Quick Flicks - CSK v/s KKR

For once, my prediction turned out to be true. Chennai Super Kings trumped the Kolkata Knight Riders by 14 runs in a high-scoring encounter. I must give credit to the defending champions for making a match of it and not giving up till the last ball. It’s going to be an uphill climb for them from this point onwards. Here are some snapshots of today’s game:

Saha’s Special Knock

Another trend is slowly taking shape in the Pepsi IPL. Players facing off against their former teams have excelled to some degree. Bengal wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha was no exception. He stitched together a 103-run opening stand with the evergreen Mike Hussey, and looked in fine touch against his former side. In a way, his 39-run knock reminded SRK & Co. about their blunder of releasing him. Moral of the Story – you don’t mess with the Saha! And Murali Vijay might just be more than a little scared after his replacement’s knock.

“Mr. Cricket” On Song

Post international retirement, the Aussie left-hander has simply gone from strength to strength. At 37, he has the fitness & agility of a 20-year old. His 95 set the stage for a final flourish for the latter batsmen, and it was a sublime innings. He followed it up with a solid run out of KKR top scorer Manvinder Bisla. Yes, Hussey is fast turning out to be IPL’s version of Dev Anand (sorry SRT!).

McCullum’s Flop Show

Finally the Kiwi batsman made his first appearance as a starter in the playing XI. Chasing a 201-run target, KKR hoped for a splendid contribution from their 2008 star. And though he smashed a four off pacer Mohit Sharma, he didn’t last long. Is the dropped catch of Pollard still playing on your mind, Bazz?

Bisla the Powerhouse

Manvinder Bisla lived up to his reputation of being the ‘X’ Factor for KKR in today’s game. 4 straight boundaries off Chris Morris, a six & another couple of fours off Ashwin, and you realize that the Haryana lad is indeed a special talent. It took a Hussey special to send him back – and with him went KKR’s chances of a win. Nevertheless, a fine innings by the young man left many impressed.

Leaky Balaji

CSK’s batters seemed to have singled out L. Balaji for special treatment. The former India medium pacer was hit all over the place by the Yellow brigade, and worse, it happened in front of his ‘home’ crowd. I don’t understand what goes through his mind when bowling against his old team – either nervousness or an emotional attachment still remains. Giving away 45 runs off 4 overs in a crucial game was bound to hurt, and it hurt the Kolkata side badly.

Flawed Selection – Again!

KKR personnel ought to be force-fed the morsels of sarcasm present in quite a few articles. What is the point of benching the experienced Brett Lee against a champion side? Instead, they bring in rookie pacer Shami Ahmed, and end up conceding 200 runs in 20 overs. When you’re backed into a corner and have to win every single game just to stay alive in the tournament, why not have your strike bowlers operating in tandem? All this dependency on Sunil Narine has to be reduced if KKR are to still entertain hopes of making it to the playoffs.

I can only hope and pray that the Men in Purple rebound from this loss quickly and take matters in hand. They’re wounded, and Bengal tigers are ferocious when they’re wounded. They have to win every game from here to make it to the playoffs, and Gambhir had better drill some more sense into his boys really soon. Till then, I keep my fingers crossed.