Match facts
Sunday, June 1
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture
As the summer blockbuster comes to an end, two of its biggest superstars clash in the finale in Mumbai. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of the Chennai Super Kings, is the highest-paid player in this league but his counterpart in the Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, has delivered better results; his success at this year’s tournament would be the equivalent of the box-office returns of a Shahrukh Khan starrer.

A win for Dhoni would justify his US$1.5m price tag but would also be a last-minute twist to the fairytale ending that would hand Warne the trophy. Warne’s dual role as captain and coach of Rajasthan has been the story of the season: an entire team costing less than two-and-a-half times Dhoni’s price, whose owner’s low-budget strategy even got the thumbs down from the IPL’s chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi, was moulded into a successful unit.
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Chennai Will meet Rajasthan Royals in tomorrow’s final in Mumbai.
It was one-sided semi-final but again it’s been down to a team effort. A highly disciplined bowling attack did the job before Parthiv and Raina finished it off. Chennai have now beaten Punjab in all three matches between the two sides and will need to gear up for Rajasthan tomorrow.

No hugs for the Punjab side from Priety today. It’s been a disappointing effort but they can hold their heads high for the consistency they’ve shown through the league phases. They’ve been one of the most balanced sides in the tournament and strung together some fine wins. On the big day, though, it wasn’t to be.
Yuvraj Singh being booed again. This is really not in good taste from the Mumbai crowd. “We had to play well in the first 5 to 7 overs,” he says. “I think it was a good wicket to bat on. We didn’t bat well and didn’t do well under pressure. We’ve had a great tournament, very proud of the boys, especially Shaun Marsh. It’s been a learning experience as a captain. We’ve been the best team in the tournament except against Chennai.”

Dhoni gets the cheers. Mr Popularity. “The bowlers were upto the mark, bowled really well,” he says. “Overall the intensity was good and the batting again got the start we needed. It was a good team effort. Fielding has improved as the tournament as gone on. If I say I don’t feel pressure, I would be lying. If you walk upto a bowler and act is if you’re worried it gets to him. So I act as if I’m not. Around 150 people came from Chennai and we got some good support from the Mumbai crowd too.”

Man-of-the-Match Makhaya Ntini: “So far it’s been a great challenge. I think everyone in Chennai has appreciated that. I have always smiled and don’t show any pressure, make the ball talk. We knew that this wicket is going to be up and down so we needed to hit it as hard as we can. I cannot wait for tomorrow.”

After a cracker of a semi-final at Wankhede yesterday between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, the action now shifts to the second semi-final between the Chennai Super kings and the Kings XI Punjab. Yuvraj’s men definitely have the upper hand after a spectacular victory in their last match against Rajasthan Royals - but Chennai are no pushovers and Dhoni and his boys will be ready to topple the mighty Punjab team.

The two teams’ fortunes in the Indian Premier League; While Punjab cruised into the semis, Chennai after a good start haven’t been too convincing enroute.

But Chennai has got the better of Punjab so far, with victories in both the league matches and captain Yuvraj Singh is well aware of the threat.
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Deccan Chargers, after going down to Chennai Super Kings here Tuesday, became the only team to lose all their home matches in the Indian Premier League.

Deccan Chargers is the first team to lose seven games in a row between May 9 and May 27. They have lost 12 games - the most by any team in the IPL.

Other statistical highlights of the match:

# Suresh Raina’s superb unbeaten 54 off 43 balls is his highest score in the IPL - his second 50 in the tournament. Raina’s 323 runs in IPL came at an average of 32.30

# Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with 385 runs at an average of 38.50, is the leading run-getter for his team.
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At times you can get so used to good things that you become blasé. Viewers have grown used to the adrenaline-rush-inducing action in the IPL, it seems, otherwise how would you explain a hat-trick going unnoticed in a cricket match. That is exactly what transpired in the rain curtailed match between Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders. No one realized that Ntini had taken a hat-trick, when he dismissed David Hussey of the second delivery of the 17th over of the Knight Riders’ innings. In fact everyone, including Ntini himself, treated the subsequent ball as a hat-trick opportunity as Ntini had picked two successive wickets off the first two deliveries of the 17th over.

It was only during Chennai’s innings that the commentators became aware of the fact that everyone had remained oblivious to Ntini’s amazing feat. A hat-trick is in itself a rare occurrence, but there is nothing rarer than a hat-trick that goes unnoticed by everyone, including the bowler who has taken it. Ntini dismissed Ganguly of the last ball of the 3rd over of his spell – 5th over of the innings – and then completed his hat-trick by picking up Das and Hussey off the first two deliveries of his 4th over – 17th over of the innings.

He joins his teammate Balaji and Delhi Daredevils’ leggie Amit Mishra as the bowlers to have taken a hat-trick in the inaugural iteration of the IPL. There is nimiety of everything in the IPL.

For the second successive day, the weather played spoilsport and forced Duckworth-Lewis to decide what was shaping into a fascinating contest. This time, Chennai Super Kings were on the right end of the result, as their total of 55 without loss after eight overs, chasing 150, was three runs ahead of the par score when a severe dust storm descended upon the Eden Gardens, and the rains that followed ensured there was no chance for the match to resume. The two points to Chennai moves them up to 14, while Kolkata Knight Riders are stuck on ten points from 11 games.
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Jayasuriya has finished the match with 37 balls to spare and nine wickets in hand. That’s a massive massive margin considering that they were chasing a target of 157. The crowds came to see Tendulkar but it was Jayasuriya who was simply irresistible. He scored his hundred off 45 balls, the second-fastest 100 of the IPL, and hit 11 sixes and nine fours. 102 off his 114 runs came in boundaries.

Indeed he may have, this was Jayasuriya at his finest, vintage 1996. He pummeled the bowlers with short arm cuts over point and flicks over square leg. I think Dhoni missed a trick by bringing Murali on well after the game was finished as a contest.

Dhoni gets booed as he comes up for the presentation. He’s not fussed and says they [the Wankhede crowd] will cheer him when he plays for India. There’s a wry smile on his face. He says they bowled in the wrong areas - either too full or too short. He wants more consistency from his bowlers.

Massive cheers for Tendulkar, he scored only 12 but they love him. It’s good to be back he says, and credits Jayasuriya with a “special innings”. He says the game against Kolkata on Friday is very crucial and that the team is up for it.

Jayasuriya walks away with two awards today, one for hitting the most sixes - 11 - and he’s also the Man of the Match of course. Pollock’s spell of 1 for 9 off four overs was terrific too.

Jayasuriya says they needed the win really badly and is thrilled that they’ve made it four in a row now. He says that opening with Sachin allowed him to play is natural game and he enjoyed the experience.

Match No: 36
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Toss Mumbai Indians,Elected to Field First
Result: Mumbai Indians Won By 9 Wickets
Man of the match: Sanath Jaisurya
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Match No: 36
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Mumbai
Time: 8PM IST, May 14th

Preview:
Mumbai may only be on 6 points and third from bottom in the standings, but the fact that they have played two matches lesser than all other teams works in their favour. With Sachin Tendulkar back in the side, the Mumbai Indians will be charged up to perform under his leadership. Chennai are now at third position with 12 points, but captain Dhoni and his team cannot relax as they have a further five matches to go.

Mini-battles: Muthiah Muralitharan vs Sachin Tendulkar, these two legends go way back in terms of longevity. Jayasuriya taking on Muralitharan also promises to be an exciting duel.
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Match No: 31
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjabb
Venue MA Chidambaram Stadium-Chepauk, Chennai
Toss Kings XI Punjab,elected to field first
Result: Chennai Super Kings won by 18 runs
Man of the match: Lakshmipathy Balaji
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