Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra reckons Chennai Super Kings will have a slight advantage over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 final which will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Nehra, who has played for CSK in the IPL, feels MS Dhoni-led team is better at playing the situation.
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings won nine out of the 14 league stage matches to finish at second place in the points table. CSK then defeated Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier by four wickets to qualify for the final.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders bounced back in style in the second phase of IPL 2021 as they won seven matches out of the 14 matches they played. Subsequently, they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator and then Delhi Capitals in the second qualifier by three wickets.
Thus, it will be an interesting battle between the top two teams as both of them will look to bring their best to the table. Nehra believes CSK will go into the match with a strategy against KKR.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Nehra said: “One of CSK’s strengths is that they come into the game with a strategy, but depending on how the game is going, they are better at playing the situation more than other teams. So that will be a challenge for KKR.”
Meanwhile, KKR’s spin trio of Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, and Varun Chakravarthy has done a fine job for the team in the second phase. However, Nehra feels CSK batters have the skills to bat confidently against the spin battery of KKR.
“Those eight overs, and if Shakib al Hasan bowls all four overs, then it will definitely be 12 difficult overs, but if there is one team that can tackle their spinners on the big ground in Dubai, it’s Chennai Super Kings. I think Mumbai Indians can as well, but they are not here. Because if you look at Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, they would prefer playing Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy over the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje,” Nehra said.
On the other hand, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag had a different opinion as compared to Ashish Nehra and feels CSK would have found it easier to score their runs against Delhi Capitals.
“CSK will think that their chances against Delhi Capitals would have been better. It would be a bit more of an even contest against KKR, because in the middle overs, the spinners – Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine – they don’t let you score very easily. So they would have probably found it easier to score against DC, whether it’s their spinners or pacers, but against KKR, they will be concerned about how to tackle those eight overs,” Sehwag said.
CSK will be looking to clinch their fourth IPL title whereas KKR will aim to win their third title.
