In Twenty20 cricket, teams tend to chase after winning the toss. But at times, pitch and conditions also influence a captain's decision. In case of Sunday's final between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, weather too could play a role. With rain threat looming large, team batting second would have the advantage of knowing exactly how to pace the run-chase. FOLLOW| MI vs CSK, IPL final Live Score Chennai has won the toss in 12 out of 16 matches this edition of the Indian Premier League, bowling first on nine occasions and batting thrice. The M.S. Dhoni-led side has won seven times after winning the toss and three times after being on the wrong side of the coin toss. Chennai has also lost five matches after Dhoni won the toss. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma hasn't quite had a similar run of luck. Mumbai has won only seven tosses in 15 matches — opting to bat twice and bowling in five games. In IPL 2019, Mumbai has won five matches after winning the toss and five after losing the toss. It has lost twice after winning the toss.<doc-sep>Chennai Super Kings needed two runs off the final ball, when Rohit Sharma and Lasith Malinga were involved in an extended conversation. Now Rohit and Shardul both are teammates when they play for Mumbai in the domestic circuit and hence, the skipper was well aware of the range of strokes on offer. (Full scorecard) Rohit had kept the on side open to lure Shardul and then Malinga’s slow in-dipper tailed in to find Shardul plumb in-front as MI beat CSK by one run in a pulsating final. Having played a first-class cricket for Mumbai with Shardul, Rohit knew how to bring about the youngster’s downfall. ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma scripts history, becomes IPL’s most successful player “The idea was to get the batsman out. So I know Shardul really well. I kind of understand where he wants to hit, so we decided together (Malinga and him) that we’ll go for that slower option, because knowing Shardul, he would try to play a big shot and there might be a chance that he might just sky it. Again, it could have gone either way,” an elated Rohit said after the match. Rohit was ready to carry the cross had the decision to use Malinga backfired but had a gut feeling that the Sri Lankan will be able to pull it off like Mitchell Johnson did in the 2017 IPL final. Malinga repaid the faith his skipper showed in him defending nine runs off the final over. “When the decision comes off, it looks all nice. It can backfire also. At that stage, I wanted to go with experience, with somebody who has been in such situation before. And Malinga has been in that situation a million times. So we backed him to do that,” the four-time IPL champion skipper said at the post-match media interaction. The situation was eerily similar to what Rohit had faced in the 2017 final when MI beat the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiants by one run in another thrilling finish. ALSO READ: MS Dhoni reveals his future, speaks about the season and World Cup Then it was former Australian pacer Johnson, who defended 11 runs in the final over to pull-off a one-run victory. It was that deja vu moment for the MI skipper. “I clearly remember when we won here in 2017, it was Mitchell Johnson who bowled that last over and defended only 10 runs. So yes, sometimes you’ve got to go with only instincts, sometimes you’ve got to go a little backwards and think what these experienced players have done and what they bring to the table,” Rohit said. For Rohit, the most important thing was going with experience as he remembered how he had handed the ball to Johnson during the 2017 summit clash. “It was a thought when I went with Mitchell because he’s been in that situation. He’s an experienced bowler, a leading bowler. And even today, Malinga has been one of the finest T20 players that we’ve seen. We knew he could give us a chance of winning the game. “Nine runs off the last over, anything can happen but you’ve got to back experience, and that’s what we did,” the skipper said. India’s limited overs vice-captain also became the first player to win five IPL titles with one of them coming with the defunct Deccan Chargers in 2009. “Oh, I forgot that (title with DC). Yeah it is five. It’s so tough to take one out of the five. You see IPL is a very tough tournament to win. So I am not going to pick one, because all those victories, all those finals that we won. One with DC and four with MI, we’ve had exceptional seasons. “I can’t really pick one because every season has its own challenge. For me, all five, I will cherish and remember, and not pick one,” he concluded. (With agency inputs)<doc-sep>One of the most-closely fought seasons deserved this final - 2 runs needed off the final ball and Mumbai Indians defended to bag the title. Rohit Sharma ran in from the boundary, it was an absolute sprint, pure emotions which spilled over. The skipper had just become the most successful player in the history of the league. (Full scorecard) He has won five titles as a player which includes leading Mumbai Indians to glory on four occasions. Back in 2009, he was part of a winning group with the now defunct Deccan Chargers. Most wins in IPL Finals: 5 Rohit Sharma 4 Ambati Rayudu/ Kieron Pollard/ Lasith Malinga 3 Suresh Raina/ MS Dhoni/ Hardik Pandya ALSO READ: MS Dhoni reveals his future, speaks about the season and World Cup Speaking at the end of the match, the skipper was all praise for his side and credited the entire squad for chipping in at different times and making their presence felt. “Throughout the tournament, we played some good cricket which was the reason we qualified at the top. We planned to split the tournament into two parts, every thing we did as a team, we got the rewards for them. We have a squad of 25 players, everyone came in at some stage and did the job; the support-staff as well,” Rohit said after the match. He also said that it as a captain he can only back his players and that it was up to the players to make a particular plan work. “I am learning in every game, every time I take the field. I have to credit the team as well, it is up to the boys to step up otherwise the captain is made to look foolish. Credit to the boys,” he further added.<doc-sep>Being “switched on” from the first ball coupled with situational awareness has made Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma the two most successful IPL skipper, reckons iconic Sachin Tendulkar. While Dhoni’s game awareness is well-documented, Rohit, who has also led the national team as stand-in skipper, has been incredibly successful. He has won all the three IPL finals he has captained till date. “I think they (Rohit and Dhoni) are pretty sharp. MS has been leading for a number of years and Rohit has also been incredibly successful. So the ability to read the game and having that peripheral (situational) awareness makes them special captain,” Tendulkar told ‘Star Sports’ on Sunday. ALSO READ: MI vs CSK IPL Final 2019 Highlights: Mumbai beat Chennai by 1 run to lift fourth title “With MS we have seen his ability to read match situations and even Rohit is proving that (he has that awareness). Both captains are on toes and switched on from ball one,” said the Mumbai Indians’ ‘Icon’. Tendulkar also lauded the young talent that has come through along the years, growing up on the pace and frenzy of T20 cricket. “Everyone is enjoying the skills of the new generation and their ability to clear the field. Amazing talent on display and the younger generation growing on IPL, it’s contagious,” said Tendulkar, who played six seasons of IPL till 2013. Twenty20 is a format where catching the opposition off-guard is more important than just trying to play correct cricket, he said. “It’s about adaptability at the given moment in this format. How could you make the most of the six balls that you face or which you are going to bowl. It’s not always about being correct but catching your opposition off-guard and being a step ahead of opposition as far as planning is concerned,” said the legendary batsman.<doc-sep>
Mumbai Indians have won the toss and elected to bat in the IPL 2019 final against Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday. "It's a big game. This is what we prefer to do. There can be some initial help for the fast bowlers and then, for the spinners as well. We have played on tacky pitches throughout the season, we don't mind batting first. We have one change. It is an unforced change. We looked into the conditions and brought in pacer Mitchell McClenaghan in place of Jayant Yadav (off-spinner)," said MI skipper Rohit Sharma. Live updates, MI vs CSK IPL 2019 final CSK has an unchanged squad for the final. Skipper M.S. Dhoni said he would have bowled first had he won the toss. "We are a side that puts a lot of effort in fielding, so it should be fine. If the result is in your favour, then it's fine, otherwise they'll say the guys are fatigued," he said. All three previous MI-CSK finals have been won by the team batting first. 2010: CSK won by 22 runs 2013: MI won by 23 runs 2015: MI won by 41 runs On way to the final, CSK has won the toss in 12 out of 16 matches in this season. It bowled first on nine occasions and batted thrice. Dhoni's side has won seven times after winning the toss and thrice after being on the other side. On the other hand, Rohit hasn't quite had a similar run of luck. Mumbai has won only seven tosses in 15 matches — opting to bat twice and bowling in five games.