Not just Dad's Army: The journey of Chennai Super Kings to IPL 2019 Final

They either find a way, or make one. Come May 12, Chennai will appear in an IPL final for the record 8th time. The number is significant considering the team has missed 2 seasons of the 12-year-old league.
 
Touted as favourites, the defending champions did not disappoint initially and made their way into the final despite being labelled as ''Dad's Army" in later stages of the contest.

Chennai Super Kings have lifted the coveted IPL title thrice -- in 2010, 2011 and 2018 and they would look to clinch yet another title this year. Super Kings also have the chance to better their score against Mumbai who defeated Chennai in 2013 and 2015 final.

CHECK IPL final (MI vs CSK) LIVE score, match and toss updates here

Despite a comfortable journey, Chennai has had a rather boring show as the ageing-side did not manage to put the stage on fire but relied on the skipper's 'Midas touch'.
 
It remains to be seen if Chennai would be able to leave behind the shadow of win-less past against Mumbai but the fact remains that despite all odds, they are in yet another IPL final and ready to take on a young and spirited Mumbai Indians. 


 

Chennai's journey in IPL 2019

Chennai started the IPL 2019 campaign with a hat-trick of wins but Mumbai put a halt to their winning spree. The side returned to winning ways with four consecutive wins.

 
MS Dhoni had to miss a game due to back injury and Chennai lost the plot from there as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated the side without much resistance. Dhoni returned for the next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore but the side faced defeat again.

 
Mumbai got the better of Chennai yet again in league stage but the biggest surprise was handed to the yellow-jerseys when the same opponent thrashed them at home ground in the Qualifier 1.
 
Chennai rose to the occasion against young and inexperienced Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2 to cruise into yet another IPL final that will be played against a well-known foe who has time and again tricked the 'experienced side'.
 
 

Key Players for CSK
 
If MS Dhoni is kept aside, who would one put the bet on? The answer would be tough as unlike previous years, Chennai don't have a star other than the skipper who could swing the match in the team's favour.

Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja haven't been able to make their presence felt but the area where they have contributed is the team's average age.
 

That leaves Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar and Harbhajan Singh. The trio also features in the top ten bowlers list in IPL 2019 with 24, 19 and 16 wickets respectively.
 
Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh was a big surprise in IPL 2019 as he shone from the first match and kept the batsmen in their toes during the entire league stage. His strength lies in picking wickets during powerplay and Dhoni knows best when and how to use him.

 

Deepak Chahar is the key paceman for the team and under Dhoni, the medium-fast bowler is wreaking havoc in the opposition camp. Chahar's 19 wickets in 16 matches show how the bowler quickly adapted to the role given by Dhoni.
 
Imran Tahir is usually known for his fast run-up in nowhere direction after clinching a wicket, he is so fast that even his teammates have stopped chasing him. Tahir has had a lot of such moments in IPL 2019 (24 times to be precise) and he would look for few much of such celebrations in the penultimate match if the season.