CLT20: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad- Five talking points

The Chennai Super Kings beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs in a Group B match in the Champions League T20 at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.

Batting first Chennai Super Kings, powered by splendid knocks from Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, managed to set a target of 203. In reply, despite the valiant efforts of captain Shikhar Dhawan and Darren Sammy, the Sunrisers Hyderabad fell short by 12 runs.

Murali Vijay is on his last legs

Murali Vijay’s form is a concern for CSK

Murali Vijay was dismissed for a duck for the second consecutive time in the tournament. On both occasions, he was convincingly outdone by the bowler, making him look out of depth at this level. His exploits in IPL 6, 312 runs in 15 innings at an average of 22.28 and strike-rate of 109.09, does not support his case either. It is quite evident that he is being given an extended rope by the CSK management to prove his case.

It is not just a temporary blip; even in IPL 5 he had only one 50+ score to his name. The Tamil Nadu batsman, who was retained by the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2011 auction, may not be shown the favour this time around.

In the short-term, CSK will be well served if they replace him with Wriddhiman Saha or promote Subramaniam Badrinath to open along with Michael Hussey. One more failure may just prompt M.S. Dhoni to look at other options.

Yes, Albie Morkel is in CSK’s playing eleven

Albie Morkel has bowled only 3 overs in the tournament

Albie Morkel is one of the four overseas players in the CSK line-up. Yet I would not be surprised to see someone doubting whether he is actually a part of the team. Morkel, who has not faced a single delivery yet, has only bowled a total of 3 overs in two completed matches.

Looking at his stats in the past four seasons, the big-hitting all-rounder has faced 37, 68, 102 and 131 balls in the last four seasons respectively (in reverse chronological order from 2013).

To put things in perspective, Vijay faced 339 deliveries in the 2011 IPL, one more than what Morkel has managed in four seasons.

Since the arrival of Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo, his batting skills have not been utilized properly. He does not merit a place in the playing eleven based on his bowling, neither is he exceptional with the new ball nor useful at the death.

So, what purpose does he serve in the line-up? Wouldn’t it be prudent to replace him with Faf Du Plessis who could open the innings as well and make the CSK batting order look even more menacing?

Should Suresh Raina bat at number 3 for Team India?

Suresh Raina bats too low for Team India in T20s

Dhoni’s whirlwind innings completely overshadowed Suresh Raina’s contribution of 84 off 57 deliveries – a knock which I believe was more significant than Dhoni’s finishing touch.

CSK lost the wickets of Vijay and Hussey early in the innings and Badrinath had only managed a subdued 18-ball 13. Yet the score was 115 for 3 in 14.1 overs by the time Dhoni had come in.

It was Raina who carried the team on his back till Dhoni’s arrival, making sure his captain got the perfect launchpad. The southpaw is also the leading run scorer in the history of the IPL.

This astounding success of Raina raises a question- should he be used as a one-down batsman in the Indian T20 team as well?

Lately Raina has been batting at number 6 for India. Isn’t that too low to have any impact on the game?

The pitches have come to haunt Sunrisers Hyderabad

Amit Mishra’s threat has been nullified

In a game where Jean-Paul Duminy bowled an economical spell of 4-0-27-2, Amit Mishra was taken out of the attack after bowling two ineffective overs.

One of the most important factors behind Sunrisers Hyderabad’s successful debut season in Indian Premier League is their home track. The leg spinning duo of Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma made complete use of home advantage and seven of their ten victories in the league stage of the IPL came at their home ground (Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal).

With the tracks at the CLT20 providing very little assistance to spin bowling, the Sunrisers have failed to win in two of what were expected to be their toughest matches against Otago Volts and Chennai Super Kings. With two more matches remaining against Titans and Brisbane Heat, can they qualify for the semi-finals?

Dale Steyn is back

Dale Steyn looks to be back in the groove

Sunrisers would have been relieved to see Dale Steyn back at his best in their encounter against Chennai Super Kings. After an indifferent start to the tournament, the South African speedster hit the right lengths to start off with, and on a pitch that offered plenty of runs, ended the game with the best economy rate from either side with 5.75.

It is best illustrated by the fact that he bowled 16 off his 24 deliveries to Raina and Dhoni and conceded only 18 runs off them.