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

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

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

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

An extreme battle

Mumbai and Punjab might be the two sides from opposite extremes of the points table but the best thing about IPL is that, no matter what, no team starts an overwhelming favorite. Mumbai are on a roll and would want to continue the momentum but the law of averages is bound to catch up at some point in time. Punjab on the other hand are desperate for a win to salvage some pride and the ban on Sangakkara could be a blessing in disguise with Shaun Marsh getting a go.

Mumbai need not make any changes but may be prompted to bring Dilhara Fernando in place of Ryan McLaren who has taken just one wicket in four matches and has conceded runs at 8.53 per over. They could do what they did in the first match of the season and play only three foreigners with Dhawal Kulkarni or Ali Murtaza replacing McLaren. They have a lot of bowling and so have an option of even bringing in Jayasuriya or Duminy. Zaheer and Malinga have bowled beautifully at the death so Mumbai will again look to win the toss and bat first.

Sangakkara will be serving a one match ban and Shaun Marsh is set to open the innings. Jayawardene has been declared the captain for this match and that leaves two more foreign player spots. They should go to Brett Lee and Juan Theron, as they are very quick and Mumbai have four Indian batsmen who do not have a lot of experience at the highest level. They would have seldom faced such pace. Irfan Pathan should be playing only as a batting all rounder. Both Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar must play as they can take the pace off the ball.

Again, its reached the level of fatigue asking as to why Reetinder Sodhi hasn’t got a game yet so it won’t be discussed any more. A good start from Shaun Marsh and a befitting innings from a long overdue Yuvraj could well hault Mumbai’s Juggernaut.

Mohit Goyal
dr.mohitgoyal@gmail.com

Flair meets flair. Will it produce flare?

Mumbai just narrowly escaped against Rajasthan. They lost their last match against Bangalore, but their 98 run win over the formidable Delhi was what has got them in the highest of regards. In their last match they didn’t play badly but a disciplined Bangalore got better of them. Kolkata on the other hand after starting the tournament with a bang and winning their first two games have now lost two on the trot. They would want to redeem themselves and quickly impose their contention for a semi final berth.

Mumbai may have to take the hard decision to drop Jayasuriya and bring in Duminy or Graham Napier. Playing keeper Aditya Tare at three could have been a good decision, but only till Bravo and Pollard were not here. Tare at number three in the last match was inexplicable as Mumbai have numerous batsmen who have a better technique and can still score as quickly. Now that Bravo and Pollard are here, Tiwary or Pollard must take that spot. Mumbai would again like to bat first and let Zaheer, Malinga and Bravo handle the pressure later on. Their middle order batsmen are in good form but lack experience and may crumble under pressure..

What were Kolkata thinking, not including Gayle in the last match. Brad Hodge may be more consistent but the fear that Gayle instills in the opponents’ minds is incomparable. He can bowl off-break toe crushers and is almost as good as regular bowlers in that department. It would be interesting to see whether Kolkata drop Hodge or Owais Shah to bring in Gayle. They must look at playing both Gayle and Shah as they are capable of hitting the big sixes and Kolkata’s batting had lacked force in the last match. Kolkata shouldn’t mind batting or bowling first.

Mohita Goyal
dr.mohitgoyal@gmail.com

The greatest spinner, the greatest captain, the greatest batsman and the greatest fighter

The first match on Sunday will start with the toss of coin between Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly, two men who don’t quite have the best of times in each other’s company. Rajasthan who instilled hope in their fans with a late surge against Mumbai, courtesy a scintillating 37 ball 100 from Yusuf Pathan, haven’t been able to keep the flame going. Kolkata on the other hand, after winning the first two matches, lost against Chennai from a very good position. Kolkata would want to forget the last defeat as a mere aberration while Rajasthan would want to prove that they aren’t as bad as they have been made to look.

Gayle is likely to replace one of Hodge and Owais Shah. Rohan Gavaskar, who hasn’t had much to do in the two matches might make way for Cheteshwar Pujara. They would dearly want to play both Bond and Langeveldt but it looks difficult at the moment. Rajasthan will be hoping that Yusuf Pathan fires because others don’t seem to be capable of getting them off the blocks. If Munaf Patel can find his rhythm their bowling can be very consistent and that coupled with a bludgeon from Yusuf and support from others could take them home.

Bangalore will travel to Mumbai for a clash of the in-form units at the historic Brabourne Stadium. Zaheer and Malinga saved the day for Mumbai against Rajasthan but the issue of Sachin’s credentials as captain isn’t settled as yet. Iqbal Abdulla is a handy spinner but it would be very difficult to drop Rayudu or Tiwary in this form and Sathish’s contributions in the field also can’t be undermined. Bangalore would ideally want to find a place in the line up for Roelof van der Merwe but the intimidation factor that Steyn possesses has deterred them from going for the change. They can bring Goswami in place of Boucher and push in Roelof but against a splendid bowling side like Mumbai, the decision could backfire. The captain winning the toss would like to bowl first but Kumble shouldn’t mind batting either.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Rajasthan’s BIG chance and Kings XI Punjab quest to defend the castle
IPL Day 2 Preview

Rajasthan may look the weakest side in the league this year but they have a great chance of kicking off with an away win. Mumbai are short of full strength with the Caribbean duo of Bravo and Pollard yet to arrive. Duminy and Dilhara Fernando haven’t been declared fit as yet after suffering from split webbing and back strain respectively. Jayasuriya also hasn’t been in the best of form, thus providing a golden opportunity for the team from the desert state.
On the other hand, with Smith and Warne’s huge experience and rich form of Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel, Rajasthan are poised to spring a surprise. But the lack of any other experienced local batsmen could hurt the team real bad.
For Mumbai, Graham Napier and Sachin Tendulkar are the in-form batsmen. Abhishek Nayar too has been doing well. It would be interesting to see if and in whom can they find the answer to their middle order woes. It could be well be the ICL returnees Ambati Rayudu and Rajagopal Sathish.
Both the teams have good bowling attacks with Mumbai holding the edge on grounds of international experience. Battle between Tendulkar and Warne is on what this game has been built up to but Tait v Tendulkar-Jayasuriya, Zaheer v Smith and Harbhajan v Pathan are the more likely contests. Another thing which will draw interest is if Kamran Khan plays. And if he does, what tweaks have been done to his action after being reported for a faulty one last year.

Although in the Kings’ den, Daredevils will start firm favourites at Mohali. Brett Lee is off to Dubai for treatment and with Yuvraj also a doubtful starter, Sangakkara has his plate full. He would want a big knock from compatriot Mahela Jayawardene and contributions from all-rounders like Piyush Chawla and Reetinder Sodhi. Kaif’s inclusion will lend solidity to the middle order and if Sreesanth and co. can knock off Sehwag and a couple others early, the 11 Kings could come out victors.
Delhi have an intimidating top order embedded with jewels in Sehwag, Gambhir and Dilshan. AB de Villiers and  Dinesh Karthik lead a formidable middle order and Warner’s inclusion could spell death for bowlers on the other side. They also have good all-rounders in Rajat Bhatia and Moises Henriques but are rely too heavily on Dirk Nannes to provide the impetus.
Mohali could throw up a real run feast.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

What a match!

After the match between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR), everyone seemed to be gushing the same words over and over again!

The toss for match number 45 was won by the RR, and they elected to bat first. Graeme Smith and Rob Quiney were the openers for the RR, while Dhawal Kulkari bowled the first over. Seven runs were made off the first over, with one boundary (four).

The batsmen of the RR played at a steady run rate till the seventh over, when the first wicket, that of Smith, fell. The bowler responsible was Harbhajan Singh (Bhajji), and the fielder, J. P. Duminy. Smith had made 19 runs off 19 balls before his dismissal. Yusuf Pathan came in after him.

The Strategic Time Out, which is given to the teams to strategise, and which batsmen hope to see through, was a distant dream for the Pathan sibling as he got out just before it on a ball by Chetanya Nanda and was caught by Lasith Malinga after he had made 17 runs off 14 balls. Ravindra Jadeja came in next.

Quiney, who was playing a very good game of cricket, finally succumbed under the expert bowling of ‘slinger’ Malinga, who bowled him out after he made 51 runs, just after his half century. Siddharth Chitnis came in after Quiney, but was sent back to the bench by Dwayne Bravo (catch Abhishek Nayar) after making only six runs off eight balls. Naman Ojha came in after Chitnis. It was then time for Jadeja to depart on a ball by Jayasuriya (catch Bravo) after he made a valuable 42 runs for his team off just 32 balls. Johan Botha came in after him.

Ojha, who had just come to the field, quickly left after making only one run (ball Jayasuriya, catch Ajinkya Rahane). The RR skipper Shane Warne was the next man in. By this time, the innings was already in the last over, and on the last ball, Warne lost his wicket, and thus, the RR ended at 145-7.

The batting order of the MI had undergone a change, and Yogesh Takawale, along with Bravo, opened the batting, while Yusuf Pathan opened bowling. Eight runs were made in the first over, and in the second over, the first wicket of the MI fell. The man to be dismissed was Bravo, and he had made merely one run (ball and catch Munaf Patel).

In Bravo’s place came Rahane. But with two newcomers on the field, the pressure became too much, and Rahane got out on a ball by Warne (catch Abhishek Raut) after making only three runs. Jayasuriya came in next. After Rahane, it was the other newcomer, Takawale, who lose his wicket, and he departed after having made 18 runs off 22 balls. Tendulkar came in next. With two stalwarts on the field, it was expected that this time round, there would be some good display of batting, and to a certain extent, that did happen, as Sachin hit a few fours and even got a Free Hit, but no runs came off it. At the end of 10 overs the MI were at 54-3.

After the Strategic break, Jayasuriya’s wicket fell on a ball by Warne (catch Pathan) after he had made 16 runs. Duminy came in next, and the MI fans expected him to play well, as he has been in excellent form this season. However, that was not to be, and Duminy was bowled out by youngster Siddharth Trivedi after he had made only four runs. Nayar came in next.

Tendulkar, who had been going great guns so far, looked capable of leading the MI to victory, but these hopes, too, were dashed after the Little Master got out on a LBW by Warne. Thus, captain dismissed captain! However, Tendulkar had, by then, put up a decent total of 40 runs off 30 balls for himself. Bhajji came in after Tendulkar, and suddenly, it started raining fours and sixes! Nayar and Bhajji were doing a good job of salvaging the game by hitting a few fours and sixes between them, but then Nayar’s wicket fell, after he had made a fantastic 35 off just 18 (run out Naman Ojha, wicketkeeper).

After Nayar came Kulkarni, and by this time, the match was in the 19th over. It was a very crucial point, but Kulkarni couldn’t stay at the crease for too long. He just made one run, and got out. He was followed by Nanda, who was also dismissed, and Malinga was the last man in.

All the tail-enders were trying to give Bhajji the strike, because all that the MI needed to win was four runs! However, as the players at the striker’s end kept getting out one by one, Bhajji didn’t get a chance to bat, and with three balls remaining, Malinga tried to take one run, just as had Nanda before him, and, just like Nanda, Malinga, too, was run out! The MI lost the match by a hair’s breadth, and got all out at 143, just three runs short of victory (two short of a tie, which would have led to a Super Over). In the dug out, Tendulkar couldn’t believe himself, while an ecstatic Shilpa Shetty, and an even more ecstatic Warne, couldn’t contain their excitement.

The DLF Maximum award was given to Quiney, and the Man of the Match award was given to Shane Warne for his unbelievable three wickets. At the end of the day, spectators must have just managed to survive severe cardiac arrest, such was the match! This match catapulted the RR to number three position on the rank table, while bringing down the MI to number six.

In order to reach the semi finals, the MI will now not only have to win both their remaining matches, but also hope that the other teams (between positions five and seven) don’t play too well!

By – Rashida Shabbir Arsiwala