The ultimate match of the IPL 2021 will see Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on October 15, 2021.
CSK got back to their older form as they erased the sad memories of IPL 2020, while KKR made a dreamlike comeback in this IPL as they came into the final, getting up from the seventh spot in India leg of the tournament to a resurgence in the UAE.
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Now the two teams come face to face for the second time in an IPL final, as they had clashed in the summit clash of the IPL 2012 edition. KKR has never lost a final they have played, while CSK is playing their ninth final in IPL history.
This mouthwatering clash is expected to have everyone on the edge of their seats and TEAM COC brings to you the Predicted Playing XIs for the CSK v KKR IPL 2021 final.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Whatever you can say about the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team is less. From being the first team eliminated from the playoffs race in IPL 2020 to becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs and the final in IPL 2021, MS Dhoni and his men have done a 180-degree turn.
CSK have been bolstered by the terrific starts given to them by their openers Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had over 600 runs in the tournament with a century, and Faf du Plessis, who has been a bane for the opposition bowlers.
In the middle order, Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu have carried the burden while Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni haven’t clicked much. Though Robin Uthappa came good in the first qualifier against DC.
Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo with the ball and bat have been excellent in the chances they have gotten, especially Jadeja who has come off age with the bat scoring valuable runs consistently.
Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Josh Hazlewood have been excellent with the new ball, giving CSK early wickets in the process.
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However, much of the credit for CSK’s success should go to MS Dhoni, the captain. He might not have had a good outing with the bat barring his finish against DC in the first qualifier, but his captaincy and strategies have been on point. It is a chance for Dhoni to have his fairytale come true.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
No one would have thought that Kolkata Knight Riders would make it into the playoffs leave alone playing in the finals. They were on the 7th spot on the points table when IPL 2021 was interrupted by the COVID outbreak in the franchise bubbles.
However, the team adopted the cavalier attitude of aggressive cricket that their coach Brendon McCullum and captain Eoin Morgan advocate, and here they are in their 3rd IPL final facing off against the Chennai Super Kings.
KKR has been blessed with a robust top order with Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, and Rahul Tripathi doing the heavy lifting with support from Nitish Rana. Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan have had a terrible tournament with the bat, but their experience has been a huge contributing factor to KKR’s success in UAE.
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Morgan’s use of three spinners in UAE has paid rich dividends though if Andre Russell is fit and raring to go, he might get the nod ahead of Shakib Al Hasan in the final. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy have been excellent at both keeping the runs down and taking wickets, important ones.
Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi have been excellent as the pace duo supporting the spinners and they need just one more burst with the ball to make KKR a three-time champion.
CSK COC Predicted Playing XI:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
KKR COC Predicted Playing XI:
Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
