IPL 2019 – Final: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings – MI Predicted Playing XI

59 matches and we have our two finalists, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The familiar foes will not only be meeting for the fourth time this season, but it will also be the fourth time they will face off in an IPL final. As Rohit Sharma termed it earlier in the season, it’s the ‘El-Clasico of the IPL’.

Mumbai Indians have been brilliant throughout this season. Different players have stepped up at different stages of the tournament. MI have benefitted from the fact that their bowling attack is one of the best ones in this tournament. Their batting has been on and off but overall, it’s been good which has propelled them to the final.

MI beat CSK three times already this season. Will it be four times in a row like CSK did to SRH last year? It promises to be a thrilling and fascinating final. But before that, here we look at MI’s predicted XI for the final against CSK on Sunday.

Openers (Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock)

Before the start of this season, Rohit Sharma came out and said that this year, he would open the batting in all the innings, While he’s done that, he hasn’t really lived up to expectation. However, he has had a better season than the last couple of years. He’s on the verge of hitting the 400-run mark for the first time since 2016.

Quinton de Kock too failed in the last game but he’s been MI’s best batsman in the top order. He’s led the charge with 500 runs this season. The South African stumper will be looking to cap off a brilliant season on a high and score as many runs as possible and set the tone of the innings as well at the top.

Also Read: IPL 2019 – Final: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings – CSK Predicted Playing XI

Middle-order (Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard)

The middle-order finally seems to be getting their act together. Suryakumar Yadav finally ended his run of getting the middling scores of 20s and 30s. He scored a match-winning 71 as he took MI home. It wasn’t an easy surface to bat on but he played beautifully.

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan played well too as he came in after the fall of the second wicket and played second fiddle to the Suryakumar Yadav. He scored a patient 28 to put MI’s innings back on track after two early wickets. Kieron Pollard wasn’t needed to bat in the first Qualifier. He will continue to be a big part of the MI middle-order. However, his batting position is still uncertain as he keeps floating around in that middle-order.

All-rounders (Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya)

With the ball, Rohit Sharma has tried to use Hardik and Krunal in different ways. While Krunal has given him control and accuracy, Hardik has tended to leak runs at times. However, it’s the latter that has picked up more wickets (14) while Krunal has 11.

With the bat, the younger brother has dominated this season. He’s number two on the most valuable player (MVP) list of this IPL. Hence, he will play a crucial part with both bat and ball in the final.

Bowlers (Rahul Chahar, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga)

The MI bowling attack has looked solid this IPL. They have defended extremely well in some really tight situations despite the batsmen failing. Rahul Chahar continues to do well. He bowled beautifully in the last game as he picked up 2/14. He outbowled some of the big star spinners as well. The surface in Hyderabad might be a good one to bat on and hence, Mitchell McClenaghan might slot back in.

Meanwhile, Lasith Malinga took some beating in the last game as he was MI’s most expensive bowler. Jasprit Bumrah’s figures might not suggest but he was brilliant at the death which might’ve been the difference in that first qualifier. He’s been excellent throughout the season but has only 17 wickets from 15 games to show for.

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