Dhoni's Rescue Act - Not Enough for CSK

Another IPL Starts for CSK with a defeat @ Home. Though CSK bowlers did a great job of restricting Mumbai Indians to sub-150 score, CSK batsman - barring Dhoni, played without any conviction or plan. Considering that this is the first match of the series and that too - against a strong MI team, expecting that this loss would not make any huge difference to the team. 

Positives:

1. Nannes: Nannes did not have any problems - adjusting to a new team. Showed that hat Bollinger would not be missed this season. Expecting a consistently strong performance from him. 

2. Dhoni: If not for the Pollard catch, Dhoni would have single-handedly won the game for CSK. His fine form bodes well for the team. 

3. Ashwin: Thought that Ashwin also did a fine job. Except for 2 sixes from Pollard, everybody found tough handling him.

Negatives;

1. Laughlin: Though one match is never enough to judge a character, felt that Shadab Jakati could have added more to the team than Laughlin. Also would be interesting to watch Jason Holder for atleast one match. 

2. CSK Batsmen: In a sub-150 score, surprised to see that none of CSK batsman took charge. Hope with more time the team spends, they would start adjusting back to their roles in CSK

CSK Fan's Man of the Match: Dhoni without any doubt.

Hope the team comes up with a better game plan for the match against Punjab. Next match on April 10 @ Mohali. 

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. 

A Poor Batting Performance

Again Chennai Super Kings' batting and team selection let the team down. Sometimes i don't understand why Fleming gets paid so much money when he can't make those simple right decisions. Another season in which our fates would be decided only in the last match. 

Positives:

1. Dougie & Ashwin: Another match in which Ashwin and Bollinger bowled beautifully in the first few overs and brought the contest on even terms after a shoddy display by batsmen. Thanks to their effort, our run rate has not suffered much. 

2. Badri: Just by staying till the end, Badri ensured that the team crossed 100 runs. His efforts also ensured that the run rate did not suffer much. 

Negatives:

1. Dropping Murali: Again Fleming & Dhoni erred by dropping Murali. A poor decision magnified by the is pitch. 4 Overs by Murali would have surely won us the match today. 

2. Dhoni at No:3: Again it showed that Dhoni has misread the pitch.CSK's best batsman of spin was out even before the spinner friendliness of the pitch was established. 

3. Hussey: Yeah! Hussey did well in IPL Season 1. But his show so far has been pretty ordinary. How many more chances will he get? 

4. Hayden: Another poor performance. Is it time to drop him from XI? But i still believe he would be crucial in the fresh pitch in Dharmasala and bouncy tracks of Bangalore. 

But all is not yet lost. If the team wins against Kings XI Punjab, it is bound to qualify for the semifinals. But we would have 3 more nights of nail-biting - watching other teams and praying that all the matches goes our way. 

Chennai Super Kings show Mumbai their place

Another Chennai Super Kings Day. 3 wins in a row. Chennai Super Kings have further strengthened their claim for the fourth semifinal spot. 

Positives

1. Team Effort:  Good to see a win that did not belong to any individual.  It was a true team effort. Good Fielding. No Dropped Catches. Great!

2. Bowlers: Amazing effort by all the bowlers. Hats off to them. 

3. Captaincy: A match in which Dhoni clearly stamped his class. 

Negatives:

1. Dropping Murali: Thankfully Mumbai Indians are not the strongest batting side. Otherwise this decision could have easily backfired. 

2. Hussey: Even in the slow pitch, I would have expected Hussey to score at >150% strike rate. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Dhoni. His Quick fire 30 and the astute captaincy set up this wonderful win. 


WTF Comment: Did Modi pay the people to get his signature????

Chennai Super Kings Vs Rajasthan Royals - Review

Rajasthan Royals effectively ends the semifinal campaign of Chennai Super Kings. Now only a miracle can help the team to reach the semifinals. Blame of the poor performance should rest solely on the team's selectors who missed from buying good talent from this season's auction and acquiring talented ICL players (Satish playing for MI & Vignesh playing for KKR) and domestic teams. 

Positives

1. Thushara: Though I would have preferred Ntini to Thushara, Thushara bowled well. Surely deserves another chance in the team. 

2. Jakati: Another fine performance by him. 

3. Vijay: His initial outburst set up the match beautifully. But he should have continued and finished the game. Also blame rests on the middle and lower order batsmen, who did not make use of the opportunity. 

4. Albie: Good to see his big-hitting again on the field.  

Negatives:

1. Joginder: I still don't understand why Joginder is getting picked ahead of Tyagi & Balaji. Other than this, team selection got everything right.

2. Badri: His 27 ball 25 runs effectively ended Chennai Super Kings hopes. His run-out of Dhoni was the real turning point of the game. 

Do you also think this defeat ends Chennai Super Kings Semifinal Campaign? Post your comments. 

Another Disappointment Waiting?

Tomorrow Chennai Super Kings plays against another form-team Mumbai Indians led by Sachin Tendulkar. Good News First

1. Dhoni is back with the team and practiced with the team today. But Fleming was still cautious and said that the final call on his fitness would be taken tomorrow. His return as a captain and batsman would bolster the team hugely.

2. Clarity on Role: Finally VB agrees that all the players need to have more clarity on their roles in the team. Hope every player is elaborated on their roles by tomorrow's match. Otherwise we might have another Bailey-like test innings. 

CSK Probable XI:

1. Vijay/Parthiv (Based on whether Dhoni is keeping) 2. Hayden 3. Raina 4. Badri 5. Dhoni 6. Albie 7. Kemp/Bailey (Based on whether Kemp is fit) 8. Ashwin/Jakati 9. Balaji 10. Tyagi 11. Murali

MI Probable XI

1. Sachin 2. Jayasuria 3.Dhawan 4. Tiwary 5. Bravo 6. Pollard 7. Sathish 8. Tare 9. Harbhajan 10. Zaheer 11. Malinga

Most Dangerous Players

1. Tendulkar: In-form Captain is the most important batsman in the team. As Bangalore showed, taking his wicket early would greatly help in restricting Mumbai's score

2. Tiwari: This Dhoni-alike batsman has been in great form this season. Hope Murali does not allow him to free his arms and takes his wicket cheaply

3. Malinga: Whenever he has played for Mumbai, he has been in menacing form. It would be interesting to see how Hayden plays him. 

Favorites: Mumbai Indians are the stronger team on paper. But Chennai Super Kings need this win desperately. My bet is on Chennai Super Kings. 

Dhoni might be out for a few Days

As feared by the fans, Bond has dealt a blow to the hopes of Chennai Super Kings.Injury caused by Bond in yesterday's match is more serious than it was initially thought. Doctors have prescribed at least 10 days of rest to Dhoni. He is going home and would not be even going to Delhi for the match on 19th March. Dhoni is expected to be back in Chennai on March 21. Doctors would be assessing his fitness on  his return. Only hope is that he recovers fast and does not miss many matches. 

In his absence, Raina has been assigned as a stand-in captain. 

How bad does this injury will hit Chennai Super Kings? Post your comments. 

Suggestions for Dhoni and Co.

Chennai faces its second do or die battle in the tournament. If it loses one more match in a trout, all the critics and fans would write them off. To prevent that from happening, the team have to win the next match and that too by a huge margin. So just thought of suggesting the few things that are staring at Dhoni's face and the facts that Dhoni chooses to ignore.

1. This is not an Indian Team: Dhoni still thinks that he is captaining an Indian team. Wake Up! Dhoni this is not an Indian team and this team requires your entire man management skills. Unlike last year, when everybody in the team were saying nice things about Dhoni, I am not hearing any thing this year. What Happened? Time to introspect?
2. You are our Pinch Hitter and Not our Anchor: Unlike Indian team, the batting role of Dhoni in Chennai Super Kings is not of sheet anchor but of a pinch hitter. A person who comes in the end and belts the opposition bowling to all sides of the park. CSK Management paid 1.5 million USD for Dhoni, the batsman who annihilate the bowlers and not for Dhoni, the Test batsman. Remember you are Yusuf Pathan of CSK and not Rahul Dravid of CSK.
3. Pick the best XI: Even after 3 losses, Dhoni has been very reluctant to change the non-performing players. First things first, remove Parthiv and Joginder Sharma off the squad.
4. Spinners Game: Rather than repeating the same old cliche that our bowlers failed us, think why the bowlers failed you. Is it because you and the coach have not yet understood the south african pitches and have not yet played Ashwin and Murali together?
   
5. Give the Young Talent a Chance: I still can't believe how a team could prefer parthiv over vijay and joginder over Tyagi except for the age old foolish belief of trusting experience over talent.
6. Assign each player a role: It seems nobody in the team knows their role. Assign each player - both the batsman and bowlers a role and play them accordingly. For e.g. ask Badrinath to be a anchor and bring him into the field as per the situation dictates.
7. Back Your Instincts: At the end of the day, all these suggestions are coming from a well intentioned fan and not from GOD. So the most important of all, always remember to back your instincts. Remember it is your instincts that made you a great captain and it will be your instincts that will help chennai super kings dug out of its hole.

Go! Dhoni! Go! Win the next match against Rajasthan Royals!

Extra Suggestion: Bring back Vidyut. Who Knows his spin combined with his batting prowess might make him a valuable player of the team.

What are your suggestions?? Write them in the comment below or in the Exclusive Chennai Super Kings Fan Social Network forum

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IPL Season 2 – Auction – Review

Chennai Super Kings & Dhoni got what they wanted – Flintoff. Is he worth 1.55 Million Dollars that Chennai Super Kings paid him??? I highly doubt it. But a team player, he will be a great asset to the team.

Good News: If Flintoff, Oram and Albie are in their prime fitness and form, I am sure no team can defeat us.

Bad News: All the three all-rounders are prone to frequent injuries.

Other Picks – Thilan Thushara

A handy bowling all-rounder, Chennai Super Kings picked him to extend its base in international catchment. But still he would be a good back-up to cover contingencies.

Other Picks – George Bailey

A surprising pick considering the local batting talent available to Chennai Super Kings. May be somebody in Chennai Super Kings Management Team is extremely pleased with with his batting prowess. An aggressive T-20 batsman, I don’t see him playing many games.

Surprises

For me,  the greatest surprise from Chennai Super Kings auction was the fact that they did not bid for Bangladesh All rounder Shakib Al Hasan. More so, because V B had publicly commented that Chennai Super Kings needs a spinner who can bat. So I created a mental picture in my mind that Chennai will bid aggressively for Shakib. Sadly that was not the case. Hope Chennai Super Kings bring Shakib to the team as an replacement player for Flintoff as the season progresses.

Strongest Rivals ?

Well, maybe we can answer this question better in two days time. But why not get the discussion started ? Who should be our arch-rivals for the next season ? I remember earlier in the season, Robin had considered Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore as potential rivals and settled on Bangalore. But now, is it time for a re-think given Bangalore's poor performance ?

My thoughts - candidate rivals and reasons in no particular order -
1) King's X1 Punjab - We play our best cricket against them, plus Dhoni has a keen battle against his friend and vice-captain Yuvraj

2) Delhi Daredevils - We seem to be very evenly matched, plus there is the age-old South v North issue, plus Dhoni also bypassed Sehwag for India captaincy, so there's a contest.

3) Mumbai Indians - The Mumbai crowds are the worst behaved. How can we forget the way they booed Dhoni at the Wankhede ? Plus they fairly destroyed us in our away game. Plus there is the history and the financial clout of Mumbai.

Of course the earlier reasons mentioned by Robin are still somewhat relevant. I don't want to make this sound a Dhoni v Yuvraj or Dhoni v Sehwag thing ... that's just one thought for you guys to consider.

Waiting to hear from you as to who should be our arch-rivals for next season and why ?

Suggestions for Dhoni & Wessels

Since Chennai Super Kings has to win 3 of its next four matches, some suggestions for the team

1. Bring on Ntini: Our team is one of the poorest bowling sides in the tournament in the tournament[If you want statistics, check here]. In this situation, it does not make sense for preferring Kapugedera(essentially a batsman) to Ntini (a strike bowler). Ntini may not have taken a single wicket in his first three IPL matches. But he is the senior most fast bowler in the team and deserves a place in the playing eleven. Also he and Gony could form a potent pace pair.
2. 5th & 6th Over: It is a common strategy among our opposition teams to keep the wickets intact in the first 3 or 4 overs and then take on the bowlers in the fifth and sixth over. But Dhoni seems to use the same fast bowlers(Gony & Morkel) in these overs, who are plundered by the batsmen. Rather I would prefer a bowling change for those overs to keep the opposite team guessing. [Especially bringing on Murali could create doubt and confusion in the mind of the batsman]

What are your suggestions for the team?

Pepsi - Dhoni Ad Sucks

While Titan Sonata built a beautiful ad campaign around Chennai Super Kings using Dhoni, Pepsi does a bad job around the same concept.

The ad tries to reaffirm the old stereotype of Tamil, whose English accent is different,. still hold by many people in North and Central India.

Pepsi! Your Ad Campaign sucks.. and it is sure to hurt the Tamil sentiments and Chennai Super Kings fans. 

Dhoni drives around Chennai at Night

Dhoni in his column on cricketnext, confesses that it was great to have back to back wins. He claims that the bonding within the team was great. Most importantly for Chennai Super Kings fans, he confesses he loves riding on his motorbike around Chennai. [If you spot him riding his motorbike on night, do mail me @ chennaisuperkings@gmail.com, I will surely post it]. Dhoni also said his vocabulary now includes the Tamil words 'ille', 'thambi' and 'anna'.

But what I liked most about his column is identifying the key issue for today's match against Kolkata Knight riders

"The battle that could decide the result of the encounter is between the pace bowlers of the Knight Riders and our top order. If Hayden takes on Ishant Sharma and company, we will do well."

Bulls Eye Dhoni.

Chennai Super Kings rocks

It may not be a comprehensive victory for Chennai Super Kings, as I have predicted. But I am not complaining. Chennai Super Kings had the upper hand for most of the match(36 overs), until some lusty blows from AM Nayar and Harbhajan Singh tried to steer the match away from the home side. Anyway, a fine victory that would strengthen our position in the IPL league table.

Positives

• Batting with a purpose: I loved the way the innings was constructed around a single player who tries to stay till the end. It shows that each player understands his role in the batting order and plays accordingly.
• Gony: As predicted, Manpreet Gony proves that his pace and bounce could trouble any batsman.
• Cricket = Fun: Yesterday's match clearly showed that all the players are enjoying the game... which is good for the team as a whole.

Negatives

• Lack of options for Dhoni. Since there are only five bowlers in the playing XI, Dhoni has to bowl all of them, no matter how bad the bowler is on that day.
• Parthiiv Patel, the opener: Parthiv Patel failed once again as a opener. I prefer the slot to be given to Vidyut(Opener for Tamil Nadu who entered first class cricket as a bowler) since he could also give more bowling options for Dhoni. Parthiv Patel can be brought into the team once the trio - Hayden, Hussey & Oram leaves.
• Dew: Dew + Humidity in Chennai made the game a tough one for the players, especially for the bowlers. (Update: Ottayan in his blog clarifies that it is not dew but surface condensation arising because of the high humidity inside the stadium.)

But the thing that brought most cheer to me was the fact the Chennai crowd was behind the Super Kings. I believe the day when the whole crowd would be sprouting yellow (in support of the home team) is not far away.

Team Dynamics

Many unsuccessful organizations stand as a proof that poor Group Dynamics leads to failure of an organization. Even cricket is not free from this. While a poor Team Dynamics hampers the prospect of the team(eg. India's first round exit from World Cup 2007), a great team  spirit adds that extra competitiveness to the team. Today's match between Rajastan Royals and Punjab XI Kings clearly illustrated that. While Warne's squad played as a single unit, Yuvraj was not able to command his troops properly.

Indian Premier League

Team Dynamics assumes a critical place for Indian Premier League since it brings together stars from different countries in a single team. The franchise that manages to bring these individuals as a single team surely start as a favourite. This is where teams with experienced/charismatic captains - Kolkata Knight Riders, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Chennai Super Kings have a huge advantage over others. These captains knew how to bring a team together and make them function as a single unit, both on and off the field.

Chennai Super Kings

This was precisely the reason for my fears when Dhoni did not get to spend quality time with the Chennai Super Kings Squad before the first match. Thanks to Hussey's ton, it did not cause too many problems. But team dynamics would be the key for our match against the talented Mumbai Indians. With so much talent on both the teams, the team dynamics could well be the difference.

 

Parthiv Patel, the wicket Keeper

Cricinfo reports Parthiv Patel is all set to keep wickets for Chennai Super Kings. So his place in the CSK XI is confirmed, thanks to Dhoni's bruised fingers. Dhoni is expected to play in the side as a specialist batsman. On Dhoni's injury, Kepler Wessels commented that

"Dhoni has bruised fingers. We'll see how things shape up in the next couple of days, but with Parthiv there, we don't want to put unnecessary pressure on the Indian captain."

With Parthiv Patel in, either Badrinath or Suresh Raina is expected to miss the first match against Punjab XI Kings. Hope Parthiv Patel makes use of this opportunity and proves his selection over Chennai lad  Dinesh Karthik.

 

In other news, Yuvraj Singh wants to hype the Punjab Kings' first IPL match against Chennai Super Kings by pitching it as Yuvraj Versus Dhoni contest. [He wants a contest when there is no contest. Does he think Yuvraj Vs Dhoni will be like Ganguly Vs Dravid.  Yeah. these kind of statements shows his immaturity and his lack of ability to lead an Indian side]

Most Probable XI

As our first match against Punjab Kings is coming close, it is time we picked out the most probable XI for our team. Here goes my predictions:

1. Mathew Hayden/Stephen Fleming (I would have loved to play Stephen Fleming in all the matches. But the "4 overseas player rule" does not allow that to happen. But Stephen Fleming's Contribution during team meetings is very crucial for the success of the team. Fleming's role - Internal Consultant (Both Strategic & Tactical) to the team)

2. Vidyut S/ A Srikkanth (Vidyut has been an opener for Tamil Nadu for a much longer time and also he can roll his hands. So I prefer him. Though A Srikkanth is an explosive batsman and is a very good cover for both the openers)

3. Badrinath (He would be the one who holds the innings together + My choice for Vice-Captain)

4. Michael Hussey/ Parthiv Patel (Parthiv Patel's good domestic record in 2007(five consecutive centuries) earns him a spot in the squad. My reason for Michael Hussey's higher batting position is to utilize him the fullest during his stay here.)

5. Jacob Oram/Albie Morkel [Two Explosive All-rounders who can change a game either through their batting or bowling, single handedly]

6. Suresh Raina [Hope he sets the field on fire]

7. Dhoni (He and Oram/Morkel would float around the batting order and play according to the situation)

8. Shadab Jakti/ R Ashwin (While Shadab Jakti is a bowling all rounder, Ashwin is a pure bowler. Among them, who is going to play depends largely on the pitch and circumstances)

9. Balaji [Hope he is able to find his Midas touch]

10. Ntini/Joginder Sharma (Joginder Sharma for the first four matches and then Ntini can take over)

11. Muralitharan

 

But what surprises me about this squad is their Bench Strength which may be very crucial in the latter stages of the game.

I think this is the best squad that Chennai Super Kings can come up with. If you think otherwise, do post your comments.

Chennai Super Kings Officially Launched

Sorry for not updating immediately about the official launch of Chennai Super Kings. But all the surprising news in Chennai Super Kings official launching ceremony - 4 new players and Aircel as the main sponsor were already revealed in this blog. Still there were a few things that made me happy.

Dhoni Serious about Chennai Super Kings

With Dhoni's multiple responsibilities as one day captain, Batsman and wicketkeeper, I was a bit worried on how serious Dhoni will be about Chennai Super Kings in Indian Premier League Cricket. These doubts were also aided by the fact that Dhoni has never spoken in public about Chennai Super Kings.

So V.B. Chandrasekhar's revelation that,

"Dhoni was very serious and had already thought out the team combination and how to go about playing in the tournament. We are looking at playing serious cricket and he seemed the perfect man for it"

was surely a great relief for me. Also Chennai Management team and Dhoni putting their relationship on strong footing was also a pleasant news. [India Times reveals that CSK management and Dhoni had at least one 'excellent' meeting]

Photos

The glittering ceremony also provided a number of opportunities for great photos. You can check out the photos here.

Bike for Dhoni

Except for Dhoni, the other captains of IPL teams have said something about their teams and their chances in IPL. But Dhoni has never said anything about Chennai Super Kings or its chances in Indian Premier League. This may be due to the fact that most of the cricketing matters in CSK are decided by V B Chandrasekhar and his team rather than the team captain. With Dhoni in Lion's Den for the first test match between India and South Africa, I expected the situation to change.

 

I expected Dhoni to appear in public with the management team of Chennai Super Kings to express his support and commitment for Chennai Super Kings. But Dhoni and India Cements Limited have preferred to keep their interaction private. None of the press were informed beforehand about Dhoni's meeting with India Cements' President, N. Srinivasan on Monday. We came to know about this interaction only through a small mention in Hindu's Tuesday paper that M.S. Dhoni was presented a motorbike worth Rs. 8 lakh. It would have been great if this has happened before the flashing camera bulbs. Alas! the management thinks otherwise. Anyway! With Dhoni expected to spend most of the Indian Premier League season in Chennai, we could expect Dhoni to be sighted in Chennai with his new bike.

P.S: To know more about M.S. Dhoni, visit his official website.

10 Reasons why Chennai Super Kings bought Dhoni for 6 Crore rupees

Around 80 of the World's best cricket players fetched around 42 million USD, but the headlines remained the same in all the news papers. Hot news was 'Chennai Super Kings spending 1.5 million USD from its coffers for Dhoni'. Never before a cricket player has made such a huge amount from a single tournament.

A Few reasons why Chennai Super Kings bought Dhoni

• Brand Value/Star Power of Dhoni: Chennai, without an icon on its own, did not have any star player who can draw crowds. Dhoni plugs this gap beautifully.
• Being the one day team captain and future test captain, Dhoni is going to be on the eyes of the Indian Public for a long time. So he provides Chennai Super Kings an opportunity to ride on his fame.
  
• Wicket Keeper Batsmen are a rare breed as shown by the fact that most of the wicket keeper batsmen commanded a high price.
• As ‘The Hindu’ points out in its article today, Dhoni is a ‘captain in the making’. With the possibility that the future international fixtures of non-Indian players may clash with the Premier League matches, Chennai Super Kings did a wise thing by opting for a Indian Captain(Dhoni), thereby ensuring that its captain leads the team in all the matches.
• Centre of Gravity: As VB Chandrasekhar, the selector of Chennai Super Kings reasoned out in his interview, Dhoni provides the team with a centre around which a team can be built and plans could be formulated for the game.
  
• Young Age: Unlike other iconic players like Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid, etc. Dhoni is just 26 years old and has atleast 8-10 years of cricket left in him. Chennai Super Kings made an wise Investment for the future
• Dhoni, not only hits hard, but also plays intelligently. Proof: His Recent Boundary less fifty in the run chase against Sri lanka
• A Person with an innate ability to build and rally a team around him. As Dinakar points out in his article, much of the credit for Yuvraj's match winning effort against the Lankans should go to Dhoni.
  
• A Person who never fears to back his instincts. This quality of Dhoni brought rich rewards to the nation & team when he backed Joginder Sharma in T20 World Cup Semi-finals.
  
• From an ordinary somebody from Jharkhand, Dhoni has now transformed himself to an youth icon. He has proven to the world that he can not only handle pressure but can thrive on it. Most importantly, He is a Person who will be looking at 6 Crore price tag as a challenge and an opportunity rather than being weighed down by the huge responsibility that comes with the price tag.

A Deserving Candidate for 6 Crore Price Tag