IPL 6 - CSK vs RCB: CSK Preview

16^TH MATCH: CSK v/s RCB

DATE: 13^th April, 2013

TIME: 8:00 PM (IST)

VENUE: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Chennai Super Kings seems to have learnt timely lessons from its first loss and has registered its first win in the IPL6. In their comprehensive victory against Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday, CSK did everything right. With effective field placement, aggressive athletic fielding, intelligent rotation of bowlers, and solid batting, the team seemed to have worked hard and cemented well the fissures that brought about the loss against the Mumbai Indians. Taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in its third IPL6 game, the team has quite a task on hand, for RCB is in resplendent form and at the moment, ruling the points table. The two captains are like chalk and cheese – Dhoni the coolest one and Kohli the inordinately spirited one. A fascinating contest is on the cards.

POSITIVES

The greatest strength of Dhoni’s team is the depth in its batting. This batting line-up has batsmen right till number eight. Mike Hussey and Murali Vijay, who guided CSK to a comfortable victory while chasing a target of 139 runs in Mohali, have shown signs of solid and clever batting. The duo, Suresh Raina and S. Badrinath, who follow must be waiting for their second chance to contribute. MSD’s on-field heroics are well-known in this format of the game that requires a player at his speedy best. Capable of rising on big occasions, his lone effort against MI underscores the fact that nobody is as good as Dhoni at number six. Had he received support from the other end, he could have won the match against MI. In Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo, CSK has two dependable all-rounders who are not only big strikers of the ball but also are proper bowlers who always chip in with crucial breakthroughs. Ravichandran Ashwin is no bunny with the bat, he can score at a fast clip in the hours of need.

Ashwin’s carom balls are still an unsolved maze for many a batsman. Having the second best overall economy of 6.21 in the IPL, he and Jadeja continue to make their presence count with accurate spin bowling. Dirk Nannes, a new CSK buy this IPL, is proving to be a worthy acquisition. With his outside off deliveries and a mix of full length and short balls, he did not allow batsmen to settle down in the last two matches. His control in limiting batsmen from scoring freely and regularly has been striking; he has, till now in both the matches played by CSK, conceded runs at an economy below five. Dhoni is experimenting with all the new players – first it was Ben Laughlin and then it was Chris Morris. Because of the non-availability of Nuwan Kulasekara and Akila Dananjaya, we might get to see Jason Holder, a 6’7 tall medium pacer from the Caribbean islands, roll his arm over in the match against RCB. His first class and T20 performances make him a promising prospect. Given the kind of opponent, Albie Morkel too is a worthy contender. This south paw has it in him to change the flow of the game with his attacking batting and consistent bowling. CSK has a rich crop of all-rounders.

No doubt, one team’s weakness is another team’s strength. How RCB will perform is directly proportional to Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ performance. The batting line-up does not have much variety or the collective strength that CSK has.

THE DANGER MAN

The first thing that Dhoni needs to ensure is Gayle’s early exit. It is insignificant who bowls to him as he bludgeons bowlers of every class. How Dhoni will be able to curtail Gayle is anybody’s guess.

HEAD TO HEAD

Till now, both CSK and RCB have locked horns twelve times in the IPL and CSK has an upper hand with seven wins to its credit. In the clash last year at Chennai, in a high scoring match CSK had put up a thrilling show, routing RCB in a chase of 205 runs.

ACES WHO MIGHT WIN IT FOR MSD

MIKE HUSSEY: The prolific and ever-reliable Aussie has announced his arrival in the last match. The innings he played against Kings XI Punjab was a smart work of experience and skill. His drives and pulls were well timed and well placed. Mr. Cricket is a big asset for CSK. He can again be instrumental in laying a firm foundation as an opener.

DWAYNE BRAVO: Two games gone and he has perfectly played his part for the team. Contributing with the ball and agile fielding, Bravo has five wickets to his name in two matches played in IPL 6. He is yet to unleash his batting prowess. Possessing a strike rate of 140.53 in IPL5, RCB can be the team for him to kickstart his batting exploits this season.