Preview: Final - KKR v CSK, IPL 2012

Super Kings and Knight Riders star in the Grand Finale in Chennai

What

After 53 days and 75 matches of riveting action, the last two teams left standing – the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings – go head-to-head in the title clash of DLF IPL 2012.

The Kolkata Knight Riders have been the most successful team in the competition so far, having won 69 percent of the 16 matches they’ve played. Gautam Gambhir’s side finished the league stage in second place and then defeated table-toppers Delhi Daredevils in the first playoff match. As a result, they directly qualified for the Final.

When the Chennai Super Kings finished their league engagements (they were the first team to play out all their 16 league fixtures) on May 17, they had left their fortunes in the hands of other teams. Thankfully for the defending champions – who looked far from a dominating team in the league stage – many results went their way and they sneaked into the playoffs in fourth place. In their two playoff matches though, CSK have brought their best game to the park and have been at their commanding best; they defeated the Mumbai Indians by 38 runs in the Eliminator and then thrashed the Delhi Daredevils by a mammoth 85 runs in Qualifier 2.

Both teams are evenly matched in terms of personnel and must be high on confidence heading into this contest. However, one must concede that the defending champions have the edge. And here’s why:

• CSK will be playing at home and know the conditions on hand

• CSK will have the crowd rooting for them

• CSK have the momentum of two big wins behind them

• CSK have played in three finals and know what it takes to win those big moments

The Kolkata Knight Riders start as underdogs; Gautam Gambhir’s boys are playing in an IPL final for the very first time. Will the underdogs be able to shrug off the rustiness from their break, stand up to the pressure of a title clash and cause an upset? Will we have a new IPL Champion? Only time will tell.

When

Sunday, May 27, 2012, 08:00 p.m. 

Where 

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 

The Protagonists 

Unlike several other teams in the competition, who have thrived on individual brilliance, KKR and CSK have made it this far because of contributions from several players. For both teams, their successful journeys have been a sum of several parts.

Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine have been the standout performers – and by a long way – as far as the Kolkata Knight Riders are concerned. The former is the second-highest run-getter in the competition with 588 runs and has shown lots of intent to score big at the top of the order. Given what is at stake, expect the KKR skipper to come out even stronger, value his wicket even more and lead from the front. Narine, meanwhile, has been unplayable right through the competition; his flummoxing of batsmen with a variety of deliveries has not only resulted in wickets, but it has also meant opposition batsmen have found scoring runs difficult. The Trinidadian turned 24 on the eve of the match, and winning the Purple Cap and leading his team to an IPL title will be the best present he could give himself.

But Gambhir and Narine are only half the picture. There have been important and match-winning contributions from several other players at crucial junctures. It would be unfair to overlook the contributions made by Yusuf Pathan (who was a pale shadow of his former self until he played a match-winning cameo against the Delhi Daredevils), Jacques Kallis, Shakib Al Hasan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Rajat Bhatia, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Brendon McCullum, Brett Lee and Manvinder Bisla at various junctures. KKR will be hoping all their players to do their jobs well one last time this season.

Faf du Plessis was the only consistent performer in the CSK ranks in the first half of the season. However, since then, several players (S Badrinath, Michael Hussey, Ravindra Jadeja, Albie Morkel and Dwayne Bravo, among others) have stepped up and won them games at various times. Murali Vijay was the latest to join the list. His scintillating 113 against the Delhi Daredevils was his first 50-plus score of the season; but that it won his team the match and ensured passage to the final must give him a lot of confidence. Expect him to shrug off all doubts over his form and come out a confident individual when he walks out to bat.

Suresh Raina is the only top-order batsman among the CSK regulars who’s not scored a half-century this season. For a player of his class and reputation (he is the leading run-getter in the IPL and the only player to aggregate more than 400 runs every season), a season aggregate of 368 runs and a best of 44 does not do justice. The southpaw got some valuable time in the middle in the previous match and was timing the ball well before he miscued one back to the bowler. CSK management and fans will be hoping the left-hander can come through in this all-important match.

Keep an eye on the two captains too; Gambhir and Dhoni are two shrewd thinkers and both players will be trying to outsmart each other. Their decision-making skills will be under the spotlight – especially after some bizarre selections and decision-making we’ve witnessed in the last few games.

Previous Meetings

In the nine matches played between the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders, the former have a 6-3 win-loss record.

In the two meetings earlier this season, both teams couldn’t win in their own backyard but went on to win their away matches. In the first meeting in Chennai, KKR restricted the hosts to 139 for five and then chased down the runs in the last over. When the two teams met for the second time – this time in Kolkata – the hosts were restricted to 158 for six, and the visitors chased down the target losing five wickets in the process, and getting past the finish line off the very last ball of the match.

Trivia

The Kolkata Knight Riders have an awesome away record this season; they’ve lost only one of their nine matches on the road in DLF IPL 2012.

Gautam Gambhir has an outstanding record against the Chennai Super Kings; he’s scored five half-centuries in nine IPL innings against them.

The team batting first has won three out of the four IPL finals played till now.

MS Dhoni’s batting average against the Kolkata Knight Riders is an incredible 120 from six innings; his scores against KKR are 43*, 40*, 66*, 29, 34* and 28.

What next?

After two months of hectic, fast-paced cricket, the curtain will come down on DLF IPL 2012. The winners will take home the DLF IPL Trophy and a cheque of Rs 10 crore, while the losers will have to be content with a Rs 7.5 crore cheque. Both teams will next be seen in action in the 2012 Champions League Twenty20, where they will be pitted against the best clubs from around the world.

Preview: Qualifier 2 - CSK v DD

Confident CSK take on DD at Chepauk with finals berth at stake

What

Qualifier 2, which will see defending champions Chennai Super Kings face off against the Delhi Daredevils. This game will help identify which of the two teams will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in the title clash of DLF IPL 2012.

Both teams come into this contest with contrasting fortunes. The Delhi Daredevils finished the league at the top of the table, but went down to KKR by 18 runs in Qualifier 1, while the Chennai Super Kings barely made it to the playoffs, but convincingly defeated the Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator.

CSK will be favourites heading into this contest as they play at home. The team has emerged unscathed in several such do-or-die situations previously, and has the confidence of a big win behind them. Will the Delhi Daredevils be able to bring their A game and make it to their first ever IPL final?

When

Friday, May 25, 2012, 08:00 p.m. 

Where 

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 

The Protagonists 

True to his reputation of being a big-match player, MS Dhoni – after a wretched season – came good for his team at just the right time. When his team looked like finishing with a moderate total in the previous match against the Mumbai Indians, the CSK skipper turned on the heat. He scored a 20-ball half-century (his first of the season) and put the match beyond the reach of the opponents. Given this is yet another do-or-die contest for his team, expect him to come up with another special performance.

Though the spotlight almost always falls on Suresh Raina – and deservedly so – another southpaw has gone about his job well this season. Michael Hussey might not be counted among the most dangerous batsmen in the Twenty20 format, but he is certainly the all-weather man in the Chennai Super Kings line-up. The Australian averages 55 and scores his runs at a strike-rate of 129 in CSK wins. However, his numbers are markedly different when CSK loses – average of 14.50 and strike-rate of 87. His mature knock of 49 and his 94-run partnership with S Badrinath, which resurrected the innings against the Mumbai Indians highlight how important a player he is to his team.

In the Delhi Daredevils line-up, keep an eye on the two players at the top of the order. Virender Sehwag and David Warner are among the most dangerous batsmen in world cricket currently. On their day, both batters are capable of demolishing the best bowling attacks single-handedly. The Delhi Daredevils skipper scored half-centuries in five consecutive innings; but after that run, he was brought to a halt. He has only managed 49 runs in the next five innings. Can he produce a special knock in this all-important clash?

As far as David Warner is concerned, he has only one style of play – whatever the format of the game. The New South Wales batsman got a rough decision in the previous match against the Kolkata Knight Riders and he will be keen to make up for that failure – expect him to be ruthless on the opposition bowlers from the word go. It will be interesting to see if he can adjust to the slow track he is likely to come across in Chennai, and if he is able to dominate the slow bowlers in the CSK line-up.

Also, keep an eye on the battle of the captains between MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag. Since there is no second chance from here on, every single move made by the skippers could have an impact on the end result. While Dhoni has looked jaded at times, some of Sehwag’s decisions – like not playing an additional spinner in Pune or batting Ross Taylor down at No.7 in the chase against KKR – have come under the scanner.

Previous Meetings

The Chennai Super Kings hold a 5-4 win-loss record from their nine previous meetings against the Delhi Daredevils.

Both teams won their home fixtures when they met in the league stage. In the first meeting at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, DD restricted the Chennai Super Kings to 110 for eight and then chased down the required runs in 13.2 overs. In the return fixture in Chennai, the Daredevils were restricted to 114 for five, and then, lost the game by nine wickets in 15.2 overs.

Trivia

The head-to-head between the two teams at Chennai stands at two matches apiece. While the Delhi Daredevils got the better of the hosts in 2008 and 2010, the hosts emerged victors in their meetings in 2011 and 2012.

The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has hosted the most IPL matches – 31.

Both teams have awesome records in run-chases this season; the Chennai Super Kings have won five of their six run-chases, while the Delhi Daredevils have won nine of their 13 run-chases.

Delhi Daredevils bowlers have conceded the most boundaries in IPL 2012 – 321 (249 fours and 72 sixes).

No captain has lost more tosses in the IPL than MS Dhoni; the Chennai Super Kings skipper has lost the toss in 41 of the 76 matches in which he’s lead the team.

What next?

The winner of this contest will progress to the title clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 27, while the losers will have to pack their bags, but they will have clinched a berth in the 2012 Champions League Twenty20 anyway.

Preview: Qualifier 1 - DD v KKR

Which of the season’s heavyweights will muscle their way to the final?

What
The top two teams at the end of the league stage – Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders – go head-to-head in the first of the DLF IPL Playoffs 2012.

Undoubtedly, DD and KKR have looked the best teams in the competition; the former sit at the top of the table with 11 wins from 16 league fixtures, while the latter have one point less and have won 10 of their 16 league fixtures (including the abandoned game against the Deccan Chargers).

However, both teams will be conscious of the fact that they’ve not been very convincing in their last few league matches. The Delhi Daredevils had won eight of their first ten matches, but since then they’ve only managed to win three of their remaining six fixtures. What should worry the DD management is that both, the batting and bowling units have failed in their last three defeats.

Despite finishing the league season with consecutive victories, Kolkata Knight Riders will know they weren’t at their best in their last few league fixtures. The batting certainly hasn’t looked as formidable as it did during their eight-match unbeaten streak and they will need their batsmen to come out firing at this important stage in the competition.

When

Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 08:00 p.m.

Where

Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

The Protagonists

In a format where opening batsmen often dictate the course of the match, it is only fair to keep a close watch on them, more so if they happen to be Virender Sehwag, David Warner, Brendon McCullum and Gautam Gambhir.

As compared to previous IPL seasons, Sehwag has looked a completely different batsman. One got the impression he lacked the hunger for runs when he came out to bat in the previous seasons, but this season, one has seen intent and the determination to do well for his team. His application reflects in the fact that this is his most successful IPL season and he is his team’s highest run-getter despite missing the last two league matches due to illness. The DD skipper, though, has only managed 16 runs in his last three innings and would want to return to top form in this important fixture.

David Warner may only be 5’6” tall, but he is among the most destructive openers in the world. The Australian has already played two match-winning knocks this season and he will be keen to perform yet again in this high-stakes match.

The record for the highest individual score in Twenty20 cricket still lies with Brendon McCullum. His unbeaten 158 in the very first IPL fixture shows what kind of damage he is capable of inflicting on bowling attacks. Though he didn’t do much in the first half of the season, McCullum – like all great players – has come to the party at just the right time. After scoring 83 runs in his first seven innings at less than a run a ball, McCullum has raised his game to score double that number in the next five innings – at a strike-rate of 108.

Gautam Gambhir might not send shivers down the spine of bowlers like the other three openers in the match, but he can certainly cause as much damage. KKR have done well every time he has scored runs at the top of the order and have struggled every time he has failed. Given the intensity of his character and how much he values his wicket, expect him to come out with a lot of purpose and lead by example.

Though both teams have very good bowling attacks, KKR will feel they have an edge because of the quality spinners in their line-up and the slow surface they’re likely to encounter at Pune. Sunil Narine has mesmerised batsmen right through the tournament, while in Iqbal Abdulla, Shakib al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan they have an able support cast in the spin department.

Previous Meetings

The head-to-head record between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders stands at four matches apiece.

When these two teams clashed in the league stage, it was the visiting team that prevailed on both occasions. In the first meeting at the Eden Gardens, the Delhi Daredevils recorded an eight-wicket win in a rain-affected match, while in the return fixture at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi, KKR chased down 154 to win by six wickets.

Trivia

• In the two matches between DD and KKR played at neutral venues – in Durban and Johannesburg in IPL 2009 – the former emerged victorious on both occasions.

• DD have the second best scoring rate of all the teams in IPL 2012 – 8.33.

• DD have lost the fewest wickets of all the teams in IPL 2012; they’ve only lost 76 wickets in 15 league fixtures.

• KKR have the best overall bowling economy rate of all the teams in IPL 2012 – 6.99.

• KKR have won seven of their eight away matches this season.

What next?

The winner of this contest progresses straight to the DLF IPL 2012 Final on May 27, while the losing team will have another opportunity of making it to the title clash when they compete against the winners of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 scheduled for May 25.

IPL 2012 Preview: Match 57 – PWI v RCB

Deflated Pune Warriors India host confident Royal Challengers Bangalore

What

The two points on offer in Match 57 of DLF IPL 2012 will be more critical for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (who are in contention for a place in the playoffs) than to their hosts, Pune Warriors India (who are in the bottom-half of the table and are not playoff contenders).

RCB have 13 points from 12 matches, and they seem to be finding form at just the right time, after an indifferent start to the tournament. After winning just four of their first ten matches, the 2011 runners-up came up trumps in a close contest against the Deccan Chargers and then decimated the Mumbai Indians in their own backyard. The two consecutive victories have meant that RCB are firmly in contention to be among the four teams who will progress to the playoffs.

When

Friday, May 11, 2012, 08:00 p.m.

Where

Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

The Protagonists

Four Pune Warriors India players – Robin Uthappa, Sourav Ganguly, Steve Smith and Jesse Ryder – have scored in excess of 200 runs in the season. This clearly indicates that their batsmen have been scoring runs. However, the strike-rate of the first two has been a matter of concern. Uthappa – who has a reputation of being a swashbuckling batsman – has been far from it and has a strike-rate of 115.35. Meanwhile, his skipper has scored his 261 runs at marginally over a run a ball. With only pride to play for, expect the PWI batsmen to be charged up, play freely and express themselves.

RCB’s IPL campaign for the majority of 2011 and all of 2012 has ridden on the shoulders of Chris Gayle. The Jamaican, who was asked by team owner, Dr. Vijay Mallya, to bat for a majority of the innings, has taken the request seriously and has shown the inclination to bat long. In six of the ten innings this season, Gayle has consumed more than six overs. This illustrates just how well he has applied himself, sized up the situation and then opened his broad shoulders to inflict damage on the opposition.

AB de Villiers too has been in sparkling form for the 2011 finalists; the South African comes in to bat after the damage inflicted by “Gayle-storm”. He plays those impact cameos towards the end of the innings, which have proven to be quite useful for his team.

Previous Meetings

The Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged victorious in both their previous meetings against the Pune Warriors India last season. On the first occasion, RCB posted 181 for five in their home game and then restricted their opponents to 155 for five to win by 26 runs.

When the two teams met the second time, RCB restricted their opponents to 182 for six, and then chased it down off the very last ball to register a six-wicket victory.

Trivia

Among players who’ve scored 500 runs or more in the Indian Premier League, Chris Gayle has the highest boundary percentage. 74.28 percent of his 1586 runs have been scored through hits to and over the fence.

56.64 percent of the runs conceded by the Royal Challengers Bangalore this season have been through boundaries; they’ve conceded 164 fours and 67 sixes in the tournament so far.

What next?

Pune Warriors India’s next fixture will be against the Rajasthan Royals on May 13, while the Royal Challengers Bangalore will head back home and host the Mumbai Indians on May 14.