KKR looks to end 7-year-long wait for win | IPL 2021 Final Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders: SWOT Analysis

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be eyeing their fourth IPL title when take on in-form Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final of IPL 2021 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. But overcoming KKR will not be an easy task for the men in Yellow. KKR themselves would be looking to end their seven-year-long wait for an IPL win. If KKR do win, it would be their third IPL title and they would draw level with CSK.

SWOT for CSK

Strengths: CSK would be relying on the exploits of openers Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The two have been the most consistent opening pair this season. The two batters are also the team’s top-two run scorers this year. Gaikwad has smashed 603 runs and du Plessis has accumulated 547 runs. The two batters have cumulatively hit nine fifties and one hundred. If these two batters click, then they would be a big headache for Eoin Morgan.

Also read: KKR's positive intent on and off field reason behind team's turnaround, says Venkatesh Iyer

Weaknesses: du Plessis and Gaikwad’s form has meant that the middle order has been tested very little right through this season. Although, Robin Uthappa and MS Dhoni did show signs of springing back in form, but they still have very few runs under their belt going into the final. For CSK, it is either the openers or a struggling middle-order.

Opportunities: This could very likely be the last time that MS Dhoni could be leading CSK. Over the years, Dhoni and CSK have become synonymous to one another. Dhoni has guided the team through its high and lows. If it is indeed his final match in a CSK shirt, then no better way to cap of his IPL career, than with an IPL trophy.

Threats: Despite being one of the consistent performers of the IPL and winning the IPL trophy three times, CSK’s record in the IPL finals has not been that great. The team has appeared in eight IPL finals and won only three of them. That is a win percentage of only 37.5. The win percentage will go down further if the team loses this final. CSK’s poor track record in the IPL finals could haunt the team.

SWOT for KKR

Strengths: It is the bowlers who have led KKR’s renaissance in the UAE of IPL 2021. The spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine has dried runs and picked wickets at regular intervals. The two have collectively picked 32 wickets. They have been ably supported by Shakib Al Hasan, who has justified his selection in the absence of Andre Russell. Shakib might have picked only 4 wickets but his economy is just 6.69 from 7 games. In pace department, Lockie Ferguson has combined well with Shivam Mavi. Ferguson has picked 13 wickets and Mavi has 10 wickets to his name. Clearly, KKR has the best bowling line attack in IPL 2021.

Also read: IPL Final: KKR spinners hold aces as world awaits Dhoni 'Magic' one last time

Weaknesses: KKR nearly squandered the match against DC has it not been for the heroics of Rahul Tripathi. One of the reasons for KKR almost losing the match from a position of strength is the form of Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik with the bat. Against DC, both the batters got out on a duck. Karthik is averaging only 23.77. Morgan’s average is an abysmal 11.72. If these two batters don’t sort out issues with their batting, then they could land their team in trouble once more.

Opportunities: Unlike CSK, KKR have a perfect record in the IPL finals. The team has played in two IPL finals and won both of them. One of those final (2012) was against CSK. Considering the form, KKR have a great chance to maintain their hundred per cent record in the IPL finals and get level with CSK with respect to IPL titles.

Threats: It has been a long wait for the KKR fans to see their team back in the IPL final. The team and the fans have had to wait for seven years for this opportunity. The team would want to win the title or the seven years patience and efforts to build a side worthy of a final, would culminate into nothing.

Head-to-head

Matches played: 25

CSK wins: 16

KKR wins: 8

No Result: 1

What transpired between the two teams in their league phase face-offs this season?

Heading into the final, CSK hold an advantage. The MS Dhoni-led side has defeated Eoin Morgan’s KKR in both the league phase matches. CSK won the first match between the two sides by 18 runs. The men in Yellow clinched the reverse fixture by 2 wickets.

Form Guide:

CSK: W-L-L-L-W

KKR: W-W-W-W-L

Pitch and conditions

Last eight matches at Dubai have been won by the team batting second. So, it can be inferred that the pitches become easier to bat on as the match progresses. The average first innings total of the last eight games played at this venue is 149.87. So, we could expect a high-scoring fixture.

The evening of the final will be clear and warm. The temperature is expected to be around 31 °C. Humidity level is expected around 62%.

Team News

KKR would be hoping that all-rounder Andre Russell is match fit. CSK have no injury concerns.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Faf du Plessis, Rahul Tripathi, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy

Impact player for KKR

Varun Chakravarthy: For second season in a row, Varun Chakravarthy is the team’s leading wicket taker. Last year, the ‘mystery’ spinner finished with 17 wickets. This season Chakravarthy has already improved his record by one wicket and he has one more match ahead of him. The numbers highlight Chakravarthy’s consistency. This year the spinner has bowled at an average of 22.77 and an economy of 6.40. KKR’s fate depends on how Chakravarthy performs in the final.

Impact player for CSK

Ruturaj Gaikwad: The CSK opener has had a stellar season, which has seen him pile 603 runs at an average of 46.38. In process the batter has hit four fifties and one hundred. If Ruturaj Gaikwad has a great final, then there are high chances that CSK would win the final.