Master @ work

With the arrival of MS Dhoni, CSK thought their luck would change but they forgot that they need more than just the luck against the mighty Sachin Tendulkar. Nothing went in favor of CSK yesterday as they lost the toss & as we know CSK loves chasing with many finishers in their side; Sachin took the crucial decision of Bowling first even though MI like to set big totals & defend.

Mangoose failed yet again & I think the attention that Haydos is giving to his bat should be diverted towards his batting. CSK can't afford so many failures from Haydos & it is hurting CSK badly. Raina & Badrinath were involved in a wonderful partnership but it was too slow for CSK's comfort. Managing only 180-2 in 20 overs was simply not enough against an in form MI team and CSK paid the heavy price of not selecting Ntini in their line up once again. Can someone tell me what is wrong with CSK's think tank; I really am confused.

Without Jayasuriya many thought MI have a weak opening pair but Dhawan has performed well for them with Sachin showing his true class. Just for the record he has scored three half centuries this season & won three man of the match awards, he was injured in the first IPL, had a sloppy form in the second but he is more than making up for it this time.

CSK seems to have only one player in their bowling line up Murali; and his duel against Sachin was the something to cherish for the Sachin fans. Deft touches for doubles & a mighty six when MI badly needed it; mind you it was Sachin's first six of this IPL. Pollard also played his part with a little cameo of 20 off 9 balls, including a six which is hard to describe, it was just amazing.

I m just keeping my fingers crossed for a special Pollard innings when the chips are down for Mumbai Indians and I hope he delivers.

RCB too hot for CSK

How much does a team depend on one individual can be gauged by last nights RCB vs CSK encounter. Be it Dhoni's calming influence, Haydos failure to fire @ top or Raina's outrageous shot. CSK is going from bad to worse, none would had seen this coming from a team that was the finalist in 1st & semi finalist in the 2nd edition. Is it all coz of Dhoni's injury well I don;t think so.

I agree that Dhoni is a shrewed captain with great cricketing brain but he is no super man, Chennai's problem lies in their team selection. Why is Bailey in the team & not Ntini & what is he doing batting ahead Raina, these are some questions that confuse me.

Last night CSK had the match in their grasp until Utthapa storm hit them. He never performed for the MI but the way he is batting for RCB shows the brutal power he hits his shots with. It wouldn't be wrong to call him the Haydos of RCB without the 'Mangoose' mind you. RCB showed yesterday that without Kallis firing @ top of the order they can still manage to put up a good score; I think it was good for them coz now they know they don't depend on only one man.

CSK's bowling seems to be toothless apart from the master Murali, they badly need someone to put his hand up & perform may be give Ntini a chance. Speaking of bowling Steyn's got his rhythm back & is the most consistent bowler in terms of clocking 145km/hr and above. With Kumble's great control & Vinay Kumar's awesome luck Banglore has an attack that challenges that of MI. These are the two team I put my money on for the top 2 spots this year.