The odds would be against CSK in the final, reckons VVS Laxman

After all the excitement in the round-robin stage and the playoffs, it all comes down to the final of the 2019 IPL, which is scheduled to be played today at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), both of whom have won the championship thrice, will lock horns to become the most successful team in the history of the championship.

Previously, Mumbai beat Chennai on three instances in this IPL, including the Qualifier 1 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In the meantime, former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman feels that the final will be an absolute ‘cracker’. Moreover, VVS said that MI, led by Rohit Sharma, have the odds in their favour owing to their past records versus the Super Kings in the T20 tournament.

There is nothing that MS can’t pull off

“Sunday’s final in Hyderabad should be a cracker, though much will hinge on MS the batsman, the wicketkeeper and the captain. MI has also beaten CSK in two previous finals, so the odds would appear to favour them,” Laxman wrote in his exclusive column for The Times of India (TOI).

However, Laxman also believes that the result of the crunch match will mostly depend on how CSK captain MS Dhoni plays. “But especially when it comes to the IPL, there is nothing that MS can’t pull off. I suspect how the final pans out will entirely depend on what kind of outing MS has,” he added.

As per Laxman, on a decent batting strip in Hyderabad, Mumbai start as the favourites owing to their batting depth. Nevertheless, Laxman’s words about MSD can’t be completely dismissed out of sight as in 14 matches of the league stage, the 37-year-old veteran from Jharkhand has notched 414 runs at an incredible batting average of 103.50.

Moreover, without Dhoni in the mix, CSK has only won once out of five matches. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top and has the last laugh.

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