Bangalore, Oct 3 (PTI) The indomitable Chennai Super Kings will have the advantage of familiarity with the conditions but the unbeaten Kolkata Knight Riders would still be a tough nut to crack when they clash in the Oppo Champions League T20 final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here tomorrow.
Both teams had met in the final of the 2012 Indian Premier League, when Kolkata defeated Chennai by five wickets.
In this year’s Indian Premier League both were at par, winning a game apiece against each other. However, unlike the Knight Riders, CSK have played most of their group matches here and will definitely have an edge as far as familiarity factor is concerned.
As the final is being played between two IPL rivals, the Karnataka State Cricket Association is expecting a full house after conducting neutral matches, which failed to attract crowd.
Looking at the stats, Kolkata start favourites as they are on a roll after an unbeaten run in the tournament. They have, in fact, registered 14 wins in a row starting from IPL-7.
Chennai, on the other hand, had to depend on other teams’ results to make the last-four stage. Led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the team, however, has the ability to turn it around, a quality which was evident in the semifinal against a power-packed Kings XI Punjab side last night.
Dhoni knows the art of utilising his resources aptly, sometimes leaving rival captains too stunned by his decisions on batting and bowling combinations, besides the field placements.
Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir is equally enterprising and has shared an intense rivalry with Dhoni in IPL, coming out trumps against the India captain.
The Knight Riders are coming into the title clash with the tag of invincible post their 14th straight win – a seven-wicket victory over Australia’s Hobart Hurricanes in the first semifinal.
Kolkata, unlike Chennai, have played all their group matches in Hyderabad and will have to get used to the conditions quickly.