The Mêlée of the Metros (Part Two)

MUMBAI INDIANS

Strength:

Can Bhajji spin it MI's way?

Unpredictability: You can’t be certain who will open with Sachin. You can’t be certain who will be the fourth overseas player. You can’t be certain if Bhajji will bowl his 4 overs. You can’t be certain of who amongst RP/Munaf/Dhaval/Nechim/Ojha will play. You can’t be certain of who will be the next one summoned by the match referee (is there anyone actually left who has not contributed to MI being last, and deservedly so, in the fair play table? Sachin, I guess). You can’t be certain of anything at all. And precisely that, adds an element of surprise for the opposition as much as it does for their fans. It may just work in their favor.

Pulling off close wins: Despite all the unpredictability and inconsistency, they have managed as many wins as KKR. They have been involved in a lot of tight finishes and to their credit, have been able to pull off most of those. The remaining games will be closely fought and they have made it a sort of a habit of winning these games. That should hold them in good stead.

Weakness:

Unpredictability: Unpredictability is good as long as it is not within the team itself. They have been very inconsistent with their performances. They have won some games that could have really gone either way and had those games gone the other way, they would have struggled. They need some real consistency from here on in, to claim the coveted trophy.

Team Combinations: They have played 16 full games this season so far and they do not know their best 11. May it be amongst the Indian bowlers or their overseas pros, they simply can’t figure out their best combination. That is a serious issue. They need to pick a steady combination and stick to it for everyone within and outside the group to feel settled as well.

The Pollard Puzzle: When you have as destructive a giant of a player as Pollard, why not utilize him? They haven’t been able to use him to his optimum best and get the most out of his explosive abilities. The failure to decipher this puzzle led to Mumbai’s downfall in the final of IPL 3. It’s been two seasons since then, and the think-tank still continues to ponder over the puzzle.

Opportunity:

They have won the champions league by beating Chennai, they have done the double over CSK this season (a comprehensive win in the opening match at Chennai and Dwayne Smith’s 14 off the last 3 at the Wankhede). So they have the slight psychological edge over CSK in the eliminator. They also have the opportunity to avenge the loss of the IPL 3 final. Sachin has the perfect opportunity to express himself, play with freedom and inspire the side to victory. On paper, they have the best and most well-rounded bowling attack in the IPL. The batting is not too behind either. The owners have left no stone unturned to put together a very good unit with depth in the squad. They have had the best and shrewdest auction buys to go along with the transfers of Dinesh Karthik and Pragyan Ojha. Its time they repay their owners with the ultimate prize. They surely have the ammunition to pull it off. The only question remains, will it fire or back-fire!

Threat:

Quite often, in any scenario in life, the biggest threat comes from within. The case with MI is somewhat similar. They need to overcome their inconsistency on the field; otherwise it could lead to their downfall. To add to that, right now their biggest threat stems from CSK. The Super Kings have been there, done that and the way they have sneaked in, they have nothing to lose. In a situation like this, like wounded tigers, CSK will be at their most dangerous. Mumbai will have to be at their absolute best to see out this very potent threat.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:

Strength:

MSD: The Man with the Midas Touch

Experience and Know-How: They are two time defending champions. With their last minute entry into the playoffs, they maintain their 100 percent record in being the only team to finish in the top four in every season of the IPL thus far. In terms of playing the big matches in the IPL and winning them, they are the team with all the answers. This is when they are at their dangerous best and at times, simply unstoppable. They were not sure if they would qualify till the last moment. Somehow, the stars of fortune conspired and they find themselves in the playoffs. Now that they are here, they will try and make the most of it.

MSD and knock-outs: Love him or Hate him, you simply cannot ignore the fact that things go his way in knock-outs and final like situations. He has done it time and again, and you cannot put it down to luck every time. On occasions when he has no option but to win, almost every time he wins.

Stability: Chopping and Changing is a policy the India skipper doesn’t endorse. He identifies his personnel and sticks to them. He gives immense confidence to his players, who are assured that a single failure won’t cost them their place in the side. This settled environment relaxes the players and enables them to perform to the best of their ability.

Home advantage: If CSK win the eliminator, they play their next game (maybe two) at home as a reward for winning the trophy last year. Apart from the initial blip early this season, the M.A.Chidambaram stadium has been their fortress. If they land there after winning the eliminator, it will take a very brave man to bet against a hat-trick of IPL wins for the men in yellow.

Weakness:

Rusty Raina: The single most successful batsman in all IPL, Suresh Raina has been a major factor in CSK’s continued success. He has aggregated more than 400 runs in each of the previous four seasons. This year he has been a meek shadow of his former self. A firing Raina is very crucial to CSK’s fortunes and this year when he has not been at his best, it has reflected directly in CSK’s results.

The Spin in the Tale: Spin has been CSK’s stronghold. That’s where their strength lies. That is what MSD is most comfortable doing. Taking the pace off the ball and strangling the opposition. Unfortunately for him, this season has not gone to plan in that sense. Ashwin has been off-color; Jakati has not done anything of substance yet. Despite reinforcing his spin options with the arrival of Jadeja, the spinners have not done the job like previous years. They need to come into their own, especially their strike bowler Ashwin, to see this one through to the end.

The Famed Finisher: MSD needs to find his touch with the bat and do what he does best – see off games. He becomes doubly crucial with Raina out of form. Even MSD has struggled this year and apart from a couple of substantial scores, has not been all guns blazing. He and Albie Morkel, these two blokes have to take the responsibility and provide the impetus to the innings and see it through to the end. It is what he is very accomplished at doing time and again; about time he comes back into his own.

Opportunity:

 Let’s put it straight. They were on the verge of elimination. They have been literally given a new lease of life, albeit thanks to the Deccan Chargers. They have been literally handed this opportunity on a platter and they simply must take it. A hat-trick of IPL trophies awaits them. If they achieve it, they would set a record so stunning, within the first 5 years of this competition, that any other team will find it virtually impossible to replicate or break it in the future. A chance to go down in the history books doesn’t come your way very often. The CSK boys have a fabulous opportunity to create history, and they should be well up for it.

Threat:

Much like their play-off opponents, it’s the inconsistency, a quality that you so rarely associate with CSK that has haunted them. There have been a very few games this season where all three departments have clicked together for CSK. The top 4 need to lay the foundation, the lower order needs to finish games and the spinners need to be at their best. These 3 things have rarely happened in a single day for them this season. They need to rectify that. Every game from now on, like the previous three for them, is a knock-out. One slip up and this new lease of life will evaporate as quickly as it came.  

That is it for my analysis. Have your pick and back your team through to the end. I hope that the last 4 games are as exciting as the tournament has been on the whole. At the end of the day, let cricket win. On that note, as they say, “Let the games begin!”

2008 : Rajasthan Royals

2009: Deccan Chargers

2010: Chennai Super Kings

2011: Chennai Super Kings

2012: ??? 

The Mêlée of the Metros (Part 1)

The IPL has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past few days. Amidst so many off the field controversies, it has been forgotten that cricket-wise, it has been the best of all the IPL’s so far. It took 71 games out of the possible 72, to determine who will make it through to the playoffs. All the teams have been fiercely competitive and most of the games have been nail-biting edge-of-the-seat finishes. All the franchisees and the players must be given due credit for the show that they have put up cricket-wise. It has been absolute fun to watch.

The league stage is done and dusted and we are now down to the playoffs. It is the four original ‘Metropolitan Cities’ or Metros of India – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai – that have made it through; hence, the title – The Mêlée (battle) of the Metros. So a day after the league games ended and a day before the playoffs commence, here is a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (in short SWOT) analysis of the 4 teams in contention:

DELHI DAREDEVILS

Strength:

Smashing Sehwag

Explosive Top Order: Sehwag, Warner, Jayawardene, Ross Taylor. It simply can’t get better than this; a superb combination of destructive fire power and class. If even one of them gets going on any given day, the Delhi juggernaut will be very hard to stop.       

Purple Cap: It sits pretty on the head of Morne Morkel. He has been a major factor in Delhi’s success. Fast, deadly and accurate; this IPL has seen Menacing Morne at his absolute best.

The Pace Battery: They are the only team in this competition with three genuinely threatening quick bowlers in Morkel, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron. All three have done quite well and have looked dangerous at various stages.

Weakness:

Spin Department: This is one area that concerns them. They lack a quality spinner. Although Nadeem started the tournament very well and Negi chipped in a few games, none of them has been consistent enough to automatically merit a place in the playing 11.

Lower Middle Order: There is no doubt that DD are top heavy. Although Naman Ojha has done quite well and Irfan has played a few good shots, they have not been tested quite often. A few early wickets and the possibly fragile lower middle order could be exposed.

Taylor or Russell: This will be a key selection issue. After an extended lean patch, the innings that Taylor played against RCB might just tilt the scales in his favor but Russell also showed in that same match that he can hit the ball long and hard and can be useful with the ball as well. This will be a selection dilemma for the management and it could be a decisive factor.

Opportunity:

The Daredevils clearly made the best buys at the auction and in the transfer window. It was nothing short of a coup to get Viru, Warner, KP, Ross and Jayawardene to play for the same team. They have been the most consistent team in the league and the points table will tell you as much. With probably the best batting line up and 3 of the quickest bowlers in the tournament, if they don’t win it now, I doubt they will win it ever.

Threat:

They have to play at least one, if not two, games at Chepauk. On that track, in those conditions, a team must have probably two good spinners. They do not even have one. Their pace battery will not be as effective on the relatively slower and lower track at Chennai. The lower order is also a weak link. The onus will therefore be on the top-order batsmen to cover up and make sure that they put a few extra runs on the board for the bowlers to defend. A few early wickets and it could mean serious trouble for the table toppers.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Strength:

Gritty Gauti

Gauti’s Grit: The skipper is in top form. He has played some outstanding knocks and led from the front. His captaincy has been right up there too. He has shown on many occasions for India that he is a big match player. All that KKR now need from their skipper is two more of these match-winning efforts.

The Man with the Mohawk: Sunil Narine’s hairstyle has caught everyone’s eye. The Mohawk looks cool. What has been cooler though has been his bowling. He has been the bowler of the tournament so far. In terms of wickets, he may be behind Morne, but in terms of delivering crucial blows and on the basis of pure impact; he wins he title hands down.

Weakness:

Strike Bowlers Upfront and at the Death: The fact that Kallis, McCullum and Narine have played all games and will in all probability will continue to do so; combined with Shakib justifying his “best all rounder in the world” tag and ranking in the last couple of games means that Lee and/or De Lange might not make it into the 11; which implies that their fast bowling is a bit suspect. Although Balaji has done the job on a few occasions, if he has a bad day, KKR might suffer. After all Sunil Narine can bowl only four overs!

Form Woes: Kallis has not had a good tournament at all by his standards, McCullum also exactly has not lit up the tournament and Yusuf Pathan has been the biggest disappointment. It is very likely that all three will feature in the playoffs and if their lean patch continues, it might just mean asking too much out of Gambhir alone.

Opportunity:

They have the opportunity to bring joy to the ‘City of Joy’ – Kolkata. It would be a sight to behold if this team can parade the IPL trophy around Kolkata in an open-roof bus. They could instantly become the heartthrobs and darlings of the passionate and wonderful people of PaschimBanga. And of course, it would also mean that next year’s IPL final would be played at the Eden Gardens. Now what a sight that would be! What a grand setting for the IPL finale! At the biggest stage of them all! Isn’t this motivation enough?

And also, it would be a great sight to see SRK dance and celebrate the victory with his boys. He has been a charismatic and supportive owner and it would be great if his team can deliver on his promise of winning the IPL to the people of Kolkata. So far KKR have done the korbo, they have done a lot of lorbo. Now they finally have the opportunity to do the jeetbo! Can they do it? Time will tell.  

Threat:

With Kallis, McCullum and Yusuf out of form, Gambhir’s will be the prized scalp. If these three don’t find their form, it would put too much pressure on the likes of Tiwary and Das. Will they be able to stand up to it? If the teams plan and execute well enough to see off Narine and also probably Shakib without losing too many wickets, they could really go after the remaining 12 overs. A couple of players really need to put their hand up and support the guys in form. Otherwise, it might again be a case of so close, yet so far for the Knight Riders.

For the second part of this article, click here.

LEADING THE WAY

The first test of the Wisden Trophy between England and West Indies began yesterday at Lords. The English summer is under way with this series against the West Indies. No other team in the world can relate to “fall from grace” as much as the West Indies. From being the undisputed kings of world cricket, to being just mere low-ranked passengers in the game, the downslide has been stunning. And it must have hurt, for sure. This contest, on paper, seems relatively straight forward. It is a showdown between the top-ranked team in the world (although wobbly away from home, England have been impeccable in their dominance at home) and the team ranked 7^th (out of 9) in the world. If the rankings are anything to go by, it should be a mere walk-over for England. A few brilliant individual performances that will boost player stats, earn England some ranking points and give them some more breathing space at the top of the table (South Africa are almost literally breathing down their necks). But most of the time, cricket does not work like that.

Darren Sammy: The Fighter

I have been following this West Indies team for almost a year now; thanks largely to the two full series they played against India, home and away. I also followed the recently concluded Australian tour to the West Indies quite closely, specifically to see how the Aussies cope up in the West Indies and simply because I love to see the Aussies taking the field under Clarke’s leadership. Although the Windies are not going to be the world beaters that they were through the 70’s anytime soon, you simply can’t ignore the fact that they are improving, vastly improving. The way they stood up against India in India and against the Aussies at home, they gave a very good account of themselves. A vast portion of the credit must go to coach Ottis Gibson and more so to skipper Darren Sammy. He is no Sir Garfield Sobers; he is not as gifted as many other cricketers from the Caribbean before him have been. Honestly, even I did not think he merited a place in the side based on his cricketing skills, let alone being the captain. But over the past year, much like his team, he has come a long way. He now seems to be the natural leader of the pack. He is a fighter. He knows he does not have express pace, but he has control. He knows he is no Chris Gayle, but can be more than handy as an aggressive batsman in the lower order. His main asset is that he doesn’t overestimate his ability. He exactly knows what he can do and what he cannot. Most times in life, knowing your limitations is the first step to success. You do not have any sort of control over the cards you are dealt in a game. What you can control though, is using those cards to the best of your ability to win the hand. Sammy is doing exactly that, with his cricketing skills.

Clarke: Aggressive and Fearless

I have heard a lot in all these years of watching the game that a team plays in the character of its captain. My first counter argument for that was and will always be Ricky Ponting. Innumerable record breaking winning streaks and the 2 World Cups that the Aussies won under him, in my humble opinion, had nothing to do with his captaincy. You could have made anyone the captain of that champion side and they would still have won everything. As good a batsman as he is, with captaincy he was just in the right place at the right time. I am sure that if Ponting was leading this far-less gifted team that Clarke is leading now, he would have struggled tremendously to get even half the success that Clarke has had. And Clarke’s leadership is exactly what justifies this point. Clarke is smart, tactically shrewd, aggressive and fearless. He has just one motto; he wants to win at all costs. That is exactly what reflects in his Australian team. Every batsman right up to number 11 puts a price on his wicket and everyone is ready to give individual sacrifices to win for the team. Nothing embodies it better than Clarke declaring 43 runs behind at Bridgetown in the first test, instilling the belief in his team that it is their game to win and everyone, charged with this belief from their skipper, went out and did exactly that. The team also, like him, became fearless in the pursuit of victory at all costs. The same is true for Sammy as well. He is a fighter who will not give up. He is positive in his approach and will do everything in his ability to ensure a positive outcome for his side. That is exactly how his team, with just one world class batsman in the 11 in Chanderpaul, and a more than decent bowling attack has stood up and performed against India and Australia. Though the results did not go their way, the performances were outstanding. Especially Sammy promoting himself to number 3 at Port of Spain to go after a challenging target set by Clarke on the last day and striking some lusty blows, only for rain to play spoil sport, was a telling example of the belief and fight within the man and his team. 

Against England, that is exactly what his team needs to do. They will have to fight for every run and every wicket against the best team in the world at home. They have a decent attack. If the batting can stand up and support Mr. Grit and Determination (Chanderpaul), they could ruffle a few feathers in the English camp. That, then, would be great fun to watch. Watching cricket in English conditions is always a great sight, and on top of that a good contest is always great fun.

You quite often hear that a captain is always as good as his team. And that is true for the most part. But sometimes, just sometimes, guys like Mark Taylor, Shane Warne (for Rajasthan Royals), MSD (20 and 50 over World Cups), Clarke and Sammy come along and show that even if they don’t have the best team in the world at their disposal, they can still instill their character into the team and inspire them to become champions. So yeah, a captain is good as his team. But a few special men have always shown that with their leadership skills, a team can become as good as its captain.