IPL Final: Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai, Jun 1, 2008

Final: Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai, Jun 1, 2008

Stage set for blockbuster finale

As the summer blockbuster comes to an end, two of its biggest superstars clash in the finale in Mumbai. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of the Chennai Super Kings, is the highest-paid player in this league but his counterpart in the Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, has delivered better results; his success at this year's tournament would be the equivalent of the box-office returns of a Shahrukh Khan starrer.

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A win for Dhoni would justify his US$1.5m price tag but would also be a last-minute twist to the fairytale ending that would hand Warne the trophy. Warne's dual role as captain and coach of Rajasthan has been the story of the season: an entire team costing less than two-and-a-half times Dhoni's price, whose owner's low-budget strategy even got the thumbs down from the IPL's chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi, was moulded into a successful unit.

Team news

Warne termed the loss of Smith as "huge" but Kamran Akmal's presence softens the blow. Akmal's inclusion could force Mahesh Rawat, who was their wicketkeeper in the semi-final, to sit out. Niraj Patel, who has impressed in the limited opportunities he has got, could be drafted in to strengthen the batting order.

Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Niraj Patel, 2 Swapnil Asnodkar, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Shane Watson, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Shane Warne (capt), 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.

Chennai are likely to retain their winning XI unless Dhoni decides to pick Joginder Sharma, who bowled that dramatic final over against Pakistan in the World Twenty20 final last year, over L Balaji, who had a poor outing in the semi-final.

Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 S Vidyut, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt) 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 S Badrinath, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Manpreet Gony, 9 L Balaji/Joginder Sharma, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Makhaya Ntini.