IPL 2019 | MS Dhoni has marshaled his limited resources extremely well, says Krishnamachari Srikkanth

Chennai have often lost the way in the first 10 overs of the game, only to be brought back by MS Dhoni more often than not, their strategy has hardly moved away from it. They try and stay in the game and hold back for a final assault, which is the ultimate Dhoni-ism that has stayed clear of other chasing packs. Even while keeping behind the stumps, Dhoni has been impeccable both as a keeper and a hand-holder in chief to ensure that CSK have reached the final despite the team not firing on all cylinders. Srikkanth is wary of that fact and stated that the way the CSK skipper has marshalled his resources brilliantly.

"There is no doubt that the final will be an exciting affair. In a highly-anticipated game like this, the team with better all-round skills stands a better chance. Man-to-man, Mumbai have a slight edge. Rohit Sharma has at his disposal at least six bowlers who can take field, confident of bowling their full quota. Chennai, on the other hand, do not have such luxuries. They have been winning primarily because Dhoni has marshaled his limited resources extremely well. And not to forget, the man has been brilliant with the big gloves and the bat. It should go without saying that a lot will depend on how he turns out this evening," Srikkanth wrote in his column for the Times of India.

Although Chennai have some brilliant fielders in the team like Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis and Dhruv Shorey, as a team, they have missed more catches than many and carry a lot of liabilities in the outfield. Srikkanth has stated that if Chennai want to have some sort of consensus in the final, they need to better their fielding standards.

"One aspect that could go in Chennai's favour is the fact that they are used to this stage more than any other team. They know it takes one special effort to swing things their way. They have to be wary of their fielding though. This is one area where they have been found wanting and they cannot afford to be lax on the big day," Srikkanth opined.

The game will start at 7.30 PM tonight as the MS Dhoni-led team will fight it out with Mumbai Indians as both the teams will want to take their trophy tally to four, an unprecedented achievement in cricket history.