Final at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Six weeks of non stop action, sixes galore, wickets a plenty, some fiery spells of fast bowling, spin magicians wielding their wands, a few breathtaking innings and now we are at the most important day of the season. It is “The” day and the crown is waiting for the champion to appear.

The way the pitch at DY Patil has played in the last couple of matches will be a slight concern for the teams as well the organizers. There is a bit too much in it for the bowlers. It surely isn’t a bat first and score 82 runs pitch as Deccan did yesterday but it isn’t a 170-180 runs surface either. The strip which was used in the first semi final between Mumbai and Bangalore is likely to be used and might be a little better.

DY Patil Stadium – Ground Stats

Mumbai would have started clear favourites had it not been for Sachin’s split finger webbing. He is in doubt but his team would want him to play even if he can just manage to hold the bat. His mere presence on the field would be a positive influence and a confidence booster for the youngsters in the team. Chennai who have played sensational cricket in the last two matches may not admit but must be more assured within if Sachin doesn’t play.

Bowling had been a big weakness for the Super Kings but since Bollinger’s arrival they have looked a different bowling unit. Him and Ashwin have stifled openers as well as taken some crucial wickets. Murali’s good spell in the last match would have come as a big relief for Dhoni. The local fast bowlers have been a big disappointment for them so Chennai are likely to field three front line spinners yet again. Opening is still a worry for them as Matthew Hayden has looked awfully out of touch and Murali Vijay who has shown signs of brilliance has been inconsistent. If the openers and captain MS Dhoni fall early, Super Kings may find themselves in a situation that Deccan Chargers were in yesterday.

Mumbai are a very formidable side but will lose that magic zing about them if Sachin doesn’t play the final. Minus Sachin they may be a little low on strength but will still start slight favourites. Duminy, Tiwary, Rayudu and Pollard have all been in good form. If Sachin doesn’t play and the pitch is dry, Fernando may also not play and then Jayasuriya and Ali Murtaza will be the likely inclusions. Tendulkar and the team management will have to have their thinking caps on as Jayasuriya and Murtaza are both slow left arm bowlers and Chennai have many left handed batsmen. Mumbai have preferred to bat first and defend totals in this tournament and on this pitch they would want to do it even more so. Malinga and Zaheer have got initial breakthroughs and have been superb at the death. Pollard has also bowled pretty well apart from his match turning cameos down the order. Harbhajan may open the bowling, especially with Hayden at the top struggling very badly.

Mohit Goyal
Intern
R.N.T. Medical College, Udaipur
dr.mohitgoyal@gmail.com
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Semi final 2 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

The two teams have a lot in common. Both qualified for the semis on the penultimate day of the league phase, both are lead by wicketkeepers, both have retired Aussie southpaws struggling at the top of the order and both look a bit thin in the bowling department. But the similarities would end here and while one would make it to the big final on Sunday, the other will play for the last spot in the Champions League on Saturday

While Kumble and Pietersen were the most economical bowlers for Royal Challengers, the lone spinner in Mumbai Indians – Harbhajan Singh, was the only one to be taken for big runs. The pitch looks fantastic and true and that makes for an exciting clash with the two teams in reckoning having lots of stroke makers. There is bounce on offer which may reap rewards to bowlers who can get in some accurate short balls.

Against Punjab, even after Raina and Badrinath’s excellent innings a target of 193 was looking beyond Chennai when they needed 44 runs in the last three overs. But just then Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to make it his day and scored 32 runs in the next 11 balls he faced to take Chennai home with two balls to spare. This season Dhoni hadn’t made much of an impact before this innings but now the opposition captains have yet another thing to worry about. Matthew Hayden hasn’t had a great season this time but he and his mates would dearly be hoping that he can deliver today. Vijay, Raina, Badrinath have all done well and Albie Morkel too has chipped in with a couple of crucial cameos. But the main area of worry for them is their bowling. The best Indian pacer for them has been L Balaji who too has given 8.87 runs per over. Muttiah Muralitharan has given away an astonishing 131 runs in the last 12 overs he has bowled and also taking into account that most of the Chargers’ batsmen are right handed he will sit out in this match. Morkel too has been very expensive but will retain his spot owing to his capabilities with the bat. Michael Hussey who has made just 37 runs in the three innings he has had is likely to sit out in favour of Justin Kemp who additionally brings in some accurate fast medium stuff to stifle the batsmen in the middle overs. Although the pitch at the DY Patil has good bounce, Shadab Jakati the left arm spinner from Goa is likely to play as none of the local fast bowlers has showed any sort of promise. Chennai’s fate in this match is likely to mirror that of Doug Bollinger. While he could make a telling difference with a good spell, him being taken for runs by the Deccan bowlers could well mean game over for Chennai.

Deccan are the form team at the moment having won their last five matches to make it to the semis. Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds and T Suman have all contributed consistently in their latest winning streak. Monish Mishra also came good in the last match and with skipper Adam Gilchrist due for a big one the team must surely now be eyeing an encore of the second season. The lower middle order is still a problem for them but they would want to persist with Mitchell Marsh there who is a more reliable batsmen than Dwayne Smith. But the need to strengthen the bowling as well may prompt them to recall Smith. Like Chennai, Deccan are also thin on local fast bowling resources. RP Singh has had a disastrous season and was dropped for Deccan’s last league match against Delhi. Harmeet Singh had won them a match against Bangalore but went for over 10 runs an over against Delhi. Pragyan Ojha has been bowling extremely well and and got good support from leggie Rahul Sharma in the last match.

Since both the teams are batting heavy, an excellent spell of bowling from Doug Bollinger or Pragyan Ojha could well be the deciding factor. When teams have weak bowling they may think of bowling first and getting the worrisome area out of the way but it could well backfire if the other team gets a very big score. Batting first has remained the preferred option of most teams in big games but with the pitch here likely to hold well, loosing the toss may be a blessing in disguise.

Probable starting elevens
Chennai Super Kings – Matthew Hayden, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Albie Morkel, S Badrinath, Justin Kemp, R Ashwin, Sudeep Tyagi, Shadab Jakati, Doug Bollinger

Deccan Chargers – Adam Gilchrist, Monish Mishra, T Suman, Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Mitchell Marsh/Dwayne Smith, B Sumanth, Chaminda Vaas, Pragyan Ojha, Harmeet Singh, Rahul Sharma/ RP Singh

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

1st Semi Final  at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Finally its the business end of the tournament and all that the teams have done up till now will hardly have an impact on how the knock out stages unfold. The results of the last few matches pushed Royal Challengers to the fourth position but they wouldn’t have really been disappointed playing Mumbai in Bangalore. The bigger disappointment or even a sort of set back for them is the semi final being shifted to Mumbai.

Pitch Perfect
If Bangalore were to set out in search of a pitch similar to the one at their home and the one that would suit their style of play, they probably would have zeroed on the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The stadium has hosted two games this season and four in the first season in 2008. The victories have been shared equally by teams batting first and bowling first. The fast bowlers have enjoyed pace and bounce on offer here.

DY Patil Stadium in IPL
Matches played – 6
Won by teams batting first – 3
Won by teams bowling first – 3
Average first innings score – 153
Average second innings score – 140
Fast bowlers – 56 wickets, average – 22.05, economy – 7.48
Slow bowlers – 19 wickets, average – 26.74, economy – 7.82

Royal Challengers have had an on and off campaign this season. Loaded with super star players and oozing with team spirit, they still failed to win consistently because they couldn’t find the right balance. As was expected, the lack of batting all rounders has hurt them very badly. Unlike the other semi finalist teams who have Symonds, Raina, Rohit, Duminy and Sathish who can chip in with some useful overs of slow bowling, Bangalore’s resources have largely remained limited to the four regular bowlers and Jacques Kallis. Kumble has been inexplicably hesitant to bowl Virat Kohli who otherwise is a decent part timer. Another problem for them has been the opening pair which has failed to deliver after doing a sterling job in the first half of the league. They are likely to entrust the responsibility again on Kallis and Pandey but the duo would surely be instructed to show more intent and score quickly.

Mumbai would have had a tough time finding a place to fit in Dilhara Fernando but with a poor last match he is surely out of reckoning. Dwayne Bravo has failed to impress this season and is likely to sit out in favour of Ryan McLaren who has contributed with bat as well as ball. Harbhajan Singh has been phenomenal this season, taking 15 wickets and conceding just 6.65 runs per over. Zaheer and Malinga have struck at crucial junctures and have been superb in the death overs. But as far as batting goes, Mumbai still seem over reliant on Sachin. Also they are likely to struggle to explode in the late overs if Pollard doesn’t fire. None of Tare, Rayudu and Madan have looked convincing behind the wicket and a dropped catch or a missed stumping could hurt badly in a knock out match.

Probable starting elevens:

Royal Challengers Bangalore – Manish Pandey, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Robin Uthappa, Ross Taylor, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Dale Steyn, Anil Kumble.

Mumbai Indians – Shikhar Dhawan, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, JP Duminy, Ambati Rayudu, R Sathish, Ryan McLaren, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.twitter.com/drmohitgoyal

Making the picture clearer

Unless the middle of the table teams falter big time against Mumbai and Punjab, this year many teams are likely to end at 14 points and net run rate will then be deciding their fates. Leaving aside Mumbai, Bangalore have the best net run rate and Deccan have the worst. With 10 points thus far and three games to go, Deccan will practically be out of contention if they lose even one. Chennai, Rajasthan and Kolkata on the other hand will be hoping that they do.

Bangalore need two wins in three games to land safely into the semis. One in three would do for them but they surely wouldn’t want it to come down to net run rate. The two matches played at Nagpur haven’t been been high scoring but there was little evidence to blame it on the pitch. It seemed to offer slight advantage to the bowlers who took the pace off the ball. This and Praveen Kumar continually leaking runs may prompt Kumble to bring in left arm spinner KP Appanna. Inclusion of Apanna may just mean S Sriram making way for Manish Pandey. Sriram had looked in good touch with the bat against Kolkata and can also chip in with a couple of crucial overs of left arm spin if a regular bowler goes for runs. It would be a good idea to go in with both Appana and Sriram as Deccan have only one left handed batsman in Adam Gilchrist. Bangalore’s bowling has been off and on but their batters have clicked consistently. Being batting heavy and with not too much to read into the Nagpur pitch, they may want to win the toss and bowl first.

Deccan’s batting has clicked in the last couple of matches and their bowlers too had a tremendous outing against Chennai. But their bowlers have lacked consistency and the team would be wary of it. They are likely to field an unchanged team, with Monish Mishra certain to escape an axe courtesy his 21 runs against Chennai and Bodapati Sumanth who didn’t get to bat on his debut also expected to play. Gilchrist would want his bowlers to knock down a couple early and force stroke players like Uthappa and Taylor into playing in a way that they don’t naturally do. Suman, Symonds and Rohit Sharma have all played a couple of good innings but Deccan would want Gilchrist to fire and push the run rate.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

THE DAY for mid table teams

While victories tomorrow will put Deccan and Kolkata right into the hunt for the semis, Chennai and Bangalore will be left with a tough task of winning three out of three if they lose. With pitches at Nagpur and Bangalore full of runs, expect it to be a Super Saturday.

On a good pitch at Nagpur, Chargers had bowled out Rajasthan for a paltry 159. But they stumbled in chase and with six runs required in the last over, lost three wickets to be all out for 157. But the successful chase at Bangalore would have given them a lot of confidence, as well the much needed motivation of a realistic chance of making it to the semis. Rohit Sharma had been the lone shining star in the Deccan batting line up till before the last match. But Suman played well against Bangalore and Symonds too got some runs under his belt. Gilchrist is long over due for a big knock and Chennai will be wary of him. Bowling still remains a serious concern for them as all bowlers apart from Pragyan Ojha went for more than nine runs an over at Bangalore.

Chennai are on a three match winning streak and would want to keep the momentum going. They still need to win three of their four matches to seal a semifinal berth. Murali Vijay, Raina and Dhoni have all been amongst the runs and Hayden too looked in good touch in the last match. If Albie Morkel is fit, he will be back in the line up at the expense of Michael Hussey. That would have normally meant Thushara making way for Muralitharan but Thushara bowled extremely well against Mumbai while Murali has been very expensive in the last couple of matches. Dhoni will have to think long and hard before making this call. It will be a day match and batting heavy Chennai would want to bat first on the placid Nagpur track in the sultry heat.

Ganguly is writing a fairy tale of his own with two match winning knocks in the last three matches. Not only that, he displayed nimble feet on the field against Delhi, effecting a crucial run out of Gautam Gambhir and then taking a splendid catch to dismiss Kedar Jadhav. Gayle has scored 88 and 40 in the last two matches and the 158 not out fame Brendon McCullum has also joined the squad. Add to this Angelo Mathews and Manoj Tiwary, and Kolkata have a solid batting line up. But Kolkata have seemingly been over cautious on occasions and ended up 10 to 15 runs short. Ashok Dinda looked the “find of the tournament” in the last match and the return of Murali Kartik from injury will only bolster their impressive bowling line up.

Bangalore are still struggling to find the correct balance. they haven’t been able to accommodate another slow bowler to help out Kumble. Left arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe could have replaced Dale Steyn but the presence of lefties Gayle and Ganguly, may deter Kumble from fielding him. Bangalore unnecessarily put a lash on their own progress in the last match by sending in Dravid at three. They bat deep and must allow big hitters like Uthappa and Taylor to play as many balls as possible. Dravid can always comes in if they loose three or four wickets quickly and otherwise can be sent in death overs to hit a few if all other established batsmen have been dismissed. If the Bangalore pitch is green, as it was in the last match, Kumble would like to win the toss and bowl first.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.twitter.com/drmohitgoyal

Against 11 and a 50,000 Super kings

Mumbai have been on an absolute roll this season but come Tuesday, apart from the eleven cricketers in the Chennai squad they will also have to account for the yellow brigade of 50,000 in the stands. Chepauk might have been a happy hunting ground and a home away from home for Sachin but when Dhoni leads CSK here there will be little doubt as to what side the crowd will be on. The pitch here has always been a batting paradise and the last match here between Chennai and Rajasthan saw a mammoth aggregate of 469 runs. Toss wouldn’t be a big factor as the pitch generally holds well and dew is also not expected. Still, the team that wins the toss would like to bat first, score big and put pressure on the chasing side.

Even after scoring 246 runs courtesy a 57 ball 127 from Murali Vijay, Chennai could have against Rajasthan if not for Doug Bollinger who gave away just 15 runs and accounted for two crucial wickets. In him they have some support for Muralitharan who has looked in top form barring the last two matches. Other bowlers are still a big worry for Chennai but batting has always been their driving force. Hayden hasn’t clicked this season but Murali Vijay with his last two innings has taken a lot of pressure off his opening partner. While Raina has played some crucial innings, Dhoni too has invariably looked in good touch. Badrinath can come in handy on a day when Chennai lose 2 or 3 wickets quickly but they haven’t found anybody for that seventh spot.

Ryan McLaren hasn’t looked too impressive but Sachin has so far chosen not to tinker with the winning combination. It may be time for him to make way for Graham Napier, Duminy or Dilhara Fernando. Mumbai are practically through to the semis and that may prompt them to bring in Jayasuriya and get him in form before the knock out phase begins. Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu have been sensational, scoring quickly and consistently. Sathish, Bravo and Pollard are live wires on the field and help keep morale of the bowlers up. But the real reason why Mumbai have done consistently well is because Zaheer, Malinga and Harbhajan have been in good form and at various times have put their hands up to bowl some unplayable spells. Mumbai have shown their penchant for batting first through the season and would look to do the same in Chennai as well.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Stars against a team

Chargers have played two home games at Mumbai and two at Cuttack and now they move to Nagpur to play the next three at the beautiful Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium at Jamtha. The stadium looks absolutely picturesque at night and has an electric atmosphere when packed to full capacity of 45,000. The pitch is likely to be full of runs and with both the sides light on bowling, any one bowler rising up to the occasion may make all the difference.

Rajasthan’s juggernaut was on a roll decimating four oppositions in a row but Delhi halted them. They did a superb job getting to 223 chasing against Chennai but it was their weak bowling which had conceded 246 runs and almost given away the match at half time. Warne may again look to open the bowling with Yusuf Pathan and not provide Gilchrist and Gibbs with pace to hit through the line. Siddharth Trivedi and Munaf Patel may be included in place of Sumit Narwal and Shrikant Wagh. Shaun Tait has been expensive in the last two matches and might make way for Morne Morkel or Johan Botha. But his wicket taking abilities may still tempt Warne to persist with him. With Shane Watson joining in, Rajasthan have a good top four in him, Naman Ojha, Michael Lumb and Yusuf Pathan. Hard hitting batsman Paras Dogra may replace one of Faiz Fazal and Abhishek Raut. Toss isn’t likely to be a big factor on the hard surface at Nagpur unless there is dew later on which may make it difficult for spinners to grip the ball in the second innings.

Deccan have always looked more of a congregation of star players than a well knit team. It seems they all like doing things their own ways rather than “playing for each other”, as Warne says Rajasthan Royals do. Pragyan Ojha bowled well in the match against Mumbai but the rest of the attack lacked incisiveness. Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds being their next best bowlers speaks volumes. Their batting is highly reliant on Adam Gilchrist and his failures have reflected in team’s losses. Monish Mishra and Tirumalasetti Suman are still in the playing eleven because Deccan don’t have any replacements for them on the bench. But all said and done, Deccan are a very dangerous side. They might have only seven cricketers and rest just fill ups but they may need nobody else when one or two of those seven fire big time. Gilchrist, Gibbs and Symonds are due for big knocks and the belter of a pitch at Nagpur might just be the perfect foil.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.twitter.com/drmohitgoyal

On the slower tracks

Kolkata have revived their chances of making it to the semi finals with a good win over Deccan in the last match. Punjab are practically out now, but must take it as a knock out tournament as there is still a theoretical possibility of them making it to the semis. They could well spoil Kolkata’s chances with a win tomorrow.

Kolkata had huge pluses to take home from the last match where Bond, Murali Kartik and Angelo Mathews bowled well but the biggest one was “Dada” Sourav Ganguly scoring 88 at a brisk striking rate of 162. Mohnish Parmar failed to leave any impression with his off spinners. Talented left arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla would have been an automatic choice to replace him but the presence of numerous left handed batsmen in the Punjab line up may deter Ganguly from playing him. Brendon McCullum has arrived after a good series with the bat against the Aussies. Gayle is too intimidating a batsman to leave out and Angelo Mathews has been performing really well. It seems like David Hussey will sit out if McCullum has to be drafted in. Ganguly would like to win the toss and bat first again, something which worked pretty well for him in the match against Deccan.

Punjab could smell the second win for them in this season but just then Uthappa sent the ball flying to all parts of the ground in a Brett Lee over. Its been a case of being so near yet so far for Punjab all this season. They need to be positive and believe that they can still go some way in this tournament. Seven in seven was what Australia did to win the 1999 World Cup. Punjab have baffled everyone with their selections of the playing eleven. Firstly Juan Theron who looked to be their best bowler has been sitting out since Brett Lee has arrived and secondly they have kept Reetinder Sodhi aside as if they want to impose another exemplary ban on the rebel league returnees. Ramesh Powar is clever as a fox and must play against Kolkata who have the lefty duo of Gayle and Ganguly opening the innings. The pitch at Eden Gardens always aids the side bowling second and so Punjab will also be looking to bat first.

With both the teams at equal points from equal matches, Daredevils v Royal Challengers promises to be a mouth watering clash. The pitch at Kotla isn’t a conventional T20 pitch and the result of the match could well be decided courtesy one brilliant performance by a batsman.

Delhi will be missing Nannes who is injured but will be bolstered by the arrival of Daniel Vettori. Bangalore are likely to play eleven right handed men which both Vettori and Mishra will relish. Sarabjit Ladda and Andrew McDonald are likely to sit out and another pacer or an all rounder in Rajat Bhatia is likely to fit in. Delhi’s opening combo is ideal for the pitch they have at Kotla and a blinder from either Sehwag or Warner could seal the deal for Delhi.

Bangalore have concerns with Praveen Kumar going for too many runs in the last few matches. They have a sameness about their attack and can be short of resources at Delhi where teams need more slower bowlers. It would be a risk taking out a proper batsman but it seems the only way they can add variety to their bowling . The choice would be to either replace White and Praveen with Roelof van der Merwe and B Akhil or to play with the same eleven and hope that the batsmen can score big or chase anything down. Ross Taylor would have walked into the side in place of Cameron White but it would be a headache now, having to choose between adding firepower to the batting and adding variety to the bowling. Bangalore have chased well in the tournament but would like to bat first at Delhi and back one of Pandey, Uthappa and Taylor to run riot.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Aussies to aid the struggle in the middle

Chennai managed to beat Bangalore after a string of losses while Rajasthan’s four match winning streak came to a halt when they were pumped by the Daredevils. Momentum is on Chennai’s side and arrival of Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger will add reliability and teeth to their line up. For Rajasthan, Shane Watson is back and even if he is Jet lagged and doesn’t play, he can provide valuable insights on Hussey and Bollinger’s weaknesses.

Hussey and Bollinger are likely to move into Chennai’s playing eleven straight away. Abie Morkel hasn’t been able to turn games with the bat and has been very expensive with the ball. Thushara has done a reasonably good job in the two matches he has played but Bollinger is a lot quicker and can bowl some good yorkers in the death overs. Chennai would dearly want Hayden to start firing now as nobody can push the run rate continually like him.

If Watson isn’t under-rested, Rajasthan would want to play him as he lends balance with his ability to open the innings and can bowl decent four overs. Shaun Tait was the most expensive bowler in the match against Delhi but he has the ability to take wickets and get in some unplayable yorkers. Yusuf Pathan didn’t have time to play himself in against Delhi and Warne must look to sending him in at 4 or 5. Rajasthan would want to win the toss and bat first. With it being a day match and the sun beating down in Chennai, the pitch is certain to favor the team that bowls second more.

After three consecutive wins against Chennai, Punjab and Delhi, Deccan’s charge has received a rude shock with three consecutive losses to Rajasthan, Mumbai and Kolkata. Symonds, Gibbs and Rohit have all played some good small innings but these losses have highlighted how highly they rely on Gilchrist. Gibbs and Symonds scored 50 and 45 respectively in the last match, but strike rates of 111 and 121 were never going to be enough to chase down 182. Ryan Harris has arrived and that must be a big relief for the Deccan camp. He has more pace than Vaas and is much more accurate than Roach. Suman and Venugopal Rao haven’t done anything of substance this year but Deccan don’t have replacements either.

Mumbai have been simply splendid this year. Zaheer, Malinga and Harbhajan have all been bowling consistently well. Sachin has been in sublime form and Dhawan, Tiwary, Rayudu and Sathish have all supported him well. They are practically into the semis and Sachin would like to try out options at hand before they enter the knock out stages. Ryan McLaren has got many chances but has failed to impress. Dhawal Kularni if fit or Ali Murtaza may get a look in. They may also play JP Duminy or Graham Napier to find out what kind of nick they are in.
Deccan would want to bowl first and get their weaker half out of the way. Also, bowling first Harris and co. might get a little swing and bounce at Brabourne.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.twitter.com/drmohitgoyal