THE MEGA-FINALS - Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Superkings

The two best teams in the inaugural DLF IPL will be going head-to-head in what promises to be a mouth-watering, heart-stopping climax. Don't go by the one-sided matches in the semi-finals ! Just think back to the last time these two great teams met in Chennai to remember what a superb game of cricket it was. Here's to a repeat of such a game - with one key difference - the end result !!!

Not only are these the two best teams - they are also the two best-led teams. Warne and Dhoni are the two magicians who will conduct the show. It's one of India's most charismatic and successful limited-overs captain against arguably the greatest captain the World never had !

Teams
Rajasthan have truly been a great team - a worthy opponent to face in the finals - unlike say, Punjab, who were more pretenders than anything else. They have given us some wonderful cricket, some delightful memories - the way Shane Warne has led this team has been simply inspiring.

Strengths - Batting order with well-defined roles, Tanvir, Warne, Watson - the best all-rounder
Weaknesses - Will miss Smith, Perhaps the seamers to backup Tanvir and Watson ?

Chennai - we have displayed the one great trait of a champion side - the ability to lift our game when it matters most. We peaked at the start of the tournament, went through a bit of a lean patch but are just beginning to bring our best at the climax. You can rely on the captaincy of Dhoni to handle situations like these.

Strengths - Raina striking some serious form, Dhoni, Morkel - an all-rounder not quite as good as Watson, but a fair competitor, Ntini striking form, Gony
Weaknesses - Opening - remains the Achille's heel of our team, back-up bowling.

League Record 2-0 in favor of the Royals
First game we were blown off by the Sohail-storm, but in the home game we gave a memorable fight. However, Watson did not play that game. But the main backbone of the batting in that game Graeme Smith is out injured, so that could be a huge bonus

Royal Contests
Akmal v Ntini
Asnodkar v Gony
Watson v Morkel
Yusuf v Murali
Raina v Tanvir
Dhoni v Warne

So let's get the party started ! Bring out your drinks, put out your tents and start pouring in your rants and opinions on this mega-blockbuster !

Semifinals - King's X1 Punjab v Chennai Superkings - Review

We have done it guys ! We have inflicted a humiliating defeat upon our favorite opposition and romped through to the finals in style ! What a momentous and glorious win this is for everyone associated with the Chennai Superkings !

So unfairly written off and labeled as the weakest of the four semifinalists, and then, branded as underdogs we have shown the World that they can take us lightly only at their own peril.

Analysis
Punjab: Shaun Marsh, Sangakarra both failed, as they were due a failure anyway. No one else stood up, weak middle order, Yuvraj couldn't stand up, as expected. Bowling showed no teeth

Chennai: Ntini who was a bit of a worry, came to the party just at the right time. Gony, as predicted, was superb. Parthiv did a decent job. Raina of course was brilliant.

Was this the PERFECT performance ? Does this leave scope for another perfect performance tomorrow ?

The expressions on Yuvraj's face were precious.

We have shown that rather than putting up a false bravado just keeping calm and going about the job quietly works wonders. Just one more step away from justifying our name "Super" Kings !

Second Semifinal - King's X1 Punjab v Chennai Superkings - Preview

Today it is. Do or die day. No more second chances, no more bothering about tables and run-rates and the like. On the opposite side is our favorite opponent - King's X1 Punjab - a team that we like to beat and hold some grudge against. Also a team that is on the up, and supremely confident, a bit too confident if you like. At stake, is a chance to contest in the finals of the inaugural DLF IPL Final !

Favorites ?
What a question !

League Record: 2-0 in favor of Super Kings
In the first game, we totally annihilated them - but those were different days as we had Mike Hussey with us. But more encouragingly we had a very good win in the return game also, despite Shaun Marsh batting well. It seemed Dhoni Raina and Badrinath relished taking on the all Indian bowling attack and then Balaji sealed it off with a super-spell !

Teams
Punjab
Strengths - Shaun Marsh, Sangakarra
Weaknesses - Yuvraj, dicey lower-middle order, part of the bowling can be tonked around

Chennai
Strengths - Key players are beginning to show form (Raina, Morkel, Dhoni, Gony, Murali)
Weaknesses - Opening combination, Backup bowling, below par performances by Ntini and Murali

Royal Contests
Marsh v Gony
Sangakarra v Murali
Raina v Chawla
Dhoni v Irfan

And That’s How It’s Done!

For all those doubting Thomases (or Saurabhs or Narayans), hope the Chennai team has proved you guys wrong by marching into the semifinals with a convincing if not emphatic win. The semifinals are here now and from now on it’s down to which team plays better on the day.

This was a match in which, all said and done, we were always going to be favorites. We did everything right in the first ten overs of our bowling – but let it slip away slightly in the second half. This is a bit worrying. I would have liked to see us bowling the opposition out for 120-odd and the performance of Morkel and Balaji yesterday with the ball left a bit to be desired.

In the batting department, the old habit of the openers of throwing away their wickets when there is absolutely no need continues to be a worry. Raina was really encouraging but what was most relieving was seeing MS Dhoni bat. This is perhaps the best and most free I have seen him bat since his fabulous innings against Bangalore 10 games ago. MS coming into his own can only mean great news for us and ominous signs for the rest of the teams. Also, I do think Morkel took a little long to settle down yesterday which made the finish just a little bit more tense than necessary.

So we take on Punjab a team over which we have major psychological advantage, aided by the fact that we have Dhoni who seems to have some psychological hold over Yuvraj. I fancy our chances to make it through to the finals!

Positives
1) Gony – Fantastic spell first up

2) Murali – Though not at his best bowled much better than earlier

3) Raina – Finally saw the team through

4) Dhoni – Just the way he was striking the ball today was ominous

Negatives

1) Morkel – Disappointing with the ball, adequate with the bat, but we can pass this off as just a bad day, he has been great otherwise

2) Fleming – Yet another waste of a start

3) Parthiv – Just when we thought he had turned a leaf in the last game he is back to his old ways.

Do we have a chance to go all the way now? I believe we do, I definitely believe we can beat Punjab, Rajasthan might be slightly tough provided we don’t get a couple of issues sorted out. One, as Dhoni said, we need the bowling to be potent throughout. In every game it is one of the bowlers who is shining while the others are only restricting. We need all our bowlers to fire away. Two, we need Fleming to fire and fire big time – like say score a hundred.

If this can be done, I think we will be able to finish off the tournament like we started it – as the best team! Good Luck Chennai !

The Last Hurrah

It was my last day in Chennai. Tomorrow I would leave for home, perhaps never to return to this lovely city again. Of course, I would wish to, and dearly want to, but who is to say what the future has in store for us? Chennai had given me so many wonderful memories, taught me so many important lessons and generally, offered me a very pleasant stay. But it was all coming to an end, as all good things must. But not before another visit to the Chepauk.

Today, the Chennai Super Kings took on the Rajasthan Royals, the top team in the championship by a long way, in a crucial game. As an added bonus, Shankar Mahadevan was scheduled to perform before the game. Cricket had been the highlight of my stay in Chennai and there was no way I could have given this a miss.

I made my way in, nice and early, mainly to catch in as much of the Shankar Mahadevan performance as possible. It was a bit of a disappointment as the loud-speakers in our stand were not functioning properly. Also, all said and done, a cricket stadium is not acoustically the best equipped arena for a musical performance.

I was initially a bit disappointed at the crowd response. It seemed like an afternoon game would not attract the large crowds that I had seen a couple of weekends ago for the evening game against Punjab. These fears proved to be unfounded though – as people took their own sweet time to make their entry but by the time the toss was done the stadium was already nearly full.

We never really got into the game while we were bowling. From the first over when Makhaya Ntini conceded a free hit that was efficiently put in the stands by Asnodkar, it was just not our day with the ball. Dhoni fielding in the deep did get the crowds going and added spark to the game but in the end we ended up conceding a mammoth 211.

It was only when Fleming deposited Yusuf Pathan into the stands did the match really come alive for us – though he departed soon after with a silly run out. When Raina joined Parthiv we still had no clue that we were about to see something special. In no time Raina had launched a spectacular thrilling attack on Munaf and the whole stadium reverberated to the strokes of Raina’s bat. That ignited spark soon raged into a fire – one that burnt long after Raina departed throwing his wicket away through the Parthiv-Morkel partnership and up until Dhoni was fooled by Tanvir at which point the fairytale finally came to an end.

It would have been a perfect way to sign off had we been able to cross the line. Of course, life is not perfect, but I left the stadium once again with no regrets, as I left Chennai the day after. I shall continue to support Chennai through the rest of the tournament and hopefully, be back again for another season at some point in the future.

Deccan Chargers v Chennai Super Kings - Preview

It has all boiled down to this. Match 54 of DLF IPL 2008 which could decide the fate of Chennai Super Kings, our Chennai Super Kings once and for all - a win here would straightaway put us in the semifinals that too at the No. 3 spot. Defeat would still not mean the end of the road but we would have to rely on a resurgent Bangalore team beating a messy Mumbai the day after.

If we are to hold our destiny in our own hands the task definition is simple - beat Deccan Chargers the team guaranteed to end up at the bottom of the table. When we met them at home earlier, we came up with one of our most disappointing batting shows to concede the advantage and that has kind of put us in the situation we are in today. That win was one of the few high points for the Deccan Chargers. They haven't managed another win in 6 games after that, but Chennai has also been very inconsistent, winning 3 and losing the other 3.

As the table stands Chennai are still in the 4th position with 14 points but face the only challenge from Mumbai who are sixth with 12 and have a game in hand as also a much superior run-rate. The presence of Gilchrist and the law of averages, as also memories of last time's defeat makes tomorrow's game tricky for the Super Kings. Dhoni really needs to be on top of his game to pull it off here.

Teams
Super Kings - The batting looks fairly well-settled - possibly Viduyt could come back in place of Abhinav Mukund, the bowling as per Dhoni is also well settled, but problematically completely fell apart in the last game. So the question is whether to stick to this attack or bring in someone out of the blue - Palani Amarnath might not be a bad choice in the situation.

For the Chargers, expect to see Chamara Silva make way for the return of either Afridi or Styris. Ojha, who had tied up Dhoni so well last time is also likely to make a return.

In all seriousness I feel the only man who can stand between Chennai and a semifinals slot is Adam Gilchrist. Get him quick and romp into the semifinals ! Good Luck Chennai !

Revenge Battles
Patel v Vijay (Vijay)
Fleming v Styris (Styris)
Raina v Afridi (Raina)
Raina v Bangar (Bangar)
Badri v Afridi (Afridi)
Dhoni v Ojha (Ojha)
Morkel v Ojha (Morkel)
Gilchrist v Ntini (Gilchrist)
Gilchrist v Morkel (Morkel)
Gibbs v Gony (Gony)

A Spirited Fight - But Just Not Enough !

Hmm .. I suppose if you can contrive to throw away a match like this, then sometimes luck can hit you hard in all the wrong places despite coming up with a most spirited and laudable effort like today. The other night against Bangalore, the bowlers came up with a superlative performance that the batsmen wasted and today, when the batsmen finally stood up to the challenge, the bowlers had done just so badly that it proved a mile too far in the end.

So with the sixth loss, and with Mumbai refusing to do us a favor by eliminating Delhi we are locked in a tight battle with the other two for two semifinal slots - a battle that is likely to go down to the wire.

As a game of cricket, today was fantastic. Rajasthan Royals batsmen played really well - Smith, Asnodkar and Akmal in particular, although you have to admit that our bowling was lacklustre. With the reply we gave them it does seem like it was a very true batting wicket. In the end, that man Sohail Tanvir proved the difference yet again with two very miserly spells, most crucially the last one in which he got the wicket of Dhoni.


But before that Raina, Parthiv and Morkel really took the fight to the Royals. Raina's early assault on Mumaf was particularly breath-taking. Mind you, today was a full stadium and it reverberated with every stroke Raina lashed. In the end, one has to say, that yet again, he threw his wicket when there was no need to. Warnie's spell when he got Parthiv also proved to be critical.

Positives
1) Fight - I feared that the team might collapse under the sheer pressure of the volume of the runs. To their credit this didn't happen and the challenge brought out the best in the batsmen
2) Raina, Parthiv Morkel striking form - superb batting !

Negatives
1) Bowling - Though it was a batting track the bowling never looked to have any incision, or worse, even purpose. I would say the likes of Ntini should take major blame for this
2) Fleming - What a meaningless waste of a wicket !
3) Dhoni - I worry that increasingly bowlers are figuring out how to keep him quiet and he is also getting out in the process

Fortunately, we still have our destiny in our own hands, unlike Delhi. We have to beat bottom-placed Deccan Chargers in our last game and we are through. Maybe after we brought shame upon ourselves against Bangalore, and Lady Luck punished us against Rajasthan for that, hoepfully all things should fall into place for this crucial game. In the last two games we have shown that our bowlers and batsmen can do it - they just need to put it together.


Revenge Battle Results
Tanvir v Parthiv - Draw
Tanvir v Fleming - Draw
Munaf v Raina - REVENGE for Raina
Tanvir v Morkel - Tanvir wins !
Warne v Morkel - Morkel wins again !
Asnodkar v Gony - Asnodkar wins AGAIN
Yusuf v Murali - Draw

Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals - Preview

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings

On May 4, in the sands of the Rajasthan desert, a different kind of storm struck. It was in the form of a tiny left-arm fast bowler with a weird action running through the top order of the Chennai Super Kings with a force and guile unmatched. Tomorrow, the battle will resume - the storm will be eager to rebound with a bang - in its path it has destroyed other cities too - and now when it blows down South to Chennai can Dhoni's warriors show the strength to hold their own against it ?

It was around this time that Rajasthan made the leap to the top of the table - and they have managed to hold on to that spot ever since. That was also when Chennai themselves relinquished control over top spot and have been more or less at No. 3 ever since. Rajasthan will be itching to stay on top of course, and continue their momentum. Expect a battle in which fire is fought by fire when these two proud teams take to the field.

Teams
Chennai: Does Parthiv get another chance ? Will Dhoni be fit enough to keep wickets ? Will we get our batting order right ? And more importantly will the batsmen be able to show some sense and cool unlike last time ?

Rajasthan: It seems like everything that Warne touches will turn to gold. If he asks any random player, young or old, Indian or foreign, to do a job for him, the player will do it. What will be interesting is to see how he actually sustains the momentun - and how long can he do it ? After all winning 9 out of your 11 matches should take its toll. It is worth noting that the one match in they failed against Mumbai they did not get a start and lost wickets at regular intervals. We would do well to pick up some hint here. Yusuf Pathan is a major threat. Then of course there is the magician Warne himself - who had completely baffled MSD last time around, and the tiny left-armer Sohail Tanvir.

Revenge Battles
Tanvir v Parthiv
Tanvir v Fleming
Tanvir v Vidyut
Munaf v Raina
Trivedi v Raina
Watson v Badri
Warne v Dhoni
Tanvir v Morkel
Warne v Morkel
Asnodkar v Gony
Asnodkar v VIdyut
Yusuf v Murali
Yusuf v Vidyut
Watson v Vidyut

Note: Tomorrow will be my last day in Chennai. I have had a most memorable stay in Chennai. I shall of course continue to support the Chennai Super Kings after I leave. Today I will be at the stadium for one last time to support my team ! Thanks Chennai ! Go Super Kings !

The Path For Chennai

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings

If we win any one of the next two games, we are THROUGH.

If Mumbai beat Delhi we are THROUGH even if we lose both our games.

Otherwise, (i.e. if we lose both our games, and Delhi beat Mumbai) we can still go THROUGH if Mumbai loses their other two games as well, i.e. to Rajasthan and Bangalore. In short, if Mumbai loses all its games, we are THROUGH even if we don't win any more games. If Mumbai loses to Delhi but wins one of their other two games (either Rajasthan or Bangalore) then we will have to rely on run-rate.

If we lose both our games, and Mumbai loses to Delhi BUT wins the other two games - we are OUT.

The easiest thing for us would be - to just win a game and be happy ! :D:D:D

An Embarassment

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings Fans

There is no other way I can think of to describe today's defeat. It was shocking, stunning, horrible, pathetic, abysmal and inexcusable. Full credit to Bangalore for the way they fought. But that should not take away from the sheer imbecility in our performance. Any team that contrives to lose after restricting the opposition to 127 and then being 85 for 2 in 14 overs surely deserves all the brickbats that it gets.

No batsman can be spared. So here's a lowdown on each.
1) What the hell is Parthiv doing up the order ? Yet again he has thrown away his wicket. Yet again he has proved that even when he comes up with a decent partnership he does not quite look a batsman that any opposition will be afraid of.

2) What the hell was Fleming trying to do ? Complacency oozed out from every shot of his in the later stages of his innings. WHY ?

3) What the hell was Dhoni doing ? All it needed at that stage was for Dhoni to stay till the end and victory would have been assured.

4) What was that shot from Badrinath ? Why would a batsman with his arsenal attempt a ridiculous shot like that on the last ball of Kumble's spell ? Did he get pressurised by the close-in field ? Does he have a mental weakness in that case ? Is that the reason why he has not yet broken into Team India ?

5) Where is Morkel when we need him ? The hook shot is the one shot that is not quite in his toolkit. Why did he have to go for it that too off a quality bowler like Dale Steyn ?

6) At the expense of sounding harsh, why does Vidyut frequently bat like an idiot ?

7) What about Goni ? Forget the way he got out, weren't the hoicks that he played and missed before that ridiculous enough ? And why did he have to get out when 10 runs were scored off that over already ?

8) And finally what about Raina ? He played a couple of glorious cricketing shots and otherwise came up with ugly heaves which he predictably failed to connect. Just earlier in the day Sachin Tendulkar had given a master-class in elegant 2020 striking. Pity this youngster touted as the future of Indian batting didn't quite pick it up.

It was indeed pathetic and pitiable to see him at the end trying to hold on to strike by all means and being unable to connect even a single ball. Praveen Kumar bowled the last over for 1 run !!!

Meanwhile credit to Bangalore. Really heartening to see Dravid smile and get pumped up again. And what a spell by the old warrior Kumble ! The only tragedy is that it came at our expense. Why couldn't they do this to Delhi or Punjab or any other team instead ?

Revenge Battle Results
Patel v Praveen - Draw
Raina v Praveen - Clearly Praveen gets the revenge !
Raina v Akhil - Draw
Dravid v Gony - Draw

Chennai Super Kings v Bangalore Royal Challengers Preview

Don't Relax
The most important message for the team ahead of this game should be to not be complacent. The danger lurks because we are playing the worst team in the competition at home and a win will almost guarantee us a semifinal slot. But there is every chance that Dravid's team by law of averages, if nothing else, might play a decent game and the only prayer is - may that not happen against us !!!

While Dravid's men have nothing to lose, I'm fairly confident that Dhoni will make sure we take this game very seriously. This is where his man-management skill as captain should come into play. For if we guard against that we are far too strong a team for the Royally Challenged to mount any challenge.

Teams
We are just about getting our combination right after the Kolkata game. Ntini coming to form has been a huge shot in the arm for us. Badrinath and Dhoni's good form is of course heartening. Fleming is beginning to find his feet. The only thing now that should give the icing on the cake is a match-winning innings from Raina. That would mean our batting will be firing on all cylinders. I had mentioned that the bowling looked a bit lacklustre in the last game and I hope this will be the game in which Murali picks up a few wickets.

For the Challengers, nothing seems to be working. They have tried out all sorts of players in all sorts of combinations, switched roles, and reswitched them but all in vain. What will be interesting is the performance of the youngsters - Praveen Kumar, Kohli (if he plays) and Goswami - who I believe is a fine talent. Misbah showed some signs of return to form in the last game. Dravid is of course a class act, and Steyn can trouble some of our batters - remember the way he harassed Dhoni in the test match at this very venue in March ?

Revenge Battles
Patel v Zaheer - Patel got off to a brisk start
Patel v Praveen - Praveen got Patel eventually
Raina v Praveen, Akhil - Raina had launced into these bowlers before getting run out
Dhoni v Steyn - OHOHOHOHOHO ... who can forget that memorable assault on Steyn ?
Dhoni v Zaheer - Dhoni didn't spare his own bowler either but Zak got him in the end
Gony v Chipli - Gony got the BRC opener "cheaply"
Gony v Dravid - Gony got the wall first ball !

Also read Robin's review on Chennai Super Kings Fans.

A Crucial Win

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings Fans

Rain and Duckworth and Lewis combined together to make our task much easier today, but it would be fair to say we fully deserved this win the way we played. We must note that we have never lost a game bowling first and that should say something. Of course Kolkata was a weak batting team as I mentioned in my preview but we had to bowl well nevetherless. What was even more impressive was the way our openers batted before the rain. It is conceivable that they knew about the impending weather - and played the perfect game i.e. to keep wickets in hand and not go for too much, because the Duckworth Lewis system can create havoc with the target with every wicket you lose. In the end the 3 run defeat margin did not really reflect the true nature of the contest.

It was an inspired choice to play Ntini - one which I myself wasn't convinced about, but a lot of our readers were and well done to them ! It was even more astonishing to see that no one noticed his hat-trick including himself for a long time ! And this hat-trick constituted three top order players, each breakthrough turning out to be crucial in the context of the game. Well as Ntini bowled, I do think there is more improvement that can be shown on the bowling front by other bowlers - I thought we should have restricted Kolkata to abut 130 today.

With this win, we shall be breathing much easier and would be "quite safe" with regards to making it to the semifinals.

Problem Areas

1) Bowling - With the exception of Ntini, the rest of the bowling still looked toothless, even surprisingly, Gony. Murali is a major worry now, earlier though he was not picking wickets he was economical. Today he was really taken to task.

2) Fielding - The fielding was less than impressive with Vidyut in particular not looking too flash.

Kudos

1) Ntini - For his splendid performance, but even more so, for the decision to play him
2) Fleming - Finally he is looking like the Fleming we know, the one who can strike the ball crisply and score big at a brisk rate.

Now hopefully an easy win at home against minnows Bangalore, shoud virtually seal the deal for us.

Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match Preview

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings Fans.

This is going to be a big game for both teams. While the winner won't necessarily be a certainty (esp. if it is Kolkata) for the semifinals, and the loser won't necessarily be out of contention (esp, if it is Chennai), the fact is that the balance will shift by a big margin depending on the outcome.

The biggest thing that Kolkata have going for them is the Eden Gardens factor. I think along with Shoaib it was the single most important reason for their win the other night against Delhi. The weakest link for them is their pathetic batting lineup and Chennai need to exploit this like Mumbai did yesterday.

Teams
For Kolkata Ganguly is the only hope as far as batting is concerned, maybe the odd innings by Hussey. I think it will be prudent to include a technically sound player like Taibu and bench the completely unimpressive Hafeez. The bowling however looks very good - maybe Agarkar will miss out again, and the spinner will get a chance given the nature of the Kolkata wicket.

So what can Chennai do ? Fleming's form continues to remain a worry. Should he be persisted with now that there are only 4 more games in the league to go ? Should he be allowed to come in at 3 or 4 ? Should Kapugedara be pushed up to open ? Will Raina finally play a defining knock ? Will Badri and Dhoni be able to continue their good run. The so-called strong batting is the main worry, though the bowling, as widely known, is thin. Is it worth it to bring back Ntini and sacrifise a batsman like Kapugedara ? All very interesting questions.

Revenge Battles
Ganguly v Joginder - Joginder dismissed Ganguly last time for a low score
Saha v Gony - Gony was hit but got Saha in the end
Saha v Amarnath - (if Amarnath plays), Saha got stuck into him last time
Hussey v Amarnath - Amarnath got him first ball last time
Hafeez v Amarnath - Another player that Amarnath got the better of
Shukla v Joginder
Agarkar v Patel
Shukla, Kartik v Dhoni

We Lost To The Better Player !

I choose to quote Steve Waugh today for there is nothing else that can describe today's performance. Yes, we struggled with the bat and the ball early but once in a while Jayasuriya can produce an innings of such bloody magnificence that even a total of 300 would appear tiny. It was another sensational IPL performance and immediately finds mention in my moments post earlier.

Chennai Superkings vs Mumbai Indians - Preview

It's all building up to a very exciting final third of the IPL. After a grand opening, there was a bit of a lull with a few dud games but yesterday the stars lit up Eden and today the biggest Maharathi of them all, is going to make his belated, yet much anticipated entry.

The best part is he will be walking in against one of the stronger teams of the championship and one which is on the rise again. Chennai Superkings is led by Dhoni, whose leadership qualitities, apparently, were first noticed by SRT himself. What will happen when the two lock horns ?

For more details follow Robin's review here.

Although this is Sachin's first foray, the two teams did meet before. Here are some revenge battles we can look forward to:

Raina and Dhoni versus the entire Mumbai attack (whom they shredded to pieces last time)
Gony v Jayasuriya

One battle which did not quite happen last time but I'm keen to see is Murali v Jayasuriya.

A Game Full of Freaking Highs !!

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings Fans.

Woohooo !! What a game that was last night ! One of the best in the IPL so far, if not as close as some of the others ! I was there once again right in the thick of the action ! The last couple of games had been a bit low-key what with them being scheduled on weekdays and Chennai losing out. But on Saturday night, the Chidambaram Stadium was once again packed to the rafters - for the first time since .. ummm .. the Kolkata game yeah ! And Dhoni and his boys did not disappoint.

It is hard for me to pinpoint what was the highlight of the the night ! Was it the sight of the world's best bowler, Muralitharan and the best batsman Sangakkara, donning opposite colors, meeting at the center of the ground before the game ? Was it Preity Zinta arriving at the stadium from the gate right next to the stand where I was sitting and then moving along the boundary ? Was it Badrinath smashing the ball and in particular being the first batsman in the IPL (need to check this) to maximize the free hit ? Or was it Dhoni's two big hits each of which landed a few feet either side of me ? Or those by Marsh that cleared the ground with so much ease ? Finally, was it that fantastic spell by the folk-hero Laxmipathy Balaji ?


The King's X1 were easily one of the more sporting teams to have arrived in Chennai - particularly the Sri Lankans in the squad. That meeting between Sangakarra and Murali was quite clearly a photo moment (as was Preity's entry later, Preity actually looks prettier in person than on camera, a rare phenomenon) - of course I could capture neither due to my lack of possession of a decent camera-phone. Later, during the game I could see Jayawardene helping out Chawla, patting him on the back and giving him tips when he was being hammered.

Badrinath's batting was superb. For long I wanted to see this guy in action having heard raving reviews about him from Tamil Nadu cricket followers. Dhoni really took to Chawla but preferred to play out his other team-mates, Irfan and Sreesanth, both of whom bowled really well I thought. At one point when Sreesanth bowled Dhoni a bouncer, Yuvraj came up and had some words - I don't know what he said, but clearly Yuvi was in quite a foul mood today and that was not elevated when he flopped royally when batting.

180 was a fair score, though by no means a massive one. But we got behind the home team from ball one when they were in the field and made such a noise that the pressure was huge on the visitors. The fielding at the start was quite brilliant, especially with Murali hitting the stumps with great regularity. And on a couple of occasions when some of the fielders were sloppy, Dhoni really let go at them and asked them to focus. Well, Shaun Marsh did hit some towering sixes right out off the ground, but once Balaji got himself into the act there was only really going to be one winner.

Balaji may have only briefly shone on the cricket field, but already he is a mini-legend. Not entirely for his cricketing skills, which incidentally, are substantial, but also for his massive, easy almost casual smile and his long locks of hair. Just ask the Pakistani girls who saw him in 2004. The Balaji of today is much slower in pace, than in his heyday and with a remodeled action, yet the skill is still there. Last night he got surprising bounce that none of the other bowlers on show could manage and first destroyed the threatening partnership of Sarwan and Marsh. And finally when his good friend Irfan was looking like spoiling the party for Chennai he came up with that unbelievable sensational hat-trick which will not merely go down in history books, but also in the folklore of Chennai cricket for generations to come.

Once again, a close game with a local hero coming up trumps in the final act with the whole stadium cheering form. The best formula for an IPL game, in my opinion. With Badrinath and Balaji being the main protagonists in this act, the Super Kings look serious title contenders once more and this time based on local talent than imported.

Dhoni Versus His Own Men - Match Preview

This somehow seems similar to the famous legend in Mahabharata where Shri Krishna fought on the side of the Pandavas while his massive army fought from the opposite side.

Dhoni will get a similar feeling as he faces an almost Team India attack comprising of the fiery Sreesanth, the cool Pathan and the talented Chawla. Of course his rival commander-in-chief will be his good friend Yuvraj.

Again I think this is a great opportunity to get a BIG WIN - against one of the leading sides in the competition because I'm hoping that complacency settles in in the King's X1 Team.

If we win this we can almost surely start looking towards a semifinal slot with games against Bangalore and Kolkata to come.

Last time the Kings managed to score 207 yet lost easily as we had Hussey destroying them - this time we can't afford such luxuries.

Revenge Battles
Hussey had thrashed Lee last time around but neither is there for the re-match. So we have:
Chawla v Raina
Sreesanth v Patel
Hopes v Dhoni

as potential revenge battles.

For more detailed analysis read Robin's review here at Chennai Super Kings Fans.

Two Great Games, One Damp Squib

Been busy with work and other stuff for the past day or so. So didn't get much time to post here.

What a game between Delhi and Chennai ! The Dhoni magic is at work again ! Yo ! We are right back in it and a couple of wins would all but ensure our path to the semifinals.

The other game was also fantastic ! A closely fought bowler dominated game is exactly what I like ! What a spell by Dada ! Nice to see the smile on his face again. Heart goes out to Dravid. I think the fielding in the last two overs of the first innings is where the tide turned and cost Royal Challengers the game.

Today's game was a complete waste of time. A Gilchrist 50 was of no use to the Chargers as that bloke Afridi continues to let his team down. He is a total misfit at No. 5 where he has ample opportunity to betray his team. He should either open where it gives the team a chance to repair if he flops or bat low at 7.

Hope to be back in regular action from tomorrow. Adios.

The First Rematch

For the first time in this IPL we have a rematch and hence a chance for revenge. Whoo ! This should be exciting stuff. Read Robin's excellent preview here on Chennai Super Kings Fans.

Come on Dhoni ! You have GOT to stop the slide now. Show us your famed captaincy magic ! I have full faith in Dhoni. Flem has got to come good today. He is just too classy a player to fail for too long.

Watch Out For
MS Dhoni - Too classy a player, too proud a captain to fail for long. His reputation is not exactly at stake but he would like to reaffirm it here.

Revenge Battles
Fleming v Yomahesh - Yomahesh castled the former Kiwi captain last time around
Dhoni v all Delhi bowlers - who kept him quiet in Chennai
Sehwag v Ntini

The Gentleman Show

Cross-posted on Chennai Super Kings Fans.

I expected it to be a much easier ride into the stadium today. Being a weekday, an opponent ranked at the bottom of the table and given the home team’s disappointing recent run, the rush was bound to be much lesser. I found enough time and space to buy a Chennai Super Kings flag from an old lady outside the station. When I asked for the price she blurted out some number in Tamil leaving me quite clueless. When I managed to convey this emotion to her, she had the good sense to find another customer, a young Tamil guy, to do the necessary translation. The flag cost sixty rupees, arguably a bit exorbitant, but I was not going to haggle with a poor, old lady who did not speak my language. I handed her a hundred and waited for what seemed to be an eternity as the poor soul managed a great balancing act, literally, holding several flags in one hand, and trying to carry out monetary transactions with her customers with the other the money of course stashed away in a compartment of her saree. I had a good mind to leave her with the hundred but, God bless her soul, she managed to return my change just before my patience was run out. As soon as I entered the stadium an earnest looking policeman promptly snatched the flag from my hands, and before I could comprehend what was going on, freed it off the stick that was holding it. For good measure, he disposed off the stick. Great! Once inside, I got a rude surprise in the form of a major price hike in the coffee prices – inflation is well and truly here, right in our midst In a period of four days the prices had skyrocketed by 50-67%!!

Arun Lal was in the center doing the pitch report. The pitch, (and the report) I guess must have been as flat as a dodo, so to say, because clearly someone found the need to spice it up. The cheerleaders from both teams were right behind Lal practicing their moves (this really means that their leader is performing the moves and they are merely aping her). The new idea was that Lal should make a Bollywood-style entry from amidst the two teams of cheerleaders. This he duly did and appeared as comfortable as a test player in a T20 game, to avoid some old clichés about fish and water.

My heart wrenched a bit when I saw Adam Gilchrist walk out for the toss because it meant that I would not be able to witness my favorite player, sorry artist, the great VVS Laxman play his masterstrokes. But Gilchrist, I must note, played the model captain. He walked out with MS for the toss (unlike our pampered and almost uncouth Indian players like Ganguly and Sehwag) and was all grace and dignity personified. It was to be Gilly’s game by all accounts. From the moment the Deccan Chargers took the field, Gilly was in control like a conductor at a well-perfected orchestra.

The game was not close by a big margin but that did not mean that I did not get my rupees worth. When Badrinath tentatively poked at a delivery from Afridi that jumped up on him, Herschelle Gibbs, stationed exactly 180 degrees opposite to my vantage point, initially a bit confused by the course of the ball, just like the batsman, took a couple of steps to his left and then launched himself into orbit to pocket one of the most magnificently stunning catches ever, the best I personally have ever seen on the field. And then, later, only a trifle less spectacularly, Albie Morkel hit one from Pragyan Ojha right on the roof of the stadium again putting me in one of the best positions to witness. Incidentally, and somewhat ironically, these action moments in this speed-of-light version of cricket are the ones that allowed me plenty of time to soak it in. The Gibbs’ catch, for instance, was not, blink and you miss it stuff. The ball looped in the air, Gibbs had enough time to judge it, walk a couple of steps to his left and then put in the dive, the whole sequence lasting for almost a couple of seconds, an eternity in cricketing terms. Well, they say the World is full of contradictions. Also goes to show that even a T20 game need not rely on the close finish to be exciting.

Incidentally, do some of you guys follow the Cricinfo Wagon-wheel thing when you are annoyingly stuck in the office during a big game or when Neo Sports is the only option to watch a test series and your cable operator decides to indulge in non-cooperation? Well, I saw these guys who make your life just that touch more bearable, up close today. These guys who operate the Cricinfo software, and I must say do an amazing job, considering the speed at which the game progresses and the impatience among their consumers, which I am only too well-aware of, sit alongside the official scorers, who incidentally I noticed frantically wave yellow flags upon acknowledgement of any proclamation by umpires. So now I realize why the other day Billy suddenly turned, looked at me, and nearly made me jump off my seat as he thrust his hips as though in a fit out of the blue, and jerked his arms in the air. He was actually seeking the attention of these good folks to let them know that the ball was a wide. Sigh.

It can be justifiably argued that television coverage gives a better sight of the game of cricket than the one from the stands but the aspect that TV cannot give you is the sound. The sound that the bat makes when it strikes the ball can be truly appreciated only from up close. And it is this sound that distinguishes the skills of a great player from a merely good one. This distinction is particularly pronounced when the great and the good co-exist at the crease. The other night, the two roles were played by Sehwag and Gambhir, and today it was Gilchrist and Styris. It was of course, Gilchrist’s game, he was the supreme dictator. The key is that for Gilchrist even the slight mishits seem to be attractive while from a player like Styris even the shots of the meat off the bat are only okay. Usually, if you were forced to associate one word with the batting of a certain supremely skilled player, with Brian Lara, you would associate “flow” with Gilchrist it is “crisp”. Crisp was his strokeplay last night as he reduced to dust any hopes of an upset Chennai win.

Finally, another word for Rohit Sharma. I guess I have put in so many words for him over the past few weeks that he should grant me rights for his biography twenty years hence. But the lad’s strokeplay sounds definitely closer to the Gilchrists of this World, than the Styrises. And with the kind of cool head he has shown, which, incidentally is now adorned by the orange cap (which is worn by the highest run scorer) he is certain to be destined for a great future.

Isn’t it possible to get jaded visiting the stadium to watch a T20 game four times in two weeks? Well, the best part of this tournament is that on every occasion you have the added attraction of watching a different set of players perform. While I am supporting the home team, now, in the span of a fortnight I have had a chance to witness in addition to Dhoni, Hayden, Hussey, Murali, Fleming, Oram and Ntini, Jayasuriya, Pollock, Bravo, Harbhajan, Ganguly, Ponting, McCullum, Ishant, Sehwag, McGrath, Asif, Gambhir, Gibbs, Afridi, Rohit Sharma and now above all the great gentleman cricketer Adam Gilchrit. That can’t possibly be such a bad show.