Both IPL finalists have shown that faith in core team will deliver, says Sunil Gavaskar
IPL
Sunil Gavaskar has stated that both the Indian Premier League 2019 finalists Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have stuck to their core which has given good results for them. Both the table toppers will face each other for their fourth trophy in the IPL final at Hyderabad today.
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have stuck to their core group of players for a while now. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina have been with CSK since the start of the league, while Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja have been a part of the side since 2011 and 2012 respectively. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have stuck with Rohit Sharma, Lasith and Kieron Pollard while the Pandya brothers and Jasprit Bumrah have become a part of their core side for a while now. Sunil Gavaskar feels that each players is capable of performing on the big stage.
“What the two finalists have shown is that if you have faith in your core team they will deliver in tense situations as well. When you look at the squads that both teams have you can see that there is no flab, no soft pick. Every player is capable of relishing the big stage and in fact looking forward to it,” he said, reported TOI.
MI defeated CSK in both the league stage matches and followed it up with a win over them in the first qualifier as well. Both the teams had nine wins in the league stages but the Rohit led team were table toppers due to a superior net run rate. Even the Sunrisers Hyderabad had lost three matches to CSK prior to last year’s final and the former eventually ended up on the losing side. Gavaskar feels that the Mumbai based franchise will start as favourites on the eve of the final.
“Mumbai will clearly start as the favourites having beaten Chennai and that too comfortably in their three meetings so far this season but the finals is a different animal altogether. It can get to the best and most experienced,” he expressed.
“The one that controls the adrenaline rush, the one that stays in the present, in the moment will prevail. This is a battle between two IPL giants, a clash between a team Chennai that has been in eight finals in ten seasons and Mumbai who have been in five finals. Both have won it three times each, both have game changers nonpareil and it could take just a few deliveries to twist and turn the game around,” added the former India captain.
The IPL trophy has a Sanskrit motto inscribed on it-“Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi”, which translates to “where talent meets opportunity”. The legendary batsman reiterated this to state that whoever will grab the opportunity on the night of the finals will take the trophy home.
“This is experience against experience but like the IPL ethos and motto "talent meets opportunity" whoever grabs that opportunity firmly will also hold the trophy aloft on Sunday night,” the 69-year-old signed off.
