to talk about what have Mumbai Indian pacers done in the mid overs versus what has Chennai Super Kings pacers done in the middle overs, MI have taken 16 wickets versus 2 wickets that CSK have taken. The lion share of these wickets has been taken by Hardik Pandya, who has seven wickets in the middle overs this season. With the bat too Hardik has a great strike rate in the middle overs where he has scored successfully against spinners too.”
However, McCullum strongly feels that Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir will play a crucial role in the contest tomorrow. “I need an opportunity to talk about CSK and how they set the game up and control the game through the middle overs. CSK average 65 during the middle overs for the loss of just two wickets and they go about that through the methodical run gathering as they just knock the ball around. While bowling, the likes of Jadeja and Tahir have worked as a yin and a yang type mentality, where Jadeja is very quick through his overs which allows Tahir to be more attacking, something that is evident with the 22 wickets Tahir has taken through the middle so far, this season,” the former Kiwi cricketer said.
Both the teams will be vying for their fourth IPL title on Sunday, however, Mumbai would be brimming with confidence after toppling the defending champions thrice in the season.
