Maverick Mumbai derails Delhi Capitals to clinch 5th IPL Title in emphatic way

 "Third Man" A Match Review by Kannan

Match: IPL 2020 finals between Mumbai Finals Vs Delhi Capitals, 10th November, Dubai

 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 , is this Mumbai Indians can win the titles only in odd years? Will law of averages play spoilsport to the MI's go at back to back titles? Will Rohit depart early to give a sniff for Rabada and co to pull a miraculous win to bag the title? The answer seems to be no going by the events on 10th of November at Dubai where Mumbai put up a splendid show with  the ball and backed it by audacity with the bat to make it a " no contest" against the first time finalist Delhi Capitals - to clinch their 5th IPL title and first time winning it for consecutive years, matching the feat of the super kings at their prime, and making a name for themself as one of best T20 sides going across the globe.

The commanding 5-wkt win was brilliantly set up by the bowlers striking from ball one, restricting Delhi to an below par total of 156/7 followed by a authoritative batting display, led by the skipper Rohit, to clinch the game in 18.4 overs without giving a sense of hope to the capitals - who were no match either in paper or the performances on the park.

Earlier, they used to define IPL as the tournament where 7 teams will be fighting to meet CSK in the finals. Now, Mumbai is making the trophy their own -  7 Teams fighting to lose to Mumbai in the finals.

Toss and playing  11:

DC won and elected to bat with no changes in playing XI from the earlier game. Mumbai had one surprise change by bringing in the off spinning all rounder Jayant in place of the leggie Rahul chahar.

Boult Jolts DC yet again, Jayant cleans up the big fish Dhawan, 22/3 by 4 overs:

What a fantastic series Trent "Tremendous" Boult is having with the ball, especially winning the battle in the power play striking in the 1st over 8 times this season - 4 times against as many matches against the finalist DC, and setting up games for his team. This time even better by striking in the 1st ball of the match, sending the dangerous Stoinis with the one that went away with the angle, and not allowing to tick off the opening partnership which was needed for the capitals to post a challenging total. Rahane left early when he glanced one to the De Cock in 3 rd over.

 Delhi traded off Boult to Mumbai Indians last season and paying a heavy price surrendering to the man who should be bowling for them. He has snatched the finals from his former "home" team in a space of just 10 balls. 

It was a tactical move to include off spinner Jayant in the XI, perhaps to counter the left handers in the Delhi line up, and bringing him on inside the power play against Dhawan was a master stroke - Jayant bowled a flighted looping off spinner which gripped and turned,inviting Dhawan to go for the sweep, only to see his stumps rearranged landing a huge blow to the hopes of the Capitals.

"Pant"astic Pant and Skipper Shreyas fights back:

 It was refreshing to see the approach of the DC by not buckling down under pressure after the early wickets - rather, the pair of Shreyas and the talented, but under performing Pant, met fire with fire by taking on the Mumbai bowlers by striking beautifully and rotating the strike with ease. Shreyas, who lost his touch mid-way through the tournament, found his range at the perfect stage with the company of the aggressive Rishabh Pant, who came out all guns blazing hitting his favourite shots through and behind square leg and clearing the infield with ease. The duo put on a 96 run Partnership for the 4th wicket and setting up things nicely for the onslaught at the death, when Pant (58 of 36) got decieved by the slower one from the death over specialist Courter-Nile and holed out to long on.

Shreyas register half century, Mumbai conquers the Death:

 Shreyas continued to fight back but Mumbai bowlers, led by Courter Nile at the back end, pegs back things by picking up wickets and not allowing the DC lower middle order to break free - Shreyas remained unbeaten on 65* but Mumbai were the happier team at the end restricting the opponents to a underwhelming 156

Rohit and De Cock conquers Power play with "power hitting"

Rabada and co needed to snap early wickets to have the outcome in their favour, but the seasoned  MI Skipper Rohit and the dasher De Cock were in a punishing mood - Rohit welcoming R Ashwin, who opened the bowling,  with a six and De Cock targetting fellow South African Rabada for 18 runs in his 1st over. At 45 for 1 in 4.1 overs when De Cock fell to Stoinis, the match and momentum was already drifted towards the defending champions."

 Hit"Man's Half century , Ishan's cameo carries Mumbai closer to a convincing win:

 Rohit, who had a silent tournament so far due to loss of form and injury, looked at his best by going after the bowling from the word go by playing his trademark cuts, pulls and effortless sixes over the leg side of the fast bowlers. There was no respite for the man with the purple cap Rabada or the fast and furious Nortje as they were dispatched nonchalantly for maximum over the deep mid wicket boundary. The young spinner Dube had a forgettable outing being hit over long on and long off for huge sixes from the willow of the charismatic captain.

The 2nd wicket partnership with Surya kumar was brief and entertaining before it ended in a miscommunication while running and Surya kumar, though batted remarkably this season, showed what a splendid team man he was by sacrificing his wicket to the in-form skipper.

It was now the turn of the  "super striker" Ishan , with the maximum (30 sixes) sixes in this IPL,  to join the party with the captain and he didn't disappoint by showing his range of shots, powerful hitting and back foot play especially driving and cutting through the off-side. 

Rohit, playing in his 200th IPL match, constructed a brilliant 50 of just 36 balls  in  the match that mattered the most, silencing his critics, detractors and proving a point to the Sunil Joshi led (Virat Kohli influenced??) selection committee who had doubts over his form and fitness by ignoring him for the limited over leg of the upcoming Australian tour. When his match winning innings of 68 ended through a spectacular catch by the substitute fielder, the game was almost sealed and DC was just going through the motions.

Delhi bowlers managed to dismiss pollard and Pandya cheaply, but MI were just a hit away for victory and Krunal becomes the luckiest to get the winning runs, taking Mumbai across the line to be crowned as the Champions for the 5th time, much to the delight of the dug out and the fans across India.

Krunal Pandya dugs out the Yorker from Nortje for the most "valuable single"of this Dream 11 IPL 2020, the dressing room erupts in joy!! Ecastic Rohit Sharma! Celebrations and handshakes with gloves on! All the doubts, uncertainty at the start of the tournament is now a thing of the past.. From bio bubble to nail biting finishes, double super over, centuries, spectacular fielding displays, and the last league match deciding the teams for the play - offs..It was an Incredible Premier League all the way!!

" Mumbai on top of the world for the 5th time, curtains down for IPL 2020"

Yours Truly,

Kannan

Curtains down for SRH as all round Stoinis guide Delhi to maiden IPL finale

 "Third Man" - your truly, Kannan

Qualifier 2: SRH vs DC at Abhu Dhabi, 8th November 2020 

Toss: Shreyas, the Delhi skipper, won the crucial toss and decided to bat first having made 2 fine changes - Prithvi and Sam out and the talented Hetmeyer and the leggie Pravin Dube coming in. SRH stuck to the same combination with Saha hamstring tear keeping him out.

Finally, after many years of promise and optimism, Delhi Capitals are into their maiden finals, defeating SRH by 17, runs, which is a big victory for the franchise keeping faith on the young team led from the front by shreyas Iyer. Sun Risers had a remarkable comeback from no where by beating Mumbai comprehensively at the league phase to enter the play off, edging past RCB in a close game in the eliminator, and bowing down to the Daring Delhi fighting till the end in today's do or die encounter.

Change in Strategy, change in opening:

With the starts being horrendous in past few games, Delhi, coached by the Legend Ponting, choose for a change in opening partner for Dhawan by going for Stoinis, being the in form player. The change in the strategy produced the biggest power play score for DC in this season as they raced to 65/0 in 6 overs with Stoinis cutting loose with boundaries and Dhawan striking it beautifully. The partnership of 86 in 8 overs set the tone and the confidence for the batsman to follow on a wonderful batting wicket. 

When Stoinis (38 of 27 balls) was done in by a quicker one from Rashid, the damage was already done. Perhaps, Rashid should have been in bit earlier to break the partnership, something which Warner missed to do.

Dhawan wokes up again, Hetmeyer plays a blinder to set a huge target of 190:

Shikar and Shreyas carefully played out Rashid Khan without giving him anymore wicket and scoring 6 per over, meticulously executing the plan against him. Dhawan looked again in splendid touch driving, cutting and sweeping with authority, registering yet another 50 of just 26 balls - taking his tally in this series to 600 runs. DC's fortune in this tournament has directly proportional to Shikar's success with the bat and he proved what a big match player he is striking at the right time, similar to his success for Team India whenever he plays in a world tournament.

Hetmeyer, the talented West Indian left hander, repayed the faith shown by the Capitals think tank by accelerating towards the death overs with a fine 42 of just 22 balls and taking them closer to the 200 run barrier. 

 Natarajan and co pull back things in final overs:

 It must be praise worthy of the brilliant comback in the last 2 overs, especially the final over from Natarajan, where he relentlessly bowled Yorker after Yorker and restricted Delhi to 189 by giving just 7 runs.

Yet again Stoinis, this time with the ball:

Sun risers hopes of a big Innings from Warner didn't materialise as he left early getting cleaned by Rabada for just 2 runs. Stoinis had the ball in hand and in no time he produced moment of magic sending back the talented priyam Garg and the mainstay Manish Pandey leaving SRH reeling at 44/3 in 5 overs.

Yet again it has to be Williamson and Holder to due the rescue act for the Hyderabad Franchise

Williamson, Samad keeps the hope alive:

 Williamson, yet again rising up to the occassion, continuing from where he left in the previous match, by playing a amazing innings striking it cleanly and driving it with grace and elegance. The down the track six of Axar and the pick up shot to clear  Rabada over the mid-wicket was delight for cricket lovers - The game was on as long as this man was at the wicket.

 The breezy 57 Partnership for the 5th wicket with the unknown Abdul samad, who demonstrated his batting skills on the big stage, took the game deep and it was set for a tight finish. Samad,( 33 of 16), took on Nortje, the quickest bowler of this tournament, in the 15th over by nonchalantly pulling him over the mid-wicket boundary, straight out of the books of Ricky ponting, followed by consecutive boundaries through the off side - This over swung the match towards SRH with 43 needed from 22 balls, not impossible with the duo out in the middle..

Stoinis seals the Match, Rabada parties with triple strike & 4 for to regain purple cap:

 Just when things were going good, cometh the hour, cometh the man - Stoinis returns to the bowling crease and snaps ups the big fish Williamson by bowling a wide slower one which Kane couldn't meet with the sweet spot and holed out to deep cover for a well constructed 67 of 45 balls - SRH almost bags the ticket to the finals.

  Rabada, who was off colour in last few matches, returned to bowl the 19th over and snaps up three wickets, closing the game in favour of the DC and celebrating by snatching the purple cap again from Bumrah with 29 wickets. It was the turn of another South African Nortje to do the formalities by bowling a tight final over - Finishing the Sun Risers campaign to the finals.

Where did SRH lose the match?

 A deep dive in to the reason and the margin of the defeat would show that the below par act on the field - misfields, overthrows, droped catches, especially the one for Stoinis, cost SRH the match while Delhi rose to the occasion stopping numerous boundaries and snapping the catches ended up on the sides of victory. 

"Delhi grabs the ticket to Dubai to play the Mighty 4 times champion Mumbai "

 10th November, will it be a historic day for the Capitals or 5th championship for the Majestic Mumbai led by the talisman "hit"man??

Sun risers in Hyderabad "eliminating" RCB out of the IPL 2020

 "Third Man" A Match Review by Kannan

Eliminator : RCB vs SRH at Abhu Dhabi, 6th November 2020

 Both the teams were coming into this match with mixed fortunes, RCB laid low with 5 losses in a row while SRH making a spectacular comback with 4 wins on a trot. The past performances doesn't matter as one of the team is going to be "eliminated". 

The toss and the team changes:

 SRH got the toss in favour and put RCB to bat first on what it looked like a tricky wicket to bat on. Interestingly, Saha, who was looking in ominous touch, was out and replaced by wicket keeper Goswami for the SRH. RCB was desperate for a win by ringing in three changes packing the side with spinners and bringing in Finch back.

Holders bag of tricks 

The strange tactics of keeping himself to open the innings backfired as Kohli fell early glancing a lifting Holder's delivery to the keeper. Holder was on song and bowling beautifully with able support from the dependable Rashid and the ever improving Natarajan - RCB reduced to 62 for 4 in 10 overs, yet again depending so much on ABD to deliver.

Holder never allowed RCB to accelerate by scalping 3 wickets and setting the match beautifully in their favor.

Can ABD fire at the end giving a fighting total to defend?

RCB fans would be praying for yet another ABD special, as he has done in this season shifting to the top gear in the final overs. The lack of batting to follow and the nature of the pitch kept the superman quiet - He still produced a neat half century and waiting to explode in the death. 

Natarajan nails De Villiers and restricts challengers to 131

Here comes Natarajan, the new found leader of the SRH pace attack with a big heart and superlative performaces at the death, and delivers a perfect unplayable Yorker in the 18th over to dismiss ABD - surely the Game changing moment of the match. Had AB survived to face 10 more balls, it would have been absolute carnage and RCB might have finished at 160, that was not to be. They could manage only a below par 131, still not an easy one on a knock out game

Siraj prizes out Warner, early wickets, SRH in trouble:

SRH were in a spot of bother at the 6th over at 43 for 2 with Siraj finding the rythm and swing, especially the wicket of Warner was the vital moment of the Power play.

Zampa, chahal spun a web around:

The pitch was assisting the spinners and the leggies Chahal and Zampa were difficult to get away in the middle overs keeping the asking rate up, though the super economical sundar had an off day. The match was evenly poised at the 12th over where SRH had accumulated just 67 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.

Calm, calculative Williamson and all round Holder steadies the Ship, keeps sun Risers hopes alive:

What a calculated innings from Williamson,one of the best players going on in world cricket with an astute cricketing brain, rotating the strike and hitting the boundaries when needed, producing a half century which mattered the most, and keeping calm till the end.Holder shine with both bat and ball, gave good support to Kane in the steady 5th wicket partnership. With 9 runs needed of the final over, Holder exploded with couple of boundaries to finish the match with 2 balls to spare, ending the "eh sala cum namade!" Campaign for the much improved RCB this season.

Kohli yet again unable to take his team to the finals whether it is RCB or Team India, a big thing missing in his otherwise impressive CV - Having said this, it was a fantastic season for the RCB by holding the top 3 spot throughout before losing steam at the later half. 

"The sun rises in Hyderabad in style at the right time at the business end, one more win against DC on Sunday will take them to the finals"

4 Time champions Mumbai storms into yet another finals by decimating Delhi Capitals

 "Third Man" by Kannan

Qualifier 1, IPL 2020, Delhi vs Mumbai at Dubai on 5th November

Yet another IPL, Yet another qualifier win for the defending champions Mumbai and they storm into the finale in style by demolishing the Capitals, led by the assault by the batsman in the death and fiery opening spell from  the double B's - Bumrah and Boult which had the 3 Delhi batsman walk back to the dug out with no runs on the board.

Delhi skipper shreyas won the toss, sent Mumbai into bat at the qualifier 1 played at the wonderful Dubai International stadium - perhaps the only thing which went right in their way was the toss.

Mumbai was off to a flier with De cock getting off the mark with a boundary of the first ball and scoring 14 runs in the first over setting the tone for the innings. The introduction of impressive Ashwin in the power play immediately produced result as he trapped the out of form skipper Rohit Sharma for a duck. 

De Cock continued to impress in the company of the man of the moment Surya kumar, both of them matching shot by shot - De cock was clearing the boundaries at ease while Surya Kumar was delightful with his touch play and occasionally exhibiting his muscular power by clearing the fence, the six through the covers of Ashwin was definitely the shot of a man who deserved to wear the Team India Jersey.

The capitals bowling attack, barring Ashwin, was wayward and punished severely by each of the Mumbai batsman who walked in. The intelligent Ashwin brought all his guiles and experience into play and pulled back things by bagging a 3 for and putting a brake on the scoring accounting for the key wickets of De cock and Pollard for a duck, continuing his dominance over the West Indian in the IPL.

Demolition act at the death

At 100/4 in the 13th over, MI would have settled for a score of 170, but the "finisher" hard "hit" Pandya and Ishan Kishan, in his new role down the order, were on a mission " Destroy Delhi" from the word go and were unstoppable hitting barrage of sixes all over the park and handed "Capital punishment" for the Delhi fast bowlers. Pandya (37 of just 14 balls)looks like he is batting on a different planet everytime he walks out at the death , whacking them out of the park effortlessly with his timing and wrist power. Ishan, the pocket size dynamo, is on a cracking form at the business end and no different today - hitting them with brute force and extended bat swing to score a match winning 55 of just 30 balls.

The Last 3 overs going for 55 runs, last 5 overs produced 92 runs - Mission accomplished for the Mumbai Indians and Delhi had an uphill task to chase 201 runs. The form of the key bowlers Rabada, going for plenty and wicketless in last 3 matches, and the express quick Nortje, who was clobbered for 51 runs in his 4 overs, must be hurting Delhi.

Nightmare start for Delhi - 0/3 in 2 overs

chasing 201 for victory, DC would have wanted their openers to fire big to have any chance of getting closer to the target. Facing the Swing and left arm angle of Boult, and the express pace and variations from Bumrah is never going to be easy for the lackluster Prithvi Shaw and Dhawan, who forgot the act of scoring runs after the twin centuries, which looked like happened long time ago.

Prithvi and Rahane failed the fast bowling examination from Boult in the 1st over, getting out for ducks - Tentative Prithvi edged one that went away while Rahane was trapped plumb in front with a "Boult special" that nipped back in. Bumrah, who bowled the 2nd over made Dhawan looked like a tail ender cleaning up with a scorching Yorker bowled at 140+ speed. 

At 0/3 by the second over, with the top order back in the dug out, it's all over for the Capitals and just a matter of statistical interest on the margin of defeat. The Double B's have demolished the DC in 12 balls!

Stoinis and Axar saves some pride

  When Bumrah scalped the skipper Shreyas, DC was looking like getting bowled out under 100 but for the stroke filled half century from Stoinis and a Cameo from Axar (42 off 33) with some big hits down the ground, proving his credentials as a worthy all rounder.

Bumrah,the man with the purple cap and on a purple patch, returned for a second spell and breathed fire dismissing Stoinis and Sam bagging a well deserving 4 for and eventually the man of the match. Stoinis would not forget the unplayable fast inswinger that rattled his stumps and his reputation.

Head ache for Ponting & co for the Qualifier 2

Delhi managed to score just 143 and managed to lose by a big margin- Their 5th consecutive loss and looking down and out and unless one of the top 3 scores big and bowlers delivers, they are likely to lose the qualifier too against the winner of SRH vs RCB. Prithvi shaw surely needs to be replaced for his poor starts - 5 times getting out in the 1st over, 3 ducks in the last 10 innings, DC must look for changes at the top and changes in the fortunes. 

"Magnificent Mumbai into the finals, Delhi down but not out"

The Race to the play off - Permutations and combinations

 " Third Man" - by Kannan

It can't get closer than this, mumbai with 9 wins at the top of the table already into the play off, csk with 5 wins at the bottom ruled out of the play off race, nothing to seperate rest of the 6 teams with 6 or 7 wins each fighting for 3 spots...

 The favourites Delhi can still miss the play off, while Punjab, Rajasthan, SRH who were having a poor run suddenly found momentum at the later stages, next 3 days are going to be nervy for the 6 teams with eye on NRR and close look at result of the other matches to go in their favour.

 With the IPL 2020 reaching the business end, next 3 days are going to be exciting for the fans and tension filled times for the franchises - The three days that matters after the ups and the downs over 2 and half month long marathon tournament. let's have a quick look at the upcoming league matches starting Sunday, 1st November - 4 crucial matches to go for the teams to grab 3 spots in the play off, with Mumbai already qualified and CSK eliminated ( we don't associate this word to CSK in the IPL history, isn't it?)

Csk vs Punjab ( match 53)

This is going to be a do or die game for punjab (6 wins till now) Where a loss will see them taking the flight back home along with csk, a win will keep them in contention to the play off. While am writing this, kings have started with a bang and Mayank opening will keep the scoreboard ticking as well. If Gayle storm, classy KL and the match winner Mayank finds their range, surely a win on the cards. As a csk fan, would love to see the yellow army go out on a High with a win.

KKR vs RR (Match 54)

The contest between KKR and RR is a straight forward one as the loser exits the tournament and the winner to keep an eye on the calculator and the results from other matches.

RR has the upper hand though with back to back wins primarily through their Talisman Stokes resurgence with the bat and rest of the batting unit firing at the right time after the inconsistent show during the early stages. KKR has been losing more than winning after Morgan took over the reigns mid-way, and the batting unit failing to click is a cause of concern with their goto man Russel nowhere in the scheme of things to show his muscle power.

RCB vs Delhi ( Match. 55)

The contest between the "Bangalore"ian Kohli against his "home" team is unlikely to affect their spot in the Top 4 as both the teams are already sitting with 7 wins and the winner will seal the play off berth. Both the teams are down in confidence after going into a losing streak having started the tournament on a high. The losing team will pray for Mumbai to beat SRH to stay alive for the Play off spot.

 RCB's dependency on ABD continues while the skipper Kohli has to play a key knock with remarkable strike rate to carry them home. Delhi, on the other hand is struggling both with bat and ball through 4 consecutive losses - The form of Prithvi, Dhawan blewing hot and cold, Shreyas and Pant not firing is a real worry, not to forget the bowling unit which is losing out of steam of late.

SRH vs MI ( Match 56)

SRH were no where in the picture and the blinder from Saha followed by the thumping win over Delhi Capitals has done wonders to their belief and the NRR as well.

 David Warner is always the man to watch out for while the addition of Kane has provided solidity to the top order, and if magician Rashid has a good day, SRH will fancy beating Mumbai Indians. IF SRH loses to Mumbai, they will also catch the same flight booked for the super kings back home.

" Fasten your seat belts on, don't switch off your television sets as the race to the play off is on " Let the best 4 teams March on, Game on for true cricket lovers.

Team India squad for the Australian tour - has they got it Right?

BCCI Selectors announces India’s squad to the Tour Down Under –2020/21

 

“Third Man” is back after a week to discuss and introspect the squad announced for the upcoming full tour to Australia commencing 27^th November and closing out on 15^th January, a grueling 3 months tour comprising of four Tests ,three ODI’s and three T20’s. Overall it looks a well-balanced strong squad on paper to take on the mighty Australians at their home territory, with Rohit Sharma conspicuous by his absence from all the forms of the game, considering his status as a indispensable player in the India Team over the last few years.

 

“Hit”Man out of Down under for all three formats – What’s happening BCCI?

 

Well, I can read your mind and the most of us will be baffled by the confusion surrounding Rohit, being the Vice-Captain of the limited overs team, dropped from the full tour due to a hamstring injury picked up during this IPL and missing 2 games already. It would have served better had BCCI released a clear statement on the extent of the injury and recovery time to clear the doubts from the ardent fans following Team India. It is strange to see Rohit padded up and gearing for a practice session for the IPL, while BCCI already ruling him out of a future tour. The ideal situation could be including him in the squad, monitoring his progress and name a replacement if he is not declared fit. If he is seriously injured, Mumbai Indians should have ruled him out of rest of the IPL matches in the larger interest of his Team India Career – With lot of money at stake, is BCCI unable to convince the franchise to release Rohit on fitness grounds?

 

 

Royal Challenger’s Tour to Australia?– Is the Captain just has a say in Team selection or the Captain selects the team?

Though not questioning the caliber of players chosen, the squad looks heavily loaded with players from RCB raising questions on the influence of the captain and favoritism towards players from one franchise to represent India captained by the skipper of the Franchise. While the likes of Chahal, Sundar, Saini, Umesh Yadav are quality players to represent India, the same cannot be said of Siraj – He did not set the world alight in his previous stints for Team India and barring one outstanding spell in this IPL, he has been quite ordinary. Spare a thought for players like Surya Kumar Yadav, who has been plundering runs at an enormous strike rate for the last 3 seasons for the Mumbai Indians – What has he done wrong to be ignored?

The bigger question is selecting players for Test matches based on IPL performances which will set wrong precedents for the domestic players who are sweating it out at the Ranji trophy, as rightly questioned by the cricket turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar. My take is on the same lines – IPL performances can be a yardstick only to select players for International T20 Matches only.

 

Young guns getting a go for the big Australia Series – Applause to the selectors

With the regular members of India Test & ODI team being automatic picks, it is a commendable to see the likes of Varun Chakravarthy, Mayank ( for all three formats), Sundar and the deserving Samson getting changes in the T20 squads based on current form and it will be a greater learning curve to bowl and bat on the bigger Australian grounds as well as the quicker pitches which will have something for the bowlers all the way. Waking up at 5.00 AM IST to see the contest between bat and the ball, the opening session at Gabba Brisbane with swing and seam, the bounce at MCG- Melbourne, Pace and carry for the bowlers and the dimensions and the challenge of the wind called “ free mantle doctor” at WACA Perth, the spinners paradise at Adelaide oval – A cracker of the series is on the cards between two of the greatest cricketing rivalries of the decade.

 

The vice-Captain saga

With the dumping of Rohit Sharma and the sudden elevation for KL Rahul by handing over the Vice captaincy reins for the ODI & T20 series, the Selectors has added fuel to the Rohit Vs Kohli controversy which has been going on since the ODI world cup. Imagine a situation if Rohit recovers and wins a place back into the Team, how hard it will be for his captaincy aspirations as he has done nothing wrong for the little time he has captained India and has been extremely good leader leading Mumbai Indians to multiple titles.

While KL Rahul has been duly rewarded for a place in limited over teams by his scintillating show at this IPL, once again the T20 Performances leading to Test selection crops up – He was fairly unsuccessful as an opener in the previous three test tours and eventually dropped for the home series against the Windies & Kiwis, where Rohit took up the challenge as the opener and made merry making centuries and double centuries cementing his place in the Test side. Hope KL can prove us wrong and put up a remarkable show as a test opener as he has done in his debut century in the same Australian soil years back.

 

Let’s have some fun –Shocking omissions -  Players unlucky to miss the bus to Australia Tour

Having discussed on a series note on some of the selection condrums, would like to finish with some fun on the players who are missing from the squad announced.

Kedar Jadav, who was trolled day and night for his “test Match” batting in this IPL for CSK, couldn’t win a place in the Test squad? BCCI, What have you done?

An International full tour without MSD – It took some time to realize that Dhoni is a former India Cricketer, something we fans could not get into terms yet.

ABD missing out – Kohli , You were so loyal to the “ Royal” Challengers by picking most of them ,How could you afford to drop ABD, your best buddy?

 

Thumps up for the Men in Blue for the Tour Down Under – Time to Bleed Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spectacular Super Sunday at Incredible premier League

 Kings 11 vs MI- Match tied, 1st super over tied, Punjab beats Mumbai in the 2nd super over  - how often have we seen something like this to know the result of a game?? this is IPL and modern day T20 for you folks, the rules have changed, bats are getting big, grounds are getting smaller and entertainment unlimited..  On a match which started on a Sunday, closed on the Monday, leaving the fans short of time to sleep and to relieve the incredible game of cricket.Not to forget the super over in the 1st Match of the double header ( SRH vs KKR), it was a terrific tremendous tantalising triple treat to the super fans on a " super Sunday".

"Third Man" A Review by Kannan

“Super Over” Kings conquers Mumbai Indians on the 3^rd attempt

 

Wouldn’t be exciting to re-live the double Super over with plenty of  buzz, drama and of course, entertainment. Here we go on the quick recap of the Super over between KKIP and Mumbai Indians on the Sunday, 18^th October, perhaps the craziest day in the history of IPL. With the game tied at 176/6 (Yes, it cannot be closer than this with nothing separating the 2 teams even in wickets lost), both the teams gathers for the super over game.

 

1^st Super Over - Tied

It was competition of accurate yorker bowling between the ‘boom boom” Bumrah and the ‘Sultan of Swing’ Shami – Eventually, batsman from both the teams (Rahul & Pooran for Kings 11, Rohit and Quinton for MI) struggled to put bat to ball resulting in Punjab scoring only 5/2 , both the wicket falling to the brilliant Bumrah. MI was expected to chase this off pretty easily, but that was not to be. 2 runs were needed of the last ball where Quinton, in pursuit of the 2^nd run towards victory, was brilliantly run out by KL Rahul, collecting the ball and diving to dislodge the bails, all happening in fraction of a second.

 

Is the game over? Has Mumbai won the match on the basis of more boundaries scored in the original game ( 24 boundaries as against 22 for Punjab)? Yet another repeat of the World Cup finals between England and New Zealand? Plenty of confusion, animated conversation in the dugout - Umpires, support staff & the players are getting together. Finally, the news is out. Clarification provided on the  Changes in the IPL rule book effective 2020, It’s going to be yet another super over!! Don’t switch your television sets off, more fun on the cards.

 

Before we head into the deciding super over, Here is what the IPL Law’s says about the “TIED SUPER OVER”

• In the event of a super over being tied, the game has to be decided through subsequent super over (Until a result comes up)
• The players who took the field ( not the nominated players) during the previous Super over cannot participate in the next super over. In this game, Bumrah, Shami, Rahul, Pooran, Rohit, Quinton cannot participate again. ( There was some argument regarding Pollard nominated in the 1^st Super over and still walking out to bat in the 2^nd Super over, Umpires have clarified – Pollard did not bat in the preceding super over, hence he is available to participate in the next Super over)
• Rest of the rules applicable to the Super over remains the same.

2^nd Super Over - KKIP beats MI in the 2^nd super over

 

Hardik Pandya & Kieren Pollard, the power hitting master of MI walks out to bat against Chris Jordan, the death over specialist from the KKIP. Jordan restricts MI to 11/1, noteworthy to mention the brilliance of Mayank on the boundary line – Saving a certain six through his acrobatic act and batsman could manage only 2 runs. These are the little moments which decides the outcome of a nail-biting match and KKIP has to chase 12 runs in pursuit of the much needed 2 points.

 

Here comes Gayle, the universal boss and the in-form Mayank Agarwal to face the speed of Left arm quickie Trent boult. Gayle makes a statement in the first ball by clearing the long off for a six, Game on! Gayle storm has arrived at the UAE! The target becomes smaller now and astonishing Agarwal does the finishing act with two boundaries, KKIP wins the Super over with 2 balls to spare. KKIP are back into the reckoning with 3 wins.

 

“Except RR and CSK, all the teams are part of Super overs in this IPL 2020 – They both are clashing today. Is there going to be another one?

Dhawan's maiden IPL century, Axar's blinder powers DC to thrilling win over CSK , nearly ending their campaign to the play off

 Dhawan's maiden IPL century, Axar's blinder powers DC to thrilling win over CSK , nearly ending their campaign to the play off

17th October, Sharjah, IPL 2020

What a spectacular double header Saturday it turned out to be at the IPL which witnessed two contrasting matches - RR were coasting for victory and lost it to a game changing innings from ABD (when 76 were required of 42 balls) where he scored 55 of just 22 balls, (6 sixes) primarily going after unadkat and scoring 25 of the 19th over making it a simple finish. On the 2nd match between CSK and DC, it was a close encounter which went to the wire and finished as a heartbreak for CSK nearly ending their campaign to the play off. 

 Lets quickly re-live the match and analyse the game changing moments which cost CSK a win much to the disappointment for the fans who were rooting for the yellow army.

 

chasing a challenging target of 180 on a batting wicket at Sharjah, with smaller dimensions, Delhi got off to a poor start with Prithvi falling to the swing of Chahar for a duck in the 2nd ball of 1st over, it was left to Rahane and Dhawan to rebuild the innings. Rahane fell to a fantastic reflex catch by Curran, what is that he cannot do on a cricket field, leading to the skipper shreyas and Dangerous Dhawan, in supreme form with  3 Consecutive 50's before this match, to bat through if DC has to go anywhere near the target set. By the end of 10th over, DC were struggling at 76/2, however, CSK were at similar position with one wicket down.

Shreyas was not looking at his best and he fell for a run a ball 23 trying to clear the long on boundary of Bravo and excellently caught by Faf near the rope. Though wickets falling at the other end, Dhawan continued to dominate playing his trademark slog sweeps, clearing the infield on several occasions-   When he steps down and drives through extra covers, he is surely in form and CSK has to pay heavily for the dropped catches, 3 regulation catches dropped by Chahar, Dhoni  and Rayudu. The Spinners , who were the key architects on the victory over SRH, bowled poorly much to the liking of Dhawan and duly got hammered all round the park.

Stoinis excelled for 24, in his brief stay at the crease while Carey could carry on to strike it big - The asking rate was climbing steep leaving it Shikar to do the damage by himself when 21 was needed of the last 2 overs. At thus stage, Super kings were down and out but got a glimmer of hope through a stupendous 19th over from Curran which went for just 4 runs - Dhawan celebrating his maiden IPL century of just 57 balls.

Dhoni threw the ball to Jadeja to bowl the final over defending 17 runs, perhaps due to a injury to Bravo who was off the field. Jadeja missed his length and there comes a blinder from the left handed Axar (21 of just 5 balls), no mug with the bat, striking 3 huge sixes and getting DC over the line with a thrilling win - conquering Jadeja, the fellow left arm spinner and Super kings. Delhi regains the place in the top of the table where Super kings are nearly out of the play offs ( Though firm CSK believers still would say 5 out of 5 and we will be in play off)

Earlier, CSK opted to bat and showed real aggression and batted with purpose, withstanding the early wicket of Curran. Watson and Faf put on a steady 87 run partnership for the 2nd wicket laying the perfect platform for the middle order to attack - Du Plussis was set on a mission from ball one scooping the Speed merchant Nortje for a six  over fine leg, going after the DC bowling attack and scoring a 47 ball 58.

It was Rayudu show once Faf left and exhibition of flamboyant batting, the six over extra cover of Nortje was breathtaking, where he continued to take on the bowlers and joined by Jadeja to do set up things in the death overs to a commanding total. 45 (25 balls) from Rajudu and 33 (13 balls) from Jadeja, with 4 sixes each put DC on the firing line as 67 runs were plundered of the last 4 overs, something CSK failed to do in the previous matches. Barring Rabada, no bowler deserved respect and had their figures spoiled by the impactful batting plan from CSK.

Where did Super Kings lose the match?

Here comes the interesting segment - A postmortem of the heartbreaking loss which could have been won with few Tactics going right.

Jadav jumps in the 11 again - It must have been Meme time when Jadav was drafted back into the crucial game, having done nothing in this ongoing IPL and shown the door just 2 matches ago. On a smaller ground which needs extra cushion to have an additional bowler, wasn't defying cricketing logic to bring back kedar, if his form with the bat was horrendous and he is not into the bowling plans either. Skipper Dhoni must clarify to the fans who are outraged after the defeat.

Dropped catches, Dhawan makes Merry -  Dhawan was happy with the triple " Dasara festival" gifts given by the Csk fielders and as the saying goes ' fortune favours the brave, blugeoned the bowlers to a match winning century. The Fielding standard of the team, with few slow movers on the field, was way below par when compared to the other teams - yet another reason for the defeat.Had Dhawan been snapped up early, the match would have been won with a decent margin.

Why did Jadeja bowled the last over??

This is the question asked by everyone who follows the yellow army. While Dhoni clarified at the post match interview that Bravo was off the field due to an injury, was it wise to bowl a left arm spinner against 2 left handers with the ball turning into them making it easy to hit them with the spin? Karn Sharma was another option but did not have a good outing so as Jadeja ( Jaddu going for 35 runs in 2 overs).

Why not Kedar Jadav to bowl the final over??

 Though it may backfire to Dhoni on kedar selection if he fails, why couldn't he been tried to bowl the last over as a surprise element - Strategically, DC would not have expected him to bowl and might have some something silly and given him a wicket. Kedar is a partnership breaker and a unique style of bowler who is not easy to get underneath and clear the boundary. Being an off spinner, turning the ball away From the lefties, kedar could be the rabbit out of the hat Dhoni should have tried - But not to be.

5 wins of 5 matches is what CSK need at this stage -  Mathematically yes, Realistically no. Still the loyal fans root for the yellow for all the wins, titles and the entertainment provided over a decade. But I fear this is the end and a new dawn to begin next year with a completely new set of players.

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Top order clicks, Bowlers delivers as CSK gets one over SRH

 

Top order clicks, Bowlers delivers as CSK gets one over SRH

 

“Third Man” Review By Kannan

 

Match : SRH vs CSK, IPL 2020

Date : 13^th Oct, 2020

Venue : Dubai

Toss : CSK won and elected to bat

 

CSK campaign is back on track with a clinical performance over the Top-heavy Sun Risers by beating them comfortably by 20 runs and getting a much needed 3^rd win to stay alive in the tournament. Aggressive batting by Curran at the top followed by the partnership between Watson and Rayudu ensured CSK had a par score to defend and the bowlers put up a brilliant all round show to finish the game in style.

 

Batting first, Curran at the Top gives CSK a thumping start

 

While CSK has chased all of the 7 matches they have played prior to this match and lost more games, they were hoping to bat first, put scoreboard pressure and to outwit the opponents with the spinners – The toss of the coin fell in CSK’s favor and skipper Dhoni had not hesitation to bat first. Sun Risers were taken aback with the strategy to open with Curran and he provided the much needed impetus with a 21 ball 31 with 2 sixes, putting the foot on the accelerator from ball one, though Faf fell early to a moving ball from Sandeep Sharma. When Curran was cleaned by Sandeep, he has already done the damage and provided direction for the batters to follow.

 

Watson Rayudu shows intent, targets Rashid Khan and dominates the middle overs

 

With the freedom given by the skipper to bat positive and go after the bowling, Watson and Rayudu showed intent and started to dominate, refreshing to see the change from the grafting approach in the previous games, kept the scoreboard moving and stitching a  valuable 81 runs for the 3^rd wicket. They hit 5 sixes between them during this period and the plan to go after Rashid khan was a master stroke as not many teams have been successful in doing so – Rashid was conquered and the ploy to contain the middle order with spin was thwarted as they went for around 8 an over, laying the platform for Dhoni & Co to strike big during the final overs.

 

Dhoni, Jadeja’s Cameo  - 47 runs in last 4 overs

 

Dhoni walked out to bat at the right time and right intention with just 4 overs to go, wasting no time in blocking few as it has been the trend in previous matches, batted with aggression (21 of 13 balls) and started to hit boundaries of the pace bowlers – The 102 meter six of the Natarajan over long on with the full swing of the bat and typical Dhoni follow through was the sign of his powers still intact and belief for the fans for more of such to come in the upcoming games.  Jadeja was finding gaps and placing through the third man boundaries as if this was a net session and finished it off with a six in the final over – The cameo from the CSK mates put SRH completely on the back foot as the target of 167 was never easy on the two- paced wicket.

 

 

Warner, Pandey fails at the Top, SRH off to a clumsy start

 

When CSK took the field, the agenda must be surely to take early wickets as SRH depends lot on the Top 3 to fire with the brittle middle and lower order – David Warner, who has found his touch little late in this tournament, got a leading edge and gave a simple catch to Sam Curran while Manish Pandey succumbed to an unnecessary run out with brilliant piece of fielding and direct hit from the “champion” Bravo. At 27/2 in 4 overs, SRH hopes rested on Bairstow to fire with the bat and Kane to do the supporting act as he does more often than not.

 

Spinners Strikes in the middle overs, the chase goes off track

 

Just when Bairstow and Kane were rebuilding and the asking rate climbing over 10 an over, Jadeja makes it even more tougher by bamboozling and cleaning up Bairstow with a quicker one. Williamson continued to build the innings  by rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundaries while he saw wickets falling around him – At 117/5 in 17^th over, with 40 runs needed of last 3 overs, it was a blinder expected from Kane to ruin CSK’s party which was not to be.

 

Death Overs – Karn prizes out Williamson, Bravo & Thakur does the finishing Act

 

Williamson, who played some delightful cricketing shots and scoring a splendid 57 of 39 balls,  fell sweeping Karn straight into the hands of Thakur and it was left to Thakur and Bravo to close the game in the final overs. They had to withstand the scare from Rashid Khan, who was starting to connect and playing his trademark scoops, before he got out in comical manner by getting himself hit wicket and also being caught at the boundary in the last ball of 19^th over – Thakur deserved the wicket for his yet another impressive display at the death overs giving nothing away.

 

With 21 runs needed of the last over, Bravo had fun mixing up his deliveries and closed out the game for CSK by just giving 1 run, an unbelievable feat indeed. Right from the toss of the coin, the positive batting from the batsmen, early wickets with the ball and spinners putting up a commendable show, Super Kings had a near perfect game. Peaking late in a season is not new to Dhoni’s men and they know how to turn it around at the business end of the tournament, Lets not celebrate much, take one game at a time and hope for few more wins for real “Whistle podu” moments.

 

Where does CSK stands at the points table?

 

While it was down and out few days back, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for CSK – They stand at 6^th in the points table with 3 wins as of today (16^th Oct) with SRH and RR sitting along and KKR marginally above us with 4 wins. The equation will definitely change with lot more game to go, MI, DC & RCB are surely going to occupy the Top 3. The competition for the 4^th place is going to be interesting as couple of wins on the trot is what CSK should be aiming for.

 

Quick Preview for CSK Vs DC , 17^th October, Sharjah

 

CSK takes on Delhi Capitals tomorrow at Sharjah on what should be a must win match for CSK as Delhi has nothing to lose standing at the top of the points table due to their supreme performances this season. Super Kings must continue their recent template of batting first, hopefully winning the toss, and Curran to open the batting which provided the balance to the top order. There should not be much change to the playing 11 except for Piyush, barely used in the match against SRH, to be replaced by the deserving Jagadeesan who did not have a bad outing on his debut.

 

It is a golden opportunity for the Super kings to get one against a depleted Delhi Capitals, with Shreyas and Pant, the fulcrum of their batting unit,  likely to miss out due to injuries. Their batting looks weaker without these two and the onus will be on Shikar Dhawan to deliver at the top if Delhi aims to score anywhere above 160. However, they have the bowling firepower, with the fearsome paceman in Rabada and Nortje ( who bowled the fastest ball in IPL history in their previous match against RR clocking 156 kph) and the in-form spinners in Ashwin and Axar to trouble even the best of batting line ups.

 

CSK should mix aggression with caution, with one of the top order batsman anchoring the innings and the rest should bat positively to target 160+ on the board which should be tough to chase on a wearing Sharjah track. They should be mindful of the fact that overs 16-20 will be difficult to up the ante against Rabada/Nortje and score as much runs before the death overs and hope for yet another Dhoni-Jadeja show business end. Not to forget the “Champion” Bravo, he is due with the bat – Will it be tomorrow?

 

“Runs on the board, scoreboard pressure, Capitalize on Capital’s weakness in batting, Go for Glory CSK

Tremendous Tripathi sets up the match for KKR, Dhoni, Kedar gifts a win for " "Chennai" mate

"Third Man"- CSK vs KKR Match Review ( 7th October, Abhu Dhabi)

KKR defeated CSk by 10runs at Abhu Dhabi despite scoring a below par 167 on a good batting wicket. KKR who won the toss, elected to bat, kept on losing wickets at regular intervals, contributed by superlative bowling by the CSk bowlers, Dwane Bravo, the carribbean Champion, was the pick of the bowlers picking 3 wickets, scalped his 150th wicket for CSK,  especially putting the brakes at the death overs. 

Rahul Tripathi was the shining light for the knight riders. Opening the batting this time, Tripathi came out all guns blazing, played shots all round the wicket, hitting boundaries and sixes and scored a brilliant 81 of just 51 balls.

While the margin of defeat looks like it was a close encounter, an analysis and intense scrutiny of the scoring pattern and strike rate of some of the "Stalwarts"of CSk during the various stages of the game would expose the real cause of losing the match which should have been won easily.

1 to 12 overs - 99/1, fabulous start by the top order

 CSK was off to a brisk start with Watson and Du Plussis continuing from where they left off against punjab , putting on 30 runs in quick time, before Faf nicked on to the KKR skipper.  Rayudu, the man in form, joined Watson and continued to flourish playing attacking shots and taking on the bowling.Watson registering yet another 50 proving his worth when he finds his touch.By the end of 12 overs, super kings were dominating the chase at 99/1 when Rayudu lost his wicket trying to clear long on fence and getting caught.

13 to 17th over - Brilliant DK, mystery spinners dry up the runs, Dhoni faulters again

Dinesh Karthik, who was under fire for his unimaginative captaincy so far, got everything right in this game right from opening the innings with Tripathi to holding up Sunil Narine to let him control the game during the middle overs against Watson, Dhoni and co on a pitch which was slowing down. Narine immediately reaped rewards by trapping Watson with a quicker one.

Dhoni promoted himself up the order and walked at no 4, and as we have witnessed through this season, he couldn't get going at all and was grafting for singles during the middle overs. CSk could manage only to score at less then 6 runs during this period which overcomplicated things again to leave a tough task in the last 3 overs.

Varun Chakravarty, the mystery spinner, who once worshipped Dhoni as a fan from the chepauk stands, got his sureal moment when he ended Dhoni's agony ( 11 of 12 balls)by getting him bowled by a tossed up delivery to - It was a wild heave by Dhoni, which might be a proof of his struggles with the bat and signs of his waning powers with the willow.

17th to 20th over - Kedhar's Day out - " No show" 

Here comes the game changing moment, Kedar Jadav arrives at the crease in the 17th over when 39 runs were needed from 21 balls.  Clueless against the variations from Varun, kedar blocks the first 3  deliveries, much to the delight of the opposition camp.

Andrew Russell, who has been having a poor season with the bat, bowls a brilliant 18th over where Jadav swings , swings and couldn't put bat to ball - finally gets off the mark in 6 balls, surely must be the skippers advice to take the game deep. Just 3 runs and the wicket of Curran, Russel's 18th over, well supported by Kedar's miseries with the bat, ensures too much to get in the last 2 overs.

While an improbable 26 runs were needed of the last over, late flurry of boundaries from Jadeja, though after the match completely slips out, reduces the margin of victory by 10 runs. Kedhar remains unbeaten at 7* of 12 balls - Surely a match winning innings for KKR. Dinesh Karthik must be thankful to Dhoni and Jadav for gifting a victory and giving them a much needed win to go up in the points table.

Where CSK lost the match?? 

Here comes some of the questions to the Skipper Dhoni, who is obviously making the calls on the selection and batting order - I am sure these are the ones the Ardent CSK followers, with lot of anger, anguish and utter disappointment, would want to know

* Why choose an utterly out of form Kedhar, who has not been used as a bowler too, in the playing 11 on an important Match which the team needs to win to stay alive in the tournament? Why not a young batsman be given a chance from the reserves? The fans and  Mr Flemming think alike, but what did you see in Kedhar to persist with him throughout??

*Why did you bat at poor strike rate between the 13th to 17th over, as if you were batting against James Anderson and Stuart Broad to save a test match at Headingly, which made a chasable target look improbable in the last 2 overs?? If you believe you are not in the best of batting nick, why did not sent someone else who can swing his bat and get quick runs?

* Why did Kedar came ahead of Bravo, knowing that Bravo has been making an impact in the match with the ball and his good form in the preceding CPL with the bat before coming to the IPL? Why did Bravo did not get to bat in the last 3 matches, knowing his strike rate and big hitting can turn the match in your favour? Did you not want to win?

* Finally, isn't time to take tough calls on the non performing players and right away give chances to youngsters to " Cement" their place and to save the reputation of the reputed franchise owned by the famous "India cements"??

Whats the road ahead?

CSK meets arch rivals RCB at Dubai Today ( 10th October)in their last league match of the 1st round  ( won 2 out of  6 matches played)

A win will save pride and raise hopes of a miraculous comeback to reach the Play off, A loss will certainly make things almost impossible. One change is certain for CSk, Jadav will be warming the bench...

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Watson, Faf strings Record Partnership of 181* as the Lions Roars back in style – Thumping 10 wicket win for the Super kings over Kings XI

Watson, Faf strings Record Partnership of 181* as the Lions Roars back in style – Thumping 10 wicket win for the Super kings over Kings XI

 

Third Man” - A Review by Kannan

 

Match : Chennai Super Kings Vs Kings 11 Punjab

Venue : Dubai

Date : 4^th October 2020

Result: CSK beat Punjab by 10 Wickets

 

At last, the smiles are back in the Super Kings dressing room and the millions of fans as they shut the critics with a thumping 10 wicket win over the Kings XI at Dubai, in the process registering record partnership for CSK as well as the 2^nd best opening partnership while chasing and winning by 10 wickets. Shane Watson and Faf Du Plussis were the key architects of the resounding victory where they toyed with the Punjab bowling attack and finished it off in style with couple of biggies.

 

Conservative start by the Kings 11 Openers, Rusty CSK on the field

Kings 11 Openers got off to a sedate start, nudging the bowlers around and hitting the occasional boundaries – Chahar and Curran settled into a good rhythm and ensured “even stevens” in the power play. when the scoreboard read 61/0 in 8 overs and Punjab was about to accelerate, the spinners came on and bowled better than they have been through out this tournament. Chawla dismissed Mayank while Mandeep Joined KL and they both looked good without taking too many risks. The fielding was rusty and the coach Flemming was visibly upset with his animated reactions and gestures looking for more commitment from his fielders.

 

Jadeja, who has been off color with the ball, came to the party and dismissed Mandeep – At 94/2 in 12 overs, with the sublime KL Rahul still batting well and looking hungry, it was looking like Kings will not settle anything less than 200, which would be a tough chase for CSK , given their form of their batters. Kl and Pooran, who is famous for his cameos and big striking, started to shift gears in the 15^th over when KL played some delightful extra covers drives of Curran while Pooran started to go bang by connecting 3 big sixes on leg side, spoiling the figures of Thakur.

 

Final 4 overs – Gun Fielding and Shardul Come back with the ball

It was worry in the CSK camp when KL, who can strikes at 300 in the death overs and Pooran were cutting lose – CSK’s fielders stepped up on the field, spring in their steps was pleasing to see. Thakur made a brilliant come back in the 17^th over by mixing up the speeds, bowling the slower ones and wide Yorkers, castling Pooran and Kl in successive deliveries – the former to a brilliant catch by Jadeja at deep mid-wicket and the latter to a diving catch by MS Dhoni, happened to be his 100^th catch as a wicket Keeper in IPL.

 

The double delight by Thakur completely spoiled Kings 11 plans and  KL Rahul would be upset not to carry on, the last 4 over produced only 37 runs and Super kings finished the innings on a high by restricting Punjab to 178 on a batting beauty at Dubai.

 

Racing start in the Power Play 61/0 in 6 Overs, the Opening woes are history

When CSK opener marched towards the crease, lot of anxiety and doubts remained in the hearts of the fans whether they will fire or continue with the “ Test” Match display witnessed so far – All the doubts turned into hope by the 4^th over when CSK were at 33/0, their best start across the last 3 matches. Watson repaid the faith shown by the skipper by middling it from the word go, driving positively through the straight boundaries with his customary front foot stride and powerful shots. Du Plussis played the role of the aggressor flicking, pulling and the lap shots behind the wicket taking the attacking to Shami & Cottrell, who were running out of ideas.

 

A comparison of the scores at the end of 6^th over – Punjab : 44/0 , CSK : 60/0, Remarkable turnaround by the champion players ticking yet another box which did not work well for them until now. Couple of Changes made by Punjab in the bowling dept did not work either as Chris Jordan, the new incumbent brought to control the death overs, had a horrifying Birthday as Faf took him apart by hitting for four boundaries totaling to 19 runs in the very first over he bowled.

 

Du Plussis Watson Show – Record Partnership for CSK

Watson joined the party and matched Faf shot by shot and showed what a wounded Lion can do when it is back to its belligerent best – Pulling,sweeping and taking on the spinners , hitting 3 sixes in the process one of which was a humongous one crossing 100 metres. Watson reached his 50 in 31 balls ,while Faf did in 33 balls, continuing his prime form throughout this tournament. The Record partnership of 181* was a stamp of authority these two men had on the Punjab bowlers and led to a comfortable win with 2 overs to spare.

 

Super kings are back

The Super kings are back to winnings ways after 3 consecutive losses – This is what the Fans were waiting for and hope this is just a beginning and few more wins on the trop needed to go up in the points table. While this team looks settled, there is one or two spots up for the grabs and with someone like Imran Tahir or an young batsman (in place of Jadhav) added to the lineup, this CSK team will be a force to reckon with. However, it is time to party and cheer for Yellow .

 

“Watto” “Faf”bulous win for CSK, 2 Super King Giants knocks down the Kings 11 – ‘Whistle podu’ time for the CSK community & fans

Will Dhoni’s Men bounce back with a “Super” show at Dubai and topple Sun Risers?

 Will Dhoni’s Men bounce back with a “Super” show at Dubai and topple Sun Risers?

Third Man” – CSK Match Preview ( by Kannan)

Hello All, Third Man is back with yet another edition after a week witnessing plenty of actions in the ongoing IPL, what a drama each and every match is producing starting from Mayank’s brilliant hundred, Samson’s hurricane innings followed by Terrific Tewatia’s game changing innings to ABD’s 360 degree ball striking, Pollard’s brutal innings, Young Ishan Kishan’s power packed 99, Yet another Super Over thriller!. Amidst all the power hitting, bowlers are making their presence felt too, Washington’s unbelievable spell of 4-0-12-1 in the match which produced 400+ runs , Saini’s stupendous 19^th over and the “match winning” Super over which won the game for RCB.

Let’s take a pause and follow the Super Kings and analyze what went wrong for them, what are the options left in the squad to make a turnaround and what is the best XI to be out in the park against Sun Risers for Friday’s night at Dubai.

What went wrong for CSK?

After an impressive victory against the Mumbai Indians at the tournament opener, Super Kings have lost direction, momentum by lack of Intent from the Top order and the ineffective display from the spinners, whom the Team Management always banks on to take them home, losing 2 in a row and sitting at the bottom of the points table looking for hope and change in fortune.

 

At the Auction table

To be honest, Super kings lost the plot at the auction table where they picked the squad of spinners and aging warhorses keeping the chepauk track in mind to produce as many victories on slow and low surfaces, which turned out to be fatal as the Covid fiasco shifted the High profile IPL to UAE with all the teams playing on 3 grounds, completely taking out the “Home Advantage” factor.

 The fallout between the Management and Raina did not help things either – Probably in the hindsight, had Raina’s ask for a balcony was taken care of, CSK might have been sitting and cooling off at their balcony with 3 wins in their bag.

The Top order has been really out of sorts in the 3 games played, barring one good innings from Rayudu – Watson is struggling for his touch while Vijay is completely out of the equation and likely to be replaced, the openers strike rate and lack of aggression was the real cause for the Super Kings not to cross the winning line in last 2 matches. 40 runs in 4 overs is the kind of start they must be looking for with the bunch of multi-facet players in the middle order to build up the momentum for Dhoni & co to strike big and finish out the death overs.

 

Spinners play Spoilsport

The tweakers, who used to thrive and smile on the “dusty” Chepauk tracks, are having pretty difficult times at the UAE, going for runs, being hoicked for the biggies, and unable to take wickets to put breaks on the opposition scoring rate. Chawla is slowly getting back to his groove , which is a good sign, but Jadeja has been completely lacking in confidence and if he has to play, he will have to bowl his economical quota of overs and contribute decently with the bat as well.

 

Dhoni’s batting position, Kedhar’s place in the Team, Lack of Strategic moves

One person who is extremely lucky on this world right now in Kedhar Jadhav, who is neither contributing much with the bat and has not bowled a single ball in this tournament, still finds a place regularly in the playing eleven. He has got opportunities way too many and time to be replaced to slot a better player who can add more balance to the line up. While it is unfair to judge Dhoni’s batting in just 3 matches, Dhoni’s value to the team is immense and he needs to bat higher up the order, face as many balls for him to get, set and go for the carnage during the last 3 overs. 

As a Captain, Dhoni has not been tactically right so far,  whether it is on deciding the playing XI or lack of  smart moves such as opening the bowling with a spinner or outsmarting the opponent with different field positions. Dhoni, if he picks the right XI, comes into bat around 14^th over, and tactically uses his limited resources, Super kings are certain to win more than they lose.

 

Where is the “Fast bowler” , Where is the “Mystery Spinner”, Where are the “Young Indian” Players?

Though this is mere introspection and nothing is going to change, I still wonder why the Super Kings, with the legendary Dhoni at the helm, did not go for a single express pace bowler like Nortje who can bowl quick in the 145kph and rattle the batsman during the death overs or a someone like Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, from the  Mystery spinner’s club  who can keep even the best of batsman guessing with their guiles and variations. 

Finally, why did not go for the young Indian players who are exhibiting phenomenal performances – The likes of Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Murugan Ashwin, T Natarajan ( Ironically, All of them happens to be from Tamil Nadu), Gill, Shivam Mavi are some of the names who should have been given a thought.

 

What is in store at CSK’s Bench

While I do not want to be over critical, the underlying truth is Super kings squad looks the weakest of the teams competing for the coveted IPL 2020 trophy. There is not much optimism looking at the back-ups options available especially for the Top order batsman and the fast bowlers, while the spin department is safe with the likes of “Young” Imran Tahir waiting to run around the ground and Santner ready to show his capabilities as a mutli-dimensional player. There is lot of hope on Shane Watson to fire and millions of fans praying for it to happen as there is absolutely no options in the bench for  an aggressive Top order batsman.

The good news is that Rayudu is fit and the belligerent “ Bravo” is all set to play his 1^st match of this edition – Bravo into the scheme of things will bring lot of positivity into the CSK ranks as he is a game changer and a match winner on his day, with bat, ball and on the field.

“Third Man’s Eleven” for tomorrow’s Encounter against the Sun Risers at Dubai

Having discussed on what went wrong and the if’s and but’s, its time to move ahead and see what is the best combination to be selected to pull of couple of wins, which is the need of the hour. Below is my eleven in the batting order – The Skipper may not agree to some of my changes. 

Hazelwood, Tahir unfortunate to miss out due to the restriction on overseas players. Super Kings will have the advantage having played already at Dubai and got used to the pitch and the ground dimensions.

 

Shane Watson

Faf Duplussis

Ambati Rayudu

Ravindra Jadeja

MS Dhoni

DJ Bravo

Sam Curran

Deepak Chahar

Karan Sharma

Shardul Thakur

 

“Bat first, Runs on the board, Get Warner and Bairstow early, Tie them with spin, Go for the Kill, Yell for Yellow” – Hope the message reaches the CSK dug out. Come on CSK!!

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Prithvi’s punch and Shreyas Tactics outfox CSK to bag their 2nd win in the Tournament

 Third Man’ – Review by Kannan

Prithvi’s punch and Shreyas Tactics outfox CSK to bag their 2^nd win in the Tournament

IPL 2020, CSK Vs Delhi , 25^th September, Friday

Venue : Dubai

Toss : CSK won the toss and put Delhi to bat, yet another time they have preferred chasing, probably as they are playing for the first time here.

Match Results: Delhi beat CSK by 44 runs.

In todays episode of Third man, we will see how the game progressed leading to yet another loss for CSK

 

Prithvi power packed punches and Dhawan Supporting act, Delhi puts on 50/0 in 7 Overs

It seems like the Delhi top order learnt a lesson from their previous encounter losing the top order early, Prithvi and Shikar started cautiously in the first 4 overs, punishing the bad balls from the seamers. Prithvi started with a wonderful back foot punch through covers, followed by a cracking cover drive of an out swinger from chahar, both these shots reminiscent of “Sehwag”. The more he batted, the more he looked like Sehwag through his carefree approach and bat swing. Once Chawla was brought into the attack, Prithvi’s eyes lit up and started hitting for consecutive boundaries though the off side targeting the square boundaries. Dhawan joined the party greeting Jaddu with a slog swept six to midwicket, eventually the scoreboard reading 50 in just 7 overs.

 

Spinners let down CSK plans yet again

At 10 overs , 88/1, DD was looking good to target nothing less than 200 on the board – Prithvi Shaw entertained with a 50 of just 35 balls. It was strange to see no change in bowling plan and Chawla and Jadeja was being hit regularly for 4’s and 6’s and still continued to bowl, only the Former Indian skipper will know his plans. Finally, Chawla bowls the right length on this pitch, dismissing Shaw (To a brilliant Stumping by MSD, his reflexes are still the same as it was a decade back) and Dhawan, CSK has brought the game under control at 103/2

Bowlers bounce back – Delhi sets up challenging 176 for CSK

Barring Ravindra Jadeja, who is having a nightmare series with the ball, CSK bowling unit bowled with discipline and control and did not allow Delhi to close the game with a flourish. Pant entertained for a while exhibiting his range of shots through the off side and his customary slog sweeps, well supported by the skipper – But Hazelwood, a worthy addition to the CSK ranks, and Curran gave nothing away in final 4 overs and Delhi dug out would not have been happy with 175 considering the blazing start they had.

 

4 Overs 22 runs, Test Match start for CSK, Is the chase on?

Before we discuss anything about the CSK chase, it is worthwhile to mention the brilliant tactic by the Delhi skipper Shreyas who had CSK completely off guard by employing 4 bowlers in the power play mixing up pace and spin and never allowing CSK batsmen to settle in. 

It was painstaking to watch Vijay and Watson, struggling against the quick bowling from Nortje & Rabada, could not get going against the left arm spinner Axar, who castled his bunny Watson by inviting him to hit him over deep midwicket – getting the better of Watson for the 5^th time in his IPL career. Vijay, who appears to have past his sell by date, was scratching and finally holed out playing an uncharacteristic shot to Nortje, who was clocking at 146 kph on the day.

22 runs in 4 overs, 34/2 in 6 overs, The “lack of intent” was much evident from the openers, CSK badly need a change at the top if they were to come back to winning ways again.

The match was completely gone and the next few overs will only decide the margin of defeat and the tactics to be employed to have minimal impact on the net run rate scenario.

Spinners halts the chase, Rabada,Nortje fiery spell at the death deprives Dhoni show

Amit Mishra, the seasoned campaigner, continues to impress by bowling the right speed and length on this pitch and along with Axar, both the spinners finished at an economy rate of less than 6 per over. The middle order could not shift gears, leaving too many for MSD & co to chase in final 3 overs. Once again, it was Du plussis who offered some resistance with a decent innings with no support from the likes of Kedhar and Jadeja.

78 needed of 25 balls – Dhoni arrives at the 16^th over needing to do the improbable, against 2 of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, and he tried to connect from the word go but the quality of bowling was incredible to take them on  – Shreyas tightening the off side field for Nortje and Rabada to unleash their Yorkers and short-pitched deliveries.

.Rabada was impressive through out the match bagging 3, while Nortje was bowling like the wind scalping 2 and showing his prowess with swing and pace. It was classic exhibition of death bowling in T20 and when Pant dived to take a spectacular catch of him “ Mentor”, officially the match was a “ gonner’ for CSK. 

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"k"(arnataka) “L”(egend) Rahul decimates “Home Town” boys, RCB back to losing ways.

 

Third Man” - A Review by Kannan

 

IPL 2020 – Kings XI Punjab VS RCB, Dubai, 24th September’2020

 

Toss

RCB won the toss and put Kings to bat, as it has been a trend in this Tournament. Interestingly, 5 out of the 6 Matches have been won by Team batting first.

 

Preview

RCB came into this match with a clinical Performance against Sun Risers and looking to build up on the momentum, while Kings 11 were yet to come to terms with the heartache from the  nail biting thriller against Delhi and needs a win to open their account in the Tournament.

 

KL Rahul, Mayank steady start, Chahal breaks through

The Kings 11 Openers KL and Mayank, knew their game in and out having played for Karnataka for a long time, gave a solid start putting 50 partnership for the 1^st wicket in just 6 overs. KL was pleasing to watch with this controlled stroke play driving through the covers with aplomb, cutting , flicking and piercing the inner ring repeatedly against the likes of Steyn, Saini and Umesh. When they were looking for more, Chahal, the best spinner on show through out this tournament, dismissed Mayank with a beautiful googly and looked hungry for more prey at the form he was in.

 

What followed was one man show and complete decimation of his former employers bowling attack by KL Rahul, creating history by scoring the highest score ( 132*) by an Indian batsman in the history of IPL since inception in 2008.

KL Rahul smashes to a brilliant Century, Kings scores 209

KL Rahul is making a name for himself in Indian cricket by scoring consistently in the limited over format whenever he gets to wear the blue jersey. He has been in tremendous form for India and especially Kings XI – He was in supreme touch last year and seems to continue from where he left off. It has been a brilliant decision by Kumble & the Management to hand him over the captaincy and he seems to be relishing it and turning things with his bat as well.

KL is a free flowing, technically correct stoke player who has all the shots in the book and when he is on song, he is a treat to watch and a nightmare for the opposition bowlers. It was no different this time around as he accumulated runs and decided to go all out from the 10^th over bowled by Umesh which went for 20 runs. He was calculative against Chahal, tapping him around and not giving him any chances, and picking the right bowlers he wanted to attack- Umesh, Steyn and Dube would like to forget the hammering they got as a bad dream.

His range of  Strokeplay was on display as he cut, pulled, swept, slog swept  the bowlers all round the park to reach the historical 132* of 69 balls at a phenomenal strike rate of 191, filled with 14 boundaries and 7 sixes – The pick of them has to be the pulled six of Dale Steyn which landed close to the midwicket roof followed by one whacked through extra cover for yet another biggie, Is this the Steyn who was one of the greatest of fast bowlers the game has even seen with 400 odd wickets??

Statistical insight on his assault in the last few overs will tell you the magnitude of this innings, Mindboggling numbers indeed.

Last 4 overs – 74 runs , Last 2 overs (Steyn and Dube) – 49 runs, 6,4,0,6,6,4,4,6,6 ( Looks like a telephone number ,isn’t it?) of the last 9 balls, 67% of the Teams run scored by KL. Lastly, KL Rahul scored 23 runs more than collectively RCB had score.

 

RCB supports KL Rahul

The magical century from KL was not without a chance, in fact there were 2 dropped catches, Kohli dropping him 2 relative simple catches at the boundary and helping his “former Team mate” to reach his spectacular hundred. It was a shame indeed that such a eye-catching innings has to be played in front of empty stadium in Dubai, while it would have got a rousing reception and chants of “ Rahul Rahul” would have reached high decibels had this been happened at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

 

Cottrell, Shami Destroys the Top order.

RCB had huge scoreboard pressure when the started their case and all eyes were on Padikkal, the new kid on the block, to repeat the heroics on his debut innings. However, Cottrell and Shami gave nothing away bowling with pace and control not allowing the openers to break-free. Cottrell was troubling the batsmen with his pace, short of the length bowling and left arm angle and snapped Padikkal early, followed by the “Big Fish” Kohli , both similar dismissals, with the ones that hurried to the batsman leading to miscued pulls to Bishnoi who accepted them with glee. Cottrell’s customary “ Royal Salute” show at the fall of each of the “ Challenger’s” wicket was adding up spice to the game. Shami , who has been economical and picking up early wickets in the 2 matches played, brought one back in and trapped the new comer Josh Philippe for a duck.

RCB had a disastrous start with the scoreboard reading 4/3, with a huge defeat at sight and all the hopes resting on the celebrated ABD, who promised in his short stay at the crease before outfoxed by M Ashwin, to a beauty of a googly tossed up nicely and AB miscued it to deep cover which was brilliantly caught by Sarfarz Khan.

 

Leg Spinner’s Party, RCB collapses to 97 all out.

ABD leaves, so as the hopes of a miraculous recovery from the RCB dug out and the die hard “vociferous “ RCB fans across the globe. What followed was a collapse leading to RCB getting dismissed for a meekly 97 which will only do more damage to their net run rate at the business end of the tournament.

It was the leg spinning due of the traditional M Ashwin and the talented under-19 cricketer Ravi Bishnoi who played the wrecker-in chief to dismantle the middle and lower order with their guiles and crafty bowling. While Ashwin was bowling slow and flighting the ball inviting the batsman to hit and outfoxing them, Bishnoi was slightly quicker , varying his pace and had the batsman dismissed through his faster ones and flippers. 3 Wickets in the bag each for the Leg spinners and the “ Mission accomplished” for Kings XI.

 

Changes needed for RCB

Chris Morris ( Injury worries) and Moen Ali are waiting in the wings and its high time one of them to be drafted into the 11 to set the combination all-right as Dube does not seems to be doing justice as an All-rounder. It is a tough call as this will lead to a shuffle in the overseas combination ( Aaron finch or Philippe to be out?), which will be another headache or Kohli & co. 

Washington needs to be used at the right time, needs to bowl his full quota of overs to get the best out of his abilities. Dale Steyn is predictable and if he has to play,  he needs to bowl out his over before the 15^th over. Kohli has his task cut out, another couple of loses on the trot, RCB will be going down in the points table.

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Swashbuckling Samson , Late Assault from Archer Powers RR to edge past CSK

 

Swashbuckling Samson , Late Assault from Archer Powers RR to edge past CSK

 

IPL 2020 – RR VS CSK, Sharjah, 22^nd September’2020

 

Rajasthan arrived as underdogs for this match to compete against the mighty CSK, who has started with a win on their opening match. CSK won the toss and put RR to bat first and lets see how the events unfolded leading to an entertaining match with 33 sixes, equally the IPL record for the most sixes recorded between RCB and CSK at Bangalore, 2018.

 

Samson’s day out, Smith Consolidates

 

With the loss of the early wicket of the young talent Jaiswal, Smith and Samson anchored the innings with a decent partnership. Samson started to cut loose with few sixes of the pacers and he reserved his best when the CSK spinners turned up to bowl. Jadeja was greeted with 2 sixes and Chawla’s confidence was completely dented with 3 Huge sixes straight down the ground and what followed was absolute carnage and display of brilliance from Sanju’s blade. 32 ball 74, studded with 9 sixes and the 50 coming in just 7 balls – Samson batting prowess doesn’t need more explanation that this. Samson, on his day, is a delightful batsman to watch gifted with beautiful timing and power hitting and is extremely unlucky not to have wore the blue Jersey yet, being a talented wicket keeper as well.

 

Smith played perfect partner to Samson giving able support and hitting few sixes at a strike rate of 150. Smith shifted gears once Samson departed and played a pivotal role for RR to finish off with a decent score of the board.

 

Bowlers strikes back

Post Samson, Smith departure, CSK bowlers hit back giving nothing away and brought the game under control, especially the late wickets from Curran. While it was looking like RR would end up with a score of 180-190, Jofra Archer arrived to face the last over, with not much reputation for big hitting and what he produced was a “fair tale” he would love to cherish telling  his grand children in years to come.

 

Archer Assault, RR finishes with a flourish

Ngidi’s bowling figures and reputation took a beating when Archer took him apart in the 20^th over hitting him for 4 huge sixes which completely turned the match into RR’s favour. No corner of the ground was spared and Archer was hitting the white cherry into the spot he aimed at like a “ Archer who strikes his arrows perfectly to the destination”. Is this IPL becoming a tale of Last over demolition act, Stoinis, Archer and who next?

 

Watson’s return to Form, Vijay departs without an impact

When the CSK openers walked out to bat, they had their task cut out knowing they have to attack from the word go to reach anyway closer to the humongous target. Watson found his timing and power right away clobbering 4 sixes on the leg side, the pick of them would be the trademark front foot pull which landed near scoreboard. Watson form with the bat is very crucial for CSK’s chances in the tournament and they need more of such innings in matches to come. Vijay, who looks a pale shadow of the elegant player who wore the “Yellow” during the initial CSK days famous for his effortless sixes down the ground, couldn’t get going at all and in an attempt to up the ante he holed out to deep midwicket. I wonder if this is the last time we see M Vijay in CSK Jersey as young talents are waiting in the wings.

 

Triple strike from Tewatia

It was a brave call by Smith to hand over the ball to the young leggie Tewatia inside the power play, who did not disappoint by striking thrice dismissing Watson, Curran & Gaekwad in a span of 2 overs. While Watson was done in by a flipper which hurried up to hit the Timber, Curran and Gaekward, nervous in his first outing, were foxed by flighted deliveries and brilliantly snapped up by the “ Man of the match” Samson. CSK were reeling at 77/4 in 9 overs with the target still far away and anticipation from the die-hard fans on what is in store from FAF & MSD.

 

Middle order muddle and Late fireworks from Du Plussis

While the middle order could not get things moving, the onus was on the seasoned campaigner FaF to strike back and he did not disappoint, though his flurry of sixes came little late.

Once he found the rhythm and timing, Du Plussis was unstoppable, especially against the pacers, clearing the straight and mid-wicket boundaries as if he would do in the net session. He batted with much needed “ intent” and a 37 ball 72 with 7 sixes kept the game intact with anticipation of Dhoni to join him in the party. While Faf was dismissed trying to catch up with the impossible run rate of 20 runs per over, Dhoni, batting at No 7, came in the 17^th over could not get going at all and the writing on the wall when 36 runs were left to be chased in the last over.

 

Customary Last over Heroics from Dhoni, 6, 6, 6, Helicopter lands at Sharjah

While It is no secret that MS likes to take the game deep and chase as much as up to 20 runs in the last over, It was too little, too late this time around. The Match has completely slipped out of hands and then comes the triple strikes from Dhoni, each of them were powerful strikers to long on and mid-wicket – One of them landed into the cark Park, to the delight of millions of CSK fans across the globe. If he continues in this vein in the upcoming matches, batting little higher, more points in the kitty guaranteed.

 

Changes needed for CSK

Dhoni to Bat higher ( probably at 5), Rayudu ( if fit) for Vijay, Gaekwad to be given few more games ( instead of Kedhar), Hazelwood for Ngidi, Curran to bat low down the order, Jadeja at the top to give the left – right combination going. Tahir is too good a player to be left out but the Overseas players combination may not permit this at this moment.