Season 14 - The FINALS !!

Who would have thought!!! After 16 pulsating games we have the two teams all set for the royal rumble on Saturday. The Hurricanes are leading by a slender 14 - 13 over the Wolves but the series score does not really matter anymore. 

It all comes down to the final game of Season 14. The winner takes it all and the team that comes runners up, it will become a season of haves and have nots. 

As I preview the two teams led by two outstanding captains who have led their teams magnificently with personal performances to match, the finale promises to be anything but boring. 

Both teams have 12 players to play with and have all their regulars playing. The Wolves are actually missing Shiten and Apoorv but this is where it's important to note that they have enough firepower without these two stars in the playing 12. 

Team previews: 

Hurricanes - Satya has led the team from the front. What has been different this season is that he has been in outstanding form with the ball and bat and that clearly has made his decision making on and off the ground spot on. His team has pulled their weight behind him with a few of the usual suspects not being available on most weekends. However his core with Hari and Samir have been remarkable. 

Hari has been a little reticent all season with the bat but his glove work and inputs have been invaluable. However Samir is having a season to remember. I would safely assume he has already pocketed the MVP award for the season but what the team really needs is an encore in the finals. 

When the team has Harsha, Pranav and AK in, it makes them a notch better because these 3 shore up the batting for sure but more importantly add a spark in the field which has been the achilles heel for the Canes all season. Vikram will be another person of interest because he has been in sparkling form all season and another expression of intent from him is what the Canes will love. Kishore has had a quiet season but will want to finish with a flourish and Akshat will ensure that he shows that his recent performances have not been a one off. 

The bowling has been a little scratchy all season but when they work together with the field supporting them they have managed to restrict the Wolves batting might in a half dozen games. Pranav and Ayush with the new ball, Satya and Dhruv controlling the middle and Arjun being in the zone become mighty important. 

Probable line up: 

1. AK/Akshat / Anantha 

2. Pranav 

3. Arjun / Vikram

4. Samir 

5. Harsha 

6. Satya

7. Hari 

8. Kishore

9. Dhruv

10. Ayush 

Wolfpacks - Chaitanya has been a leader on a mission after the disappointment of last season. His motivation to win was fairly evident in the last game but he will want to end on a high. 

Whenever we draw teams for a new season, the math is fairly simple, skill, availabilty and expected output. The Wolves are a mean bunch. They have quality and impact players right through their line up. And the best part for them this season is that they have had almost all of them deliver. 

Sameer has been outstanding, laughing his way to to whack the bowlers to all parts. Gopi has been super charged up and the rest of the crew with Raghu, KG and Kiran have been consistent. Kings has played like a monk up front which has helped the other batters. Aashish and HK by their standards have had average seasons but they can turn up in beast mode in the all important finals. What has not helped their cause is that with Chaitanya also batting right though in many games, some of the batters have not got a good hit all season. 

The Wolves hunt in packs and the bowling crew they have is something to fear. While it's an all pace attack with KG, Susmit, Vicky, Raghu up front the second act with HK and now Aashish also bowling is menacing to say the least. Chaitanya comes and bowls himself in right through the innings and what this means is options aplenty. The only limiting factor could be the similarity of the attack but this is where change in pace and length have helped the Wolves. 

Did I forget the fielding? The Wolves clearly have a superior ring of fielders who are almost specialists in their spots and this is something the Canes will need to be wary of. 

Probable line up:  

1. Raghu

2. Kings

3. Susmit / Chaitanya 

4. HK

5. Sameer

6. KG/ Aashish 

7. Gopi / Kiran 

8. Naren

9. Vicky

10. Ahaan 

Being an all important game, I think both teams will adopt a safety first approach and want to bowl first. A score of 110-120 batting first could prove to be a winning score. Conditions will be super dry and almost similar to last week. 

So let us all hope for a cracker of a game and maiden cricket keeps throwing up more surprises. 

Final take, Hurricanes will bat first, score 107 and win by 3 runs. 

MOM : Pranav!!