IPL 2019 Final: Two factors that will be pivotal for CSK in the context of the game

After 47 days of uninterrupted action, we are ready to get into the climax of the twelfth edition of IPL - the grand finale. Interestingly, it is for the record fourth time in the history of the league that the IPL heavyweights - CSK and MI - are facing each other in the most prestigious fixture of an IPL season.

For the 2019 IPL Finale, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will be locking horns against each other on May 12 at the picturesque Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The last time when Chennai and Mumbai took the field together in an IPL Final was in the year 2015 where the latter had the chance to get their hands on the silverware.

In the coming IPL Final, Mumbai will surely be a tough nut to crack for MS Dhoni and his army. In this year's IPL, like any other edition, Chennai has found ways to conquer almost every opposition. However, CSK has failed to decipher the same logic against Mumbai Indians. Much so, the stats of IPL 2019 pretty much draw the story.

Talking in numbers, CSK has lost all of their games against Mumbai in this edition of IPL. Hence, the baggage of losses against MI will unquestionably be a psychological challenge to overcome for Dhoni-led CSK in the finals against the Mumbai Indians.

Thus, before we get ourselves drenched into the mood of IPL Final, let us look at two crucial things which will turn out to be pivotal for CSK in the context of the game.

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#1 Who will be CSK's third pace bowling option?

Ever since the injury of Lungi Ngidi, Chennai has been fighting hard to figure out their third pace bowling option. Although Shardul Thakur has been in the picture as a third pace bowling option for the Super Kings, the Maharashtra-born paceman has failed to deliver the goods for CSK and has seemed a bit inconsistent.

To make the matter worse, Thakur had a mediocre game against Delhi Capitals where he bowled a solitary over and gave away 13 runs. Hence, with Shardul not at his best, the third fast bowling option will be a thing to explore for MS in the finals. As a matter of surprise, MS Dhoni might as well go with Mohit Sharma as his third fast bowling option in the grand finale against Mumbai. Thus, with minimal doubt, it will progress to be one of the significant deciding factors in the final against Mumbai.

#2 The middle muddle

Barring MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings' middle-order has seemed to be pretty impotent with the bat. Right from the start of IPL 2019, with Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu not at their best, the onus has been on the openers and MS Dhoni to drive Chennai's batting line-up which has undeniably put a lot of pressure on the openers and Dhoni.

Moreover, Raina and Rayudu's failures have made Super Kings' batting line-up very vulnerable as one off day for the openers would cost the game for Chennai. Thus, the middle-order and the middle overs will be an essential factor to consider for Chennai in the final against MI. CSK will have to work their strategies for the middle-order and will need to apply them aptly if ever they want to become the first-ever team to win four IPL titles.

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