Chennai's Reign Comes to an End

A run like that - 2 IPL Victories + 1 Champions League Victory would end sooner than later. And as CSK fans we did enjoy the run. But the loss yesterday does hurt every CSK Fan. More than the loss, the fact that CSK never played to their potential in the entire tournament - hurts a lot more. 

Thanks CSK for the entertaining 2 years. Hope to see the yellow we all remember in the next IPL. 

An uphill task faces Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings found themself in this position in quite a few seasons. And always they have managed to climb back to a qualifying position with a little luck and a lot of grit. But I somehow feel that this time, all is not well with Chennai Super Kings. 

If Cape Cobras win the match against T&T, CSK and T&T would become the first teams to lose out on a chance of semi-finals. But if T&T win, CSK needs to play really well and win by a huge margin to qualify. So the scales seems to be tipped against CSK even before the first ball is bowled. (Current Points Table)

Expect Dhoni to pick the same squad for the match. 

Resilient Chennai Super Kings looks forward to 2nd clash

Many teams in the world would have pressed the 'panic' button after losing from such a dominant performance. But that is not the style of Chennai Super Kings. They are a resilient team and we can count that Fleming & Co. to field the exact eleven that played against Mumbai Indians. And we can also expect looking to come back strongly with a win. 

CSK Probable XI:

1. Vijay 2. Hussey 3. Raina 4. Badri 5. Dhoni 6. Morkel 7. Bravo 8. Saha 9. Ashwin 10. Jakati 11. Bollinger

Critically for Chennai, it is crucial that Vijay & Bollinger find their form - to give a flying start to CSK's batting and bowling respectively.

Cape Cobras Probable XI:

1. Levi 2. Gibbs 3. Owasis Shah 4. Duminy 5. Ontong 6. Kemp 7. Vilas 8. Philander 9. Peterson 10. Steyn 11. Langeveldt

Most Dangerous Players

1. Steyn: Steyn is a dangerous bowler in any pitch in the world. And he could bother Indian batsman on any day and in any pitch. So it would be interesting to see how Raina, Vijay and Badir play Steyn

2. Duminy: Duminy is the best player of spin in Cape Cobras Side. So his early wicket would be crucial for a 

CSK victory.

Favourites: As Nokai CLT20 has been so far, expect another close match. 

Freaky Malinga Innings helps Mumbai Foreigners to defeat CSK

It was a freaky victory for Mumbai Foreigners. There is no other way to describe this win for Mumbai. It was especially sad to see Chennai losing the game after dominating for 90% of the game. 

Positives:

1. Hussey: He continues the fine form of Sri-lankan tour. Expect to see a few more great performance during the championship league.

2. Ashwin & Raina: Both of them continued to impress with the ball. Expect them to play key roles for the rest of the tournament.

Negatives:

1. Bollinger: Ever Dependable Bollinger had one of his off-days. Hope he gets back his regular mojo for the rest of the league.

Now the team needs to go back to the drawing board and ensure that those silly mistakes are not repeated any more. 

Who do you think is responsible for this freaky victory of Mumbai Foreigners?

Meet CSK's Opponents in the Group Stage

Other Teams in Group A

For this year's Champions League, ten teams are divided into two groups of five each. Chennai Super Kings is placed in Group A along with 

1. Mumbai Indians
2. Cape Cobras
3. Trinidad & Tobago
4. New South Wales 

The top two teams from the group qualifies for the semifinals. Reading the names, I am sure it is quite visible that this is a tougher group than Group B. Even Fleming acknowledges that Chennai Super Kings are placed in a tougher group. 3 of the four finalists so far are present in this group. Except for Mumbai Indians, others have played in atleast 1 semi-finals. 

But the good news for Chennai Super Kings is that we play all the matches in Chennai. 

1. Mumbai Indians:

Mumbai Indians have lost 3 key Indian players to injuries - Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma & Munaf Patel. Considering the quality of the players who are ruled out, any other team would have found it tough to win even a single match. But considering the strength of Mumbai Indians' foreign players, they do have a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. But playing in India but still missing home support would seem cruel to the team. 

Key Player to Watch out for: 

1. Pollard: With the loss of Sachin & Rohit, you can expect Pollard to get a lot more chances this season. For any opponent, He would be Mumbai's most feared player. 

My Prediction: 4th 

2. Cape Cobras:

Winners of South African Pro20 tournament, the team boasts big-names like Steyn, Owasis Shah. Duminy, Gibbs, Kemp & Langveldt. But the team performance's might depend largely on the performances of their unknown stars - Vernon Philander & Richard Levi. 

Key Player to Watch out for

1. Dale Steyn: The success of Cape Cobras would largely revolve around Dale Steyn. They need Steyn to bowl well in all the matches to have any reasonable chance of qualifying for the semifinals

My Prediction: 5th 

3. Trinidad & Tobago

T&T would be coming to the tournament with a huge amount of confidence after defeating its opponents in both its qualifying matches. Though the team has lost its biggest stars - Pollard & Dwayne Bravo to IPL Teams, this team can't still be ruled out from the semi-finals. Expect them to surprise at least 1 or 2 big opponents. 

Key Player to Watch out for

1. Rampaul: Rampaul's current form is a huge plus for the spin-heavy attack. His performance in the powerplay overs would be key to the team's performance

My Prediction: Black Horse in the group.  3rd  

4. New South Wales:

Any team that boasts Watson & Warner as the opening batsmen is to be feared. This is backed up Katich, Hughes, Steve Smith, Stuart Clark & Hauritz. This is one of the most balanced teams in this season. 

Key Player to Watch out for

1. Shane Watson: He is the key player for the team. His batting and bowling skills make him the most crucial player for the team. And I don't think is going to miss another opportunity to re-iterate his value to the team. . 

My Prediction: 2nd in the group stage

My Prediction for CSK: If the venue has been any other place, I would have predicted CSK to end second in the group behind NSW. But considering the home support and the pitch, the possibility of CSK coming second in the league seems remote. 

But if the relaid pitch assists seamers more than spinners, New South Wales might still beat CSK to the top of the league. 

Mumbai gets an unfair advantage!

I was shocked/pissed off to hear that Mumbai team are allowed to play five foreign players instead of four foreign players like other team. They were allowed this because of the injury to eight Indian players including Sachin Tendulkar. 

Whatever the reason it might have been, I am sure this is a very poor choice by the administrators. Especially considering that there are other options like the the team being allowed to get a new, unsigned Indian player. If Mumbai Indians have been allowed to play 5 players, then even the other IPL teams should have been allowed to do so. 

This is just a bad precedent and would be surely exploited by the future IPL Teams. 

P.S: Considering that the team is being captained by Harbhajan Singh, even this rule might not make a huge difference to the team's fortunes. :)

Chennai has their first training session

Slowly but steadily, Men in Yellow are building a strong defence to their world championship title. Had their first training session. Yesterday's Rain washed out any chance of a training session yesterday.

Who do you think would be the man of the tournament for CSK this season?

My Prediction - Suresh Raina

And Probable CSK XI
1. Vijay
2. Hussey
3. Raina
4. Dhoni
5. Albie Morkel
6. Bravo
7. Anirudh Srikkanth  Badrinath
8. Saha
9. Ashwin
10. Jakati
11. Bollinger

Gunning for another title???

Chennai Super Kings have had a great 1.5 years with 3 wins in 3 tournaments. So it would be interesting to watch how the team approaches 2nd Champions League. But Fleming promises us there won't be any complacency. 

Considering that Chennai Super Kings would play all their matches in their den, anything less than a championship would be rated as a poor performance. 

How do you rate Chennai Super Kings' chances? Are they the key favourites for the tournament?

Tim Southee becomes the first casualty in Nokia Champions League

Chennai Super Kings suffered their first casualty when Tim Southee was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. The team has confirmed that no decision has been taken as yet on the replacement player.

But it is bound to be an interesting decision since Tim Southee was just a back-up for Bollinger in the team. Now let us pray that Bollinger does not get injured during the tournament. 

What are your choices regarding the replacement? You can check out the current CSK 15 member squad. My prediction it is probably going to be Faf du Plessis. 

Only 11 More Days!!!

Another 12 more days, we will get to see our men in yellow back on the field... On their journey to a consecutive CLT20 championship. While the qualifiers start on September 19th, the main tournament starts only on Septermber 23. And CSK play their first match on September 24. 

Check out CSK Schedule and block them in your calendar.

Also check out the 15-member squad for the championship. The good news is that all our top 15 players  are available for this year's Champions League. 

And now the countdown begins for another great Champions League. And I do hope that CSK will be the one holding the trophy on October 9 @ Chepauk.  

Champions League Final - Match Review

Another Great Win for Chennai Super Kings!!! Wonderful performance by the bowlers and batsmen. Deserved Champion of Champions this year. All these factors are triumphed by the fact that the win is setup by two unknown talented local players - Ashwin & Vijay. 

Positives:

1. Ashwin: His wicket of Jacobs was the crucial one today. I am sure the team management would be now breaking their head on whether they want to retain Vijay or Ashwin.Deserving winner of 'Man of the Series'.

2. Vijay: Another wonderful performance. by him. My choice for 3rd player to be retained (If Dhoni & Raina agree to be retained). 

3. Balaji: Good performance in the first three overs and ensuring that he tightened the noose around Warriors. 

4. Hussey: Good team performance. This might be the last time we see him in the yellow jersey. 

5. Murali: Proved his worth. Hope CSK are able to buy him in the auction. 

Negatives:

There was none.. Closest game to a perfect one... :)

CSK Fan's Man of the Match: Ashwin

His wicket of Jacobs won the game for Chennai Super Kings. 

Match Summary:  Chennai Super Kings 132 for 2 (Vijay 58, Hussey 51*) beat Warriors 128 (Murali 3-16, Ashwin 2-16) by 8 wickets 

We are Champions of Champions!!!!

Whoa!!! Whoa!!! We are the champions of Champions. 

1 IPL Semifinalists, 1 IPL Runner-up and 1 IPL Champions; Chennai Super Kings add Champions of Champions title also to their bag.. 

Wonderful Campaign  - With not even one team able to defeat them in the alloted 20 overs. Masterclass performance. Feel bad Chennai Super Kings are not able to retain the same team.. 

Not a bad last hurray for a certain players who will never might wear the yellow jersey... 

Chennai Super Kings Qualifies for Semifinals!!!

Another pseudo-quarterfinal match. Another poor start.. Another poor performance in the first innings. Another victory plucked from the jaws of defeat. Another semifinals.. Good Work! Team!

Positives

1. Hussey: Good to see Hussey in good nick It is crucial for the team that Hussey continues his good form against Steyn & Co.

2. Ashwin: Good to see him make a strong comeback after a poor performance in the last match. 

3. Jakati: Fine performance by Jakati. His performance is bound to give Fleming & Dhoni some selection problems. 

4. Murali: Another fine performance. The building block on which all Chennai Super Kings wins have been built.

Negatives

1. Injury to Albie: Injury to Albie still continues. Hope he is fit for the crucial match against Bangalore Royal Challengers

2. Where is IPL Bollinger? Waiting for Bollinger to reveal his IPL form.

CSK Fans' Man of the Match: Ashwin - His wickets won the match for Chennai Super Kings. 

Match Summary:Chennai Super Kings 136 for 6 (Hussey 50, Vijay 35, Kreusch 3-19) beat Warriors 126 for 8 (Jacobs 32, Ashwin 3-24)

Chennai Super Kings falter against Hussey & Finch blitzkrieg

First! Congrats to Chennai Super Kings on pulling the game back after Finch's blitzkrieg. That alone should give the team enough confidence to keep on fighting - until the final ball is bowled. But I still can't believe Dhoni gave the super over to Ashwin. Hope the coaching team and Dhoni learn from this mistake. 

Positives:

1. Tight Finish: I am sure the experience of playing in a tight game would come handy when the team qualifies for semifinals. 

2. Hussey IN: Good decision by the team. Hope they continue with Hussey opening for CSK. 

3. Vijay: Another good performance by him. Ensuring that the team has to think hard between retaining him and Bollinger. 

4. Murali: Wonderful effort by Wizard to bring his team into the game after the initial blitzkrieg. 

Negatives:

1. Ashwin: Ashwin's Powerplay magic has come to an end. Hope his confidence is not affected by this super over. 

2. Balaji: Another poor bowling effort. Time for him to get his act together and raise his performance. 

CSK Fans' Man of the Match - Murali

Brief Match Summary - Chennai Super Kings 162 for 6 (Vijay 73, Hastings 2-22) tied with Victoria Bushrangers 162 (D Hussey 51, Finch 41, Raina 4-26, Murali 2-17). Victoria won in Super Over

Chennai Super Kings Ready for Victorian Pace Attack?

That would be the question that Chennai Super Kings has to answer in today's match against Victoria Bushrangers. How Raina & Vijay play Nannes & Siddle would determine the match. 

CSK My XI:

1. Vijay 2. Anirudha 3. Raina 4. Hussey 5. Badri 6. Dhoni 7. Albie Morkel 8. Ashwin 9. Balaji 10. Bollinger 11. Murali

Hussey for Hayden: It is a tough choice to pick Hussey ahead of Hayden. Hayden in form brings more to CSK team than Hussey. And we can't discount Hayden's fine knocks in the practice games. But seeing him struggle in the lat match showed that Hussey is a better choice . 

Victoria Bushranges Probable XI:

1 Rob Quiney, 2 Brad Hodge, 3 Aaron Finch, 4 David Hussey (capt.), 5 Andrew McDonald, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 John Hastings, 8 Clint McKay, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Bryce McGain/James Pattinson, 11 Dirk Nannes

Most Dangerous Players:

1. Dirk Nannes: Unlike last year, Dirk Nannes is having a poor Champions League so far. So he would be looking forward to get better. 

2. Siddle: Siddle's pace is bound to trouble all Indian batsman. 

Favorites: Provided Chennai Super Kings pick Hussey ahead of Hayden, they would be the favorites. I am sure the match would be decided on whether Victorian pace attack or Chennai Super Kings batting attack win the battle. 

Another Easy Win

Another Good Show by the Team. Another Easy Win. Good to see the entire team contributing to the win. 

Positives:

1. Raina & Vijay: Raina & Vijay got among runs. This knock should really give Raina enough confidence to counter Victorian and Warriors fast bowlers. 

2. Bowlers: Good show by bowlers to restrict Srilankan to a low score. And snuffing the hopes of Wayamba of any surprise victory in the first six overs itself. 

Negatives:

1. Hayden: Was really sad to see the great batsman huffing and puffing in such a easy wicket. Sorry Hayden! It is time for you to hang up your boots from competitive cricket. Time to bring in Hussey in and ask Anirudha/Hussey to open for CSK. 

Now the team moves to face the stronger opponents in the group. And the team needs to win atleast one match to forge ahead in the tournament. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Raina - His 28-run Mendis over effectively ended the contest. 

CSK Starts their Campaign with a Bang

In hindsight, Chennai Super Kings won the game easily. But for the first ten overs, i thought that the game would be anything but easy. Thanks to Badri & Srikanth's fine innings, the team ended up with a respectable score of 151. And the bowling team backed up the good effort by the batsman to restrict Stags to 94 ..

Positives:

1. Badri: With Fleming & Dhoni dropping Hussey out of the team, the responsibility of anchoring the innings rests on Badri. So great to see him among runs in a difficult pitch

2. Bowlers:All the bowlers had a good match. Great to see Murali in his 800 Jersey. (Kudos CSK Management on this innovation)

Negatives:

1. Hayden: If Hayden hits form, no team in the tournament can win against CSK. So sad to see him not able to carry his practice game form. Hope Hayden gets scoring next match. Or Fleming might be tempted to drop Hayden for Hussey. 

2. Dropped Catches: CSK's tradition of dropping catches still continues. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Badri - A key innings that laid the foundation for today's victory.

A Must-Win Match Against Minnows!!!

Tomorrow Chennai Super Kings start their Champions League campaign against New Zealand Champions - Central District Stags. Chennai Super Kings could not have asked for a easier game than this. Stags - devoid of their international stars (Ross Taylor and Oram) are the weakest team in the tournament. A team that is banking on its young, unknown fast bowlers surprising others - should be easily tackled by Chennai Super King... provided they pick the right team.

Central Stags Squad:. 

BOWLERS

Michael Mason

Mitchell McClenaghan

BATSMEN

Brad Patton

George Worker

Jamie How

Matthew Sinclair

Peter Ingram

ALL ROUNDERS

Adam Milne

Brandon Diamanti

Doug Bracewell

Ben Wheeler

K. N. Barnett

Seth Rance

WICKET KEEPER

Bevan Griggs

Tim Weston

CSK - My XI 

1. Hayden 2. Vijay 3. Raina 4. Hussey 5. Badri 6. Dhoni 7. Albie Morkel 8. Ashwin 9. Jakati 10. Balaji 11. Bollinger

My Prediction: Unless Fleming & Dhoni make some foolish team selections, Chennai Super Kings should win the match easily. 

Who should be retained for IPL4?

Finally IPL Governing council have decided on the player retention policy. 

Player Retention Policy

1. Only 4 Players can be retained by any team
1. Out of 4 players, maximum 3 Indians and a maximum of 2 foreigners are allowed. 
2. Retained players must have been part of IPL Season 3 and would not be part of the auction
1. For a player to be retained, both the player and franchise have to agree.
3. Irrespective of the fee decided between the player and the franchise, the total franchise salary cap of 9 million dollars will be reduced by fixed amounts
1. $1.8 million per year for the first player retained
2. $1.3 million per year for the second player retained
3. $900,000 per year for the third player retained
4. $500,000 per year for the fourth player retained
4. So if a team retains the four players, it would have only 50% of the budget available - 4.5 Million USD

CSK Strategy

1. Dhoni & Raina are obvious choices for the player retention. I am sure CSK would put their best efforts to retain both these players

2. Albie & Dougie - Both these players have a very good chance of being retained. But their performances in Champions League would determine that. 

Why Albie/Hayden & Dougie are not obvious choices?

Because i expect the fee for the foreign players to be rationalized in this year's auction. 

Whom do you think Chennai Super Kings should retain?

Pick Your XI For CSK Champions League Squad

Only 6 more days to see Chennai Super Kings on the field. The team would be opening the campaign with a match against New Zealand Champions - Central Stags. Considering hard & bouncy South African pitches, priorities of team selection vary from selection @ India.  

My Pick - XI

1. Hayden - Though he failed in IPL3 and has not played a competitive game for the last 3 months, he is the best choice to open CSK Innings in South African pitches. Expecting to see a little mongoose magic. 

2. Vijay - South African pitches are bound to test him. And Fleming would be tempted to play experienced Parthiv ahead of him. 

3. Raina - Expect all the teams to test him with short balls. Would be Interesting to see his reaction and his strategy. 

4. Hussey - In my opinion, the most crucial batsman in the line-up. His innings would be crucial in low-scoring games.

5. Albie - Most crucial player in the line-up. If he is not in the best of the form, we can forget winning champions league this time

6. Dhoni - Hopefully, he would stick to No:6 and uses himself mostly as a pinch-hitter. 

7.  Badri - Might become crucial in low scoring games

8. Ashwin - Would be leading the spin attack for the team. Considering the pitches, picking Murali might not be a wise decision

9. Shadab Jakati/Thushara - Based on the pitches, it would be wise to pick Jakati or Thushara

10. Balaji - I am sure South African pitches would be aiding him more than Indian pitches. Weakest link in the line-up. If he is not performing, the team would be forced to pick Thushara ahead of either Hayden or Hussey. 

11. Dougie - Entire Expectations of the bowling unit rests solely on him. Would be interesting to see whether his performances can convince the team management to retain him. 

Knowing Fleming & Dhoni, they might be inclined to pick Parthiv as a opener and may pick Thushara as a fifth bowler and choose not to pick Hussey/Hayden and Shadab Jakati/Joginder

P.S: To know the 15 player squad, please visit Chennai Super Kings CLT20 Squad.