Big picture
Chennai Super Kings have lost four matches in a row, but what would have been most disappointing in their most recent defeat - to Rajasthan Royals - will be the manner in which they were outplayed. In each of their three previous reverses, Chennai were in with a chance for a good chunk, but they hardly ever looked like controlling the match against Rajasthan after the opening burst from Michael Lumb and Naman Ojha.
The bowling remains a massive source of concern, with players like L Balaji and R Ashwin, who impressed early this season, proving expensive in the past few matches. The batting is less of a worry, but Chennai will toy with the idea of sending the big-hitting Albie Morkel slightly higher up the order - many of his chances this season have been with the match already gone.
Their opponents, Royal Challengers Bangalore, have lesser concerns, after a superb start to the campaign has lifted them to second spot and a healthy net run-rate. They are coming off a week's break, during which Kevin Pietersen and Cameron White have joined the squad. They have already defeated Chennai once this season, and will aim for a repeat to distance themselves from the mid-table pack (four other teams have either the same points or two less than Bangalore).
Form guide (most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings LLLLW
Royal Challengers LWWWW
Team talk
Only two bowlers look certain picks for Chennai: Muttiah Muralitharan and left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati. Seamer Thilan Thushara also had a good match against Rajasthan and could get another game. A slew of injuries has reduced the options for a team whose policy was to sign on free-stroking allrounders, which means Morkel could be persisted with. MS Dhoni will have a hard time choosing the Indian quick bowler from one of Balaji, Joginder Sharma, Manpreet Gony and Sudeep Tyagi.
Bangalore have been a settled side, making no changes since the second game. The arrival of Pietersen, though, means Eoin Morgan is going to make way. One argument against that move will be that if Morgan is left out, Bangalore are likely to be a team with 11 right-hand batsmen.
Previously.
Bangalore 4 Chennai 2
The latest encounter between the two teams was last week at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Chennai's bowlers did well for most of the innings until Robin Uthappa's fireworks powered Bangalore to a winning total.
In the spotlight
Kevin Pietersen was Vijay Mallya's big-ticket signing in 2009 to galvanise Bangalore from a 'Test' team into a dynamic Twenty20 outfit. Bangalore were uninspiring under Pietersen in the early part of the IPL last season, and their transformation into a capable IPL side came only after his departure for England duties. The coming weeks present him a chance to show Indian crowds his Twenty20 skills.
Dale Steyn v Matthew Hayden: When the two teams met last week, Hayden had the confidence to walk down the track to take on Steyn, who was regularly crossing the 150kmh mark. Wednesday will be another chance to watch the imposing batsman take on the top-class fast bowler
Prime numbers
* Matthew Hayden is only 24 runs short of becoming the third batsman (after Adam Gilchrist and Suresh Raina) to make 1000 runs in the IPL
* Anil Kumble's winning percentage of 68.75 as captain is the highest among all players who have led in at least 10 matches
The chatter
"True, the momentum has had a negative impact on us, but Twenty20 is very fickle. The momentum can quickly change. It all boils down to individual players challenging themselves to lift their game."
Matthew Hayden
"As a captain, it is a tough job for me with KP (Pietersen) and White having joined us. We need to take a different approach from here on and also have to decide how to fit in these two players."
Anil Kumble
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Ten teams is the perfect number - Hayden
As the IPL season heads to the halfway mark, Chennai Super Kings star batsman Matthew Hayden, who participated in an online chat session with Cricinfo's readers, believed that the key to reviving his side's lukewarm campaign was to get on a winning roll.
"I love the Chennai Super Kings and being in Chennai and I still believe we have a good chance to make the semi-finals but as you know we have to start winning and keep winning," Hayden said. "Unfortunately we have had a few results which could have easily gone the other way and which would have made a great difference to our season, however I do not like to look backwards and I'm now looking forward with a very positive mind and with a very determined team to deliver the results that we know that we can achieve."
Chennai's plans of making the semi-finals have hit a rut, with five defeats, including four on the trot, out of seven games. Hayden thinks that the side's inability to strike a winning combination is to blame, but is confident that they can turn it around. "I think we have been trying to establish in the first half of this tournament what our best side is, it has changed a number of times, with mixed results. This game, coming tomorrow night, is the opportunity to have that decision to find our balance and play the cricket that our talent is capable of," Hayden said.
As expected, a lot of questions were on Hayden's revolutionary Mongoose bat which he has used with mixed results in the IPL. "I actually first started toying with the idea before the last World Cup, when I started hitting balls at practice sessions with a baseball bat and was surprised at how well I was hitting them and how far the ball would travel.
"It gave me great leverage as you would have seen already and there is no question it gives you extra power when you are in an attacking position and wanting to dominate the bowlers," Hayden said.
When asked whether the unusual dimensions of the Mongoose - it has a longer handle, and a shorter blade than normal bats - made it difficult to wield, especially while facing short-pitched bowling, Hayden admitted that it took him a while adapting to the bat. "It was a bit intimidating at first with the shorter blade. After hitting thousands of balls with it, I was mentally prepared to play with it," Hayden said.
Hayden welcomed the expansion of the IPL and was of the opinion that the inherent tight schedules were not to blame for the high number of player injuries that have occurred during the tournament. "I'm pleased with the introduction of the two new teams into the IPL for next season and also very happy that Mr. Modi has announced there will be no more expansion for many years to come as I believe that 10 teams is the perfect number. And I also know that if you train and prepare well for the IPL and have a very good support team around you that injuries can be kept to a minimum but then again, injuries are a part of the game," Hayden said.
Hayden shed light on his unique tendency of standing well outside the crease to fast bowlers. "Standing out of the crease is a sign of strategy rather than of straight out aggression. For instance, against [Lasith] Malinga, whose execution of the yorker is second to none, I stand two meters out of the crease and the yorker becomes a knee-high full toss, this is a way of changing someone's game," Hayden explained.
He may have intimidated several bowlers during his time, with his imposing presence and aggressive intent, but Hayden admitted that it was the other way around. "Truth is I was afraid of every bowler, but I soon realised the only thing a bowler could do that could hurt me was the thing that he held in his hand, the cricket ball. Only if I watched it and executed the hundreds of thousands of balls that I have hit over my lifetime could I focus my energy on that," he said.
Hayden singled out Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Robin Uthappa and Shikhar Dhawan as the young Indian players to watch out for in the future.
"I love the Chennai Super Kings and being in Chennai and I still believe we have a good chance to make the semi-finals but as you know we have to start winning and keep winning," Hayden said. "Unfortunately we have had a few results which could have easily gone the other way and which would have made a great difference to our season, however I do not like to look backwards and I'm now looking forward with a very positive mind and with a very determined team to deliver the results that we know that we can achieve."
Chennai's plans of making the semi-finals have hit a rut, with five defeats, including four on the trot, out of seven games. Hayden thinks that the side's inability to strike a winning combination is to blame, but is confident that they can turn it around. "I think we have been trying to establish in the first half of this tournament what our best side is, it has changed a number of times, with mixed results. This game, coming tomorrow night, is the opportunity to have that decision to find our balance and play the cricket that our talent is capable of," Hayden said.
As expected, a lot of questions were on Hayden's revolutionary Mongoose bat which he has used with mixed results in the IPL. "I actually first started toying with the idea before the last World Cup, when I started hitting balls at practice sessions with a baseball bat and was surprised at how well I was hitting them and how far the ball would travel.
"It gave me great leverage as you would have seen already and there is no question it gives you extra power when you are in an attacking position and wanting to dominate the bowlers," Hayden said.
When asked whether the unusual dimensions of the Mongoose - it has a longer handle, and a shorter blade than normal bats - made it difficult to wield, especially while facing short-pitched bowling, Hayden admitted that it took him a while adapting to the bat. "It was a bit intimidating at first with the shorter blade. After hitting thousands of balls with it, I was mentally prepared to play with it," Hayden said.
Hayden welcomed the expansion of the IPL and was of the opinion that the inherent tight schedules were not to blame for the high number of player injuries that have occurred during the tournament. "I'm pleased with the introduction of the two new teams into the IPL for next season and also very happy that Mr. Modi has announced there will be no more expansion for many years to come as I believe that 10 teams is the perfect number. And I also know that if you train and prepare well for the IPL and have a very good support team around you that injuries can be kept to a minimum but then again, injuries are a part of the game," Hayden said.
Hayden shed light on his unique tendency of standing well outside the crease to fast bowlers. "Standing out of the crease is a sign of strategy rather than of straight out aggression. For instance, against [Lasith] Malinga, whose execution of the yorker is second to none, I stand two meters out of the crease and the yorker becomes a knee-high full toss, this is a way of changing someone's game," Hayden explained.
He may have intimidated several bowlers during his time, with his imposing presence and aggressive intent, but Hayden admitted that it was the other way around. "Truth is I was afraid of every bowler, but I soon realised the only thing a bowler could do that could hurt me was the thing that he held in his hand, the cricket ball. Only if I watched it and executed the hundreds of thousands of balls that I have hit over my lifetime could I focus my energy on that," he said.
Hayden singled out Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Robin Uthappa and Shikhar Dhawan as the young Indian players to watch out for in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)