Final: Mumbai Indians vs. Chennai Super Kings
Sunday, April 25th, Mumbai

Only a year ago, the Mumbai Indians were near the bottom of the table – second last to be precise. A year later, they stand on top of the points table, and looking like the team most likely to win the third season of the IPL.

This story of a team turning around to give a superb performance the next season has been seen every time in the IPL. Rajasthan Royals won the IPL 2008, Deccan came last and Bangalore second last. In IPL 2009, it was Deccan and Bangalore who were the finalists, while Mumbai were second last. And this year, Mumbai have made a magnificent entry through to the finals. For all we know, just going by this odd statistics, Kolkata might finally have their chance a IPL or two down the road!

And back in Mumbai, the finals have brought together, the most consistent team of the IPL tournaments – Chennai Super Kings, who have made it to the semi finals for the third time in a row, and Mumbai, the most consistent performers in this IPL season. Going by the recent performances, Mumbai have a strong upper hand, with the Master Blaster in full form, and a very confident and performing side.

Chennai do have a class batting side, though they haven’t been able to fire together. On paper, a team comprising hard hitters like MS Dhoni, Mathew Hayden, and Suresh Raina, along with a consistent middle order of M Vijay, S Badrinath, Morkel and Hussey, should be good enough to take on a Mumbai side. Yet this Mumbai side, isn’t quite like the side we saw in the previous years. Sure they have only Tendulkar and Duminy whose reputation may match Hayden, Dhoni and Raina, but with new comers and unknowns like Tiwary, Rayudu, Dhawan firing with Pollard to back them up with his hard hitting; on the ground this team has been able to deliver what seems only like a promise unkept from the Chennai side.

With top class bowlers like Harbhajan, Zaheer, Malinga and Pollard on the Mumbai side, and bowlers who have given better performances than could be asked from them - Ashwin, Bollinger, Muralitharan and Raina, this might not simply be the big hitting match that everyone anticipates! We all hope though that it would be a close entertaining one that will leave better memories of this IPL than what the scandals being covered about the IPL in the media.

….and now for the astrological analysis!

Mumbai Indians:	Performance	.	Chennai Super Kings:	Performance
Sachin Tendulkar		.	M Vijay
Harbhajan Singh			Matthew Hayden
JP Duminy			S Badrinath
S Tiwary			MS Dhoni
AT Rayadu			JA Morkel
KA Pollard			Justin Kemp
S Dhawan			R Ashwin
Zaheer Khan			Suresh Raina
SL Malinga			M Muralitharan		.

Mumbai Indians:
The Mumbai Indians are led by their captain, Sachin Tendulkar, who has led from the forefront. They have a host of top performing players in their side too. The astrological horoscope analysis of the team members points to the following:
	Sachin Tendulkar -Sachin is by far the most complete batsman and the biggest cricketing icon of this era. He has had a wonderful run so far in the IPL. He is currently passing the Rahu-Venus-Jupiter period. Jupiter is debilitated but the debilitation is cancelled due to its conjunction with exalted Mars. The transiting Jupiter is aspecting the 10th House and the transiting Venus is moving over the natal Mercury. On the day of the IPL final, Sachin will likely deliver an above-average to superb performance, unless he meets a bowler with a very strong Jupiter influence that may cause him difficulties. Regadless, expect him to be in high spirits, due to the planetary combinations.
	Harbhajan Singh -The Turbanator has had an interesting season in this IPL so far. The pitches have supported spinners, who are the leading wicket takers this time. And ‘Bhajji’ is the fourth highest wicket taker in this IPL right now. At an economy of 7.01, he is also by far one of the most accurate and savvy bowlers for the Mumbai Indians. On the evening of the match, he is facing the 3rd Moon. His bowling spell will be wonderful. He will try to throw some deliveries that will surprise the opposition and he may be successful in gaining 2-3 wickets. His contribution as a bowler will be remarkable in any case, and he is likely to keep the opposition’s run scoring in check.
	Zaheer Khan - India’s seniormost fast bowler is also the leading wicket taker amongst the fast bowlers in this IPL season. With 14 wickets in his kitty so far, at an economy of 7.71, Zaheer along with Malinga forms a lethal pace attack for the Mumbai Indians. This IPL seasons the stars have favoured him. He will prove his good work again as at the time of match his Jupiter, Saturn again favour an all- round performance. On the evening of the match, he will face 7th Moon during the hours of the match. This should translate into a pressurizing spell for the opposition team.
	Saurabh Tiwary - He has been one of the finds in this IPL season. With his long hairs, some have compared him to Dhoni in his earlier days, and with an average of 32 and a strike rate of 136 in this IPL season, he seems to be justifying this praise. Sure enough, he stands amongst the Top 10 run getters in this IPL season, so far. Tiwary has Libra, Moon and Saturn in his natal chart. On the evening of the match, he is facing 8th Moon during the match hours. His performance as all-rounder can place the Mumbai Indians in a commanding position. However, he needs to watch out for pressure, which can lead him to throw away his wicket.
	JP Duminy -Duminy really hasn’t had much chance to play in this IPL. But when he has, he has contributed heavily for his team. Though he hasn’t even hit a fifty or a hundred, he averages a 49 in this IPL Season. This demonstrates his solid consistency. Sure enough his stars show this too. Duminy has the Aquarius Lagna. His natal Moon belongs to Gemini and Jupiter with Rahu in the 10th and Mercury and Saturn in the 11th house. On the evening of the match, he is having Taurus Moon transit equal 12th from his birth Moon. It is an excellent position that shows he will be able to perform well, and the team will be pleased. On a personal level, he may see a better performance if Mumbai Indians chase during the match.
	KA Pollard -Born on May 12, 1987 in Trinidad, Pollard has always been a big hitter. He has done his reputation justice with his strike rate of 180 in this IPL season. An asset for the Mumbai Indians down the order, Pollard is likely to have another great outing at the finals. Based on his horoscope, he may be inclined to perform better while bowling than batting though.

Chennai Super Kings:
The Chennai Super Kings are led by their captain, MS Dhoni, who is now back into the side. They have a large number of contributors on their side, and we are not going to analyze the horoscopes of each in detail. The astrological horoscope analysis of the key team members points to the following:
	MS Dhoni – Born on July 7, 1981 in Ranchi, Dhoni has captained the Indian side and the Chennai side with grit. Though he was out for a few matches, Dhoni has been remarkable on his return. A respectable average of 33, a blasting strike rate of 134 and a reputation for being able to adjust in any role are just the few reasons why Dhoni will be targeted early by the Mumbai Indians. Earlier, we predicted that the destructive wicket-keeper batsman has mixed planetary influences during IPL-3. He can be aggressive with the bat and will be good behind the wickets in IPL-3. Retrograde Saturn in Virgo may hamper his progress upto some extent during the month of-April. In today's match, the rising Libra lagna and transiting Moon of Cancer will keep him in highest sprit and bating stamina . As per Sadhesati of Saturn, MS Dhoni can get some wonderful achievements in the final match also. However, inspite of his being careful and in good form, sadhesati can also cause unexpected loss and malefic result. According to ruling dasha, Dhoni will provide a morale boost to his team mates, but he should also watch out for injuries.
	Matthew Hayden -Matthew Lawrence Hayden was born on 29 October 1971 in Australia. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels. He was the leading scorer in the second edition of the IPL, and while in this season he has been unable to repeat his feats, he is one batsman that the opposition would like to send back to the pavilion early, form or no form! On the day of the match, the moon is transiting the 6th house in his horoscope and Libra lagna is in opposition to his birth. In the finals, he needs to be careful in the first 20 minutes, if the Chennai Super Kings bat first, and he could well become the Man of the Match.
	Suresh Raina –Suresh Kumar Raina was born on 27 November 1986 in UP, India. He is primarily a left-hand batsman, who is known for his ability to hit the stumps from the infield. Raina has started delivering superb performances both for India and his IPL team. He is the leading run scorer for Chennai, and is fourth on the overall IPL run getter table. With an average of 42 and a strike rate of 141, he is a batsman to beware in this match. Suresh Raina has Virgo Moon and Ketu at the time of his birth. He has Mercury and Venus in his 2nd house and Sun and Saturn in the 3rd house, Mars and Jupiter in the 6th, Rahu is in the 7th house. On the day of the match, Suresh Raina will face 1st Moon of transit as against his natal Moon. His Sadhe Sati and Rahu dasa restricts his potential somewhat during this match, but provide him a challenging spirit. If Chennai are in a difficulty, this challenging spirit could cause him to navigate the difficult periods and receive praise for his efforts.
	Muttiah Muralitharan –Muttiah Muralitharan was born on 17 April 1972 in Sri Lanka. This IPL season, Murali has missed a couple of matches, and yet he has managed to grab more wickets than Kumble, his old competitor. What would worry Murali is his inability to restrict the run flow in this tournament. At an economy rate of 7.4, Murali has performed average in this respect. Muralitharan has Virgo Lagna, Jupiter in the 4th, Rahu in the 5th house, Mercury in the 7th house, and Sun in the 8th house, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Moon in the 9th house. During the IPL final, the moon transits the 4th house, while the Sun transits the 11th house and Jupter the 10th. Muralitharan will deliver an aggressive bowling spell and create a struggle for the Mumbai Indians. He can be successful in taking out 2-3 crucual wickets during the final match at the Dr. D.Y. Patil Stadium.