Clinical CSK Vs Mercurial MI - Qualifier 1 - Stakes Are High

This is it .. after grueling six weeks of non stop action, drama and amazing performance .. it has come down to the top 4 teams making the playoffs at #IPL - Indian Premier League​. Cant get better and bigger than this!

Qualifier 1 - #MSDhoni​ led table-toppers Chennai Super Kings​, the indomitable force in all seasons of the IPL will take on the mercurial and in-form Mumbai Indians​ led by #RohitSharma​ at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today. Promises to be a cracker of a game. Remember, winner goes straight to the #IPL final - a massive incentive to win. The loser gets another crack by playing qualifier 2. That's a bonus too!

Team #MI - will be selected from below
Rohit Sharma
Corey Anderson
AC Blizzard
Jaspreet Bumrah, 
Unmukt Chand, 
M de Lange, 
S Gopal, 
Alex Hales, 
Harbhajan Singh, 
Ben Hilfenhaus, 
SD Lad, 
Mitchell McClenaghan, 
Lasith Malinga, 
Abhimanyu Mithun, 
C Munro, 
Pragyan Ojha, 
Harsh Pandya, 
Parthiv Patel, 
Kieron Pollard, 
Navin Rana, 
Ambati Rayudu
Lendl Simmons, 
J Suchith, 
P Suyal, 
Aditya Tare, 
Vinay Kumar, 
AA Wakhare

Team #CSK  - will be selected from below
MS Dhoni,
Kyle Abbott,
Baba Aparajith,
Ravichandran Ashwin, 
Shrinivas Badree, 
AK Bains, 
Dwayne Bravo, 
Faf du Plessis, 
ER Dwivedi, 
Mike Henry, 
Mike Hussey, 
Ravindra Jadeja, 
Brendon McCullum, 
Mithun Manhas, 
RG More, 
Pawan Negi, 
Ashish Nehra, 
Ishwar Pandey, 
Irfan Pathan, 
Pratyush Singh, 
Suresh Raina, 
Mohit Sharma, 
R Sharma, 
Dwayne Smith, 
AJ Tye

Both teams look solid both with the bat and ball.
CSK looks stronger with the bat slightly whereas Mumbai look a shade better on the bowling front.

MS' boys can turn around games on their sheer relentlessness while Rohit can inspire his MI team to produce an incredible batting or bowling innings. Thats how it is pioised? 

So, who will win? who will prevail? who can handle pressure better?
The clinical #CSK or the red-hot #MI? Time will tell.
May the best team win!

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Picture is Clear - CSK v MI and RCB vs RR In The Playoffs

The IPL Points table picture is finally clear on a #Super #Sunday.
After weeks of speculation, tricks and turns, rain god interruptions and some amazing cricket performances ... the final 4 teams have been decided.

1. Chennai Super Kings
2. Mumbai Indians
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
4. Rajasthan Royals

The battle for these positions was so tight and complex, #MI, #RCB and #RR actually finished on 16 points each. Mumbai pipped Bangalore on higher number of wins while RCB edged RR due to better net run rate. It was that close...

Fair to say, the best four teams qualified although KKR will feel they missed out inspite of being pretty consistent and  strong throughout while SRH will feel hard done by that heart-crushing loss vs RCB in the previous game.

Today's games held big significance for all teams

In the first one, RCB faced DD. A huge game for RCB to win and keep their qualifying hopes alive. Alarmingly for them, DD posted a strong 188 in 20 overs to send scare waves in that RCB #dugout. However, as with their two previous games - rain - affected this game too. And this time, it was kind to them. The game washed off. RCB taking a vital one point to ensure they end up on 16 points and secured a qualifying berth. It was kind of out-of-jail situation for them really because the target was indeed stiff.

The other game, it was a knockout between SRH and MI.
Hyderabad had the home advantage but were blown away by a terrific spell of fast bowling from Malinga and McClenaghan upfront to be bowled out for a paltry 113 in 20 overs. MI openers Simmons and Parthiv chased the target easily to hand over 2 points and most importantly second spot in that points table. How wheels of fortune turned for them .. after five straight defeats at the beginning of the season, to hit that #2 spot was nothing short of amazing. It must be said though that other teams floundering at wrong moments helped their cause big time.

So its all set for the play-offs stage at #IPL8

19th May 2015 - Qualifier 1 - CSK vs MI at Mumbai (MI will have big home advantage plus loser of this game gets another crack at the final)
20th May 2015 - Eliminator - RCB vs RR at Pune (Winner needs to play loser of Qualifier 1 to progress to final, Loser eliminated)
22nd May 2015- Qualifier 2 - Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Eliminator
24th May 2015 - Big final at Kolkata

Mouth watering prospect this!

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