It is not for no reason that Chennai Super Kings are considered as the most consistent side in the IPL. In the eleven seasons of the league so far, the Men in Yellow have reached the finals seven times. And mind you, they didn’t feature in the last two seasons as they were suspended. So out of the nine times that they have featured in IPL, they have missed out on the final berth only twice. That is some exceptional consistency. But they have lifted the trophy only twice in their previous six dashes at the title.
They have many match-winners but who are the top three players who can help Super Kings lift the cup for the third time? Let’s take a look…
MS Dhoni
Captain Cool is the most important cog in the Chennai side. With the bat he has hit a purple patch this IPL by scoring 455 runs in 15 matches. He has finished games for his side clinically as well as given them the late impetus to post mammoth totals. Dhoni has also bailed his side out of trouble on many occasions. His captaincy has been spot on like always, as well as his wicket-keeping. He loves the big stage and soaks in the pressure like no one else does. Who can ever forget his heroics in the 2011 World Cup final! MSD will surely be the player to watch out for in the IPL 2018 final.
Ambati Rayudu
Runs and Ambati Rayudu have been synonymous in IPL this season. But the last two matches have seen him getting out cheaply. In CSK’s last league game against Kings XI Punjab, he got out for just 1 and in the first qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he went for a golden duck as he got a peach of a ball from Siddarth Kaul. So Rayudu is due for a big one and he won’t mind stepping up the gas one last time for Chennai when it matters the most. He would definitely like to add more to an already impressive tally of 586 runs from 15 matches.
Lungi Ngidi
The South African pacer has just played six games this season but he has been mighty effective. In six matches, he has picked up 10 wickets. And it’s not just the wickets, he is economical too. An economy rate of less than 6 is a mere proof of that. What it does is that it puts pressure on the batsmen to go for the big shots and perish in the process. Ngidi is a hit-the-deck bowler and hurries the batsmen, making it difficult for them to hit him for boundaries. He generally manages to get a breakthrough in the powerplay and with SRH being heavily reliant on the top 3, Ngidi looks all set to give them a tough time.
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