Fight it out tonight !

The hugs and prayers of pretty Preity Zinta never proved enough for Yuvraj and co. and finally it’s all over for the daring Kings XI Punjab. With their exit they have left it upon Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals to settle the ultimate winner of the 1st IPL championship amongst them in another blazing contest tonight.

The typical version of the game i.e twenty twenty, is too swift a proposition to make any predictions about the outcome. It only takes a while and a couple of overs to swing the game from one extreme to the other. As they say luck may favour the brave but it’s a huge factor that comes into play in this form of the cricket. Who would know it better than Rajasthan Royals who won the match on the last ball against Mumbai Indians despite their backs against the wall for most of the second half of the game?

If both teams are at their best again, we are likely to witness yet another nail biting match similar to the one played between the two finalists almost a week ago whereby both teams scored more than 200 runs apiece. Both teams are beaming with confidence and have certain points going to their advantage as they face each other tonight.

CSK is being captained by none other than Dhoni, who is not only a brutal hitter and a prolific scorer but he is the man who captained the Indian side that won the only international Twenty20 world cup hosted so far. Their coach Kepler Wessels is perhaps the only cricketer who has represented two different teams in the international arena. In Murlidaran they have one of the best spinners the game has ever known. Suraish Raina is in a terrific touch and Ntini is one of the top ranked bowlers of the world while the presence of Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand’s captain, cannot be underestimated. Together they shape into a very balanced and perfect outfit.

On the other hand, RR is being captained by none other than Shane Warne, judged by some as the best bowler of the last century. Shane Watson is being termed as the best all rounder of the tournament and has proven his credentials both with the ball and the bat. Sohail Tanvir has proved to be extremely deceptive and the blend makes the RR’s bowling attack the most formidable of all the participating sides. Having lost their first two matches they still went into the semi finals with unmatched performance (11 won – 3 Lost).They also hold the psychological benefit of winning both the games against CSK in the tournament and they routed their opponents (Dehli Daredevils) with a mesmerizing win at the same ground only a couple of days ago in the 1st semi final.

Having all said and done, both sides look almost equally competitive capable of overpowering their opponents in the final with their lethal combinations and a bit of luck but I would still put my money upon Rajasthan Royals to lift the cup.


And what about you folks?