Old foes MI, CSK to meet in IPL final

Openers Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons have also struck a good balance. Simmons has been in red hot form with the five fifties the most by a Mumbai batsman in a single edition of the IPL along with JP Duminy (2009) and Sachin Tendulkar (2010). This will be MI's third final and they had faced the same opponents on both the previous occasions -- in 2010 they had lost to CSK by 22 runs while in 2013 they won by 23 runs. As for the battle inside the battle, the Eden track, which has been conducive to slow bowling, will pit two India off-spinners against each other in one of the most tempting contests. Making a grand comeback to the Test side, Harbhajan Singh, who has had some memorable moments at the ground including a hattrick, will look forward to cast his magic for MI, while Dhoni will be reliant on R Ashwin. As the track for the final will be a "fresh and sporting one", there will be plenty in the offing for the pacers as well. Lasith Malinga, who had uprooted Hussey's leg-stump with a toe-crushing yorker in the final two years ago, will once again be looking to give MI early breakthroughs. The CSK pace duo of Dwayne Bravo and Nehra will also have their hands full as they also will be eyeing the Purple Cap for the leading wicket-taker. MI's Kieron Pollard had scored a match-winning 60 not out in the 2013 final as the Windies big hitter will be a vital cog in their wheel, as the likes of Dhoni and Raina for the CSK.