How to prevent somebody from stealing you Content?

Yes I agree that "Imitation is the best form of flattery". But it is theft if somebody steals your content without your permission and posts as his own. But that is what Arvind Kumar is doing. He copies all the blog posts from this website and posts as his own in Chennai Super Kings Contest Blog. (http://www.chennaisuperkings.com/Blog/blog_ContestListing.aspx?AuthorID=55205)

I thought writing a mail to Chennai Super Kings Website and CSK Blog Contest would solve the issue. Though I wrote a mail a week back, none has replied or banned Arvind Kumar from posting his content. [They are not even publishing my comments on Arvind Kumar's blog posts]. While the extreme option to intimate this copyright violation to Google and get Google to stop indexing www.chennaisuperkings.com, I want to get it done through some other means. Please let me know if any other option is available to stop Arvind Kumar or any others from posting the content on other websites. 

P.S: Thanks Siddharth for the earlier tip about this copyright theft. 

WHOA! Finally a Win!

Finally a much-needed win for the team. Is this the turn-around we were hoping for? I believe so. More than the win, it was much more pleasing to see the team finally showing some emotion and passion on the ground.

Positives:

1. Batting Order: Finally we have a batting order that looks settled. Now the only question is whether Hayden or Hussey should play. 

2. Jakati & Murali: A Wicket Maiden in a T20!!! I believe that was the over that won the match for Chennai Super Kings. Murali also showed his master class once again. 

3. Vijay: Finally he establishes himself as a T20 opener. Hope to see more such innings from him. More importantly, this innings reduces pressure on Hayden. Hope Hayden plays much more freely in the future matches. 

4. Raina: Good to see Raina taking responsibility and finishing the innings. 

Negatives:

1. Team Selection: I can understand the necessity  to give Ganapathy a chance in this Russian Roulette.. But Gony Again??? Gony can't bowl. Also has the distinction of being the worst IPL Fielder. It always seems like Gony plays for the opposition rather than CSK. Hope to see Tyagi & Balaji back in the team for the next match. 

Now my only hope is that the team turns up with the same intensity for the next match. 

Flicker of Hope for Chennai Super Kings Campaign

After an uninspiring performance in the first half of the tournament, most CSK fans have lost their semifinals hope. Even Dhoni seemed to agree and said that Chennai Super Kings would be looking forward to end the parties of other teams. But there is still a flicker of hope for Chennai Super Kings

What is required?

To be assured of a semifinal spot, the team has to win at-least six of the next 7 matches. With a good run-rate and a bit of luck, the team can make it to the semi-finals even with five wins. 

Why there is still flicker of hope?

1. Five Home Matches: Out of the next 7 matches, 5 matches are at home. Thanks to the yellow brigade and benevolent batting pitch, Chennai Super Kings would start with an advantage on those matches.

2. Dougie Surprise: Bollinger would surely add the much needed "Fast Spice" to the team. With his addition, Chennai Super Kings would have 2 match-winning bowlers with a good support cast. Also if Hayden fails for another 2 matches, the team have the option to replace him with Hussey. 

3. Batsmen: Slowly all the batsman are getting to form - Albie, Dhoni, Raina, Badri, Hayden & Vijay - All have atleast 1 good innings. It is high time that the batsman took control and started winning matches for Chennai. 

4. Good Run Rate: Thanks to our good run-rate, there is  a high probability that Chennai Super Kings will make the semi-finals even if they win 5 more matches. 

What we need to pray for?

1. Mumbai Indians & Royal Challengers to win against all the opposition teams (other than CSK) 

2. Kings XI Punjab to win a few games

What team should do?

The key thing for the team would be getting their act together. 

1. Team Selection: Fleming & Co. desperately need to get their act together. They can't win by playing Joginder & Arun Karthik in the team. Hope Tyagi & Ntini gets a look-in for the next match. 

2. Passion: One key element lacking from the team is passion. It seems as if everybody is playing for them self rather than for the team. 

3. Aggressiveness: Team lacks the aggressive edge. After 1 or 2 good overs, the team always looks to consolidate rather than ending the match then and there. You don't see the batsman in the team taking any risks.  Hope the team becomes a little positive and goes for the kill. 

4. New Tactics: It is time that the team started to experiment with a few things. Today, the team would have benefited from sending a Thusara/Joginder as a pinch hitter. It seems as if the team does not lack the will to innovate. 

Though the road to a semi-final is an uphill task for the team, I believe the team has 'it' in them to do it. Hayden, Murali, Dhoni, Raina.. Please get your act together. 

IPL Becomes SIPL

I generally don't post about matches that don't involve Chennai Super Kings. But today's win by Deccan Chargers gives me some bragging rights that I might never get in the rest of my life.

Indian Premier League has become officially South Indian Premier League for the next two matches.

Anyway, a team that doesn't pick McGrath or Vettori does not deserve to qualify for the finals.

We are in the semifinals!!!

With today's defeat of Rajasthan Royals, our semifinal spot is 99.99% assured. Let me illustrate how:

1. We all knew the bottom of the table teams - Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians are already out of the semifinal spots

2. With today's loss, Rajathan Royals can end up with at most 15 points which means they can never overtake Chennai Super Kings, considering their negative run rate(-0.36) with CSK's +1.02 run rate

3. Royal Challengers Bangalore are at 12 points and have 2 matches to go. Deccan Chargers are at 14 points and have a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. This means one of these teams is going up to end at 14 points and a place below Chennai Super Kings in the points table.

So it is time to get ourself ready for the semifinals. .

Update: Sadly even Cricinfo has missed this fact..

Team selections at the root of the problem!

As mentioned in an earlier post which Robin posted on my behalf, the composition of the team is what's seriously affecting the success of the team. The balance is clearly not there.

The battery of medium pacers is making our bowling too predictable. 4 medium pacers (Oram, Morkel, Sharma, Bala) is just 2 too many.

Don't get me wrong, what I mean by medium is someone who can't consistently bowl over 135 kmph.

Makhaya would clearly be a very good choice rather than Sharma. Though Makhaya's pace is not much to boast about, his bowling is fairly unorthodox. He bowls at a very different angle and was quite successful in India, so I don't see why he shouldn't be a hit at home when the pitches are really helping bowlers.

Morkel also doesn't seem very committed..his bowling lacks variety and he just doesn't seem to be able to hit boundaries when the team desperately needs them.

Murali Vijay would be a good option to replace him. I would put him at no.3 and push everyone else one slot down the order.

MSD has to realise that Badrinath is not a stroke player. He is good for rotating the strike and consolidating if required. He would be a better bet at No.4, rather than at No.7. That way he can really play his natural game.

CSK fans will remember when Badri made his highest IPL score of 60-odd last year. It was when the chips were down, we had lost 3 quick wickets and that was the perfect situation for Badri to really flourish! We ended up winning that game.

I hope MSD considers the above suggestions!

Is this the end for Chennai Super Kings?

Another Defeat. And most of Chennai Super Kings fans have started losing hope on the team. And they are right to do so. But let us not lose hope in our team.

They may have lost 3 matches. They may have got their entire team selection wrong. They may have not shown any team spirit on the field. The captain and the leader might not have contributed to the team's cause.

But still it is our team. Still it is the strongest team in IPL. It still has explosive batsmen like Hayden, Dhoni, Raina, Morkel and Oram. It still posses bowling talents like Gony, Murali, Balaji. We may have lost a few matches. But still this is a team of professionals and expect them to bounce back hard. And these losses would have helped the team to take a deeper look at itself. And It surely provides the team an opportunity to show its character to its fans. Whatever might have happened, I still believe we have a fair chance of making to the semi-finals. [We just have to win 6 of the 9 matches. An easy task for this team].

I hope and believe, my next match review would be after a win. Go! Super Kings! Go!

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 ?

The Semifinalists !

So who is the strongest of them all ?

If you just look at the records of the semifinalists against each other here is how they stand:

Rajasthan 4-2
Punjab 3-3
Chennai 3-3
Delhi 2-4

Which is the exact order in which they line up.

However that does not tell the whole story. For a lot of the teams have evolved since when they played each other.

So who are the favorites ?

I know that in a lot of forums I visit Chennai is described as the weakest of the semifinalists and Punjab is expected to run over them. I do not subscribe to this view however; for the simple fact that Chennai have beaten Punjab twice.

Indeed given a choice between facing Punjab and Rajasthan in the semis I would prefer to face Punjab any day.

Also for some reason people are beginning to look upon Delhi as very strong contenders. I wonder why. I believe luck (and some self-destruction on the part of Mumbai) played a huge role in Delhi getting to this stage. If they continue to rely on luck they might be in for a huge shock.

All in all I still believe Rajasthan is by far the strongest team and the one to beat.

And you ?

Fleming Out

So Stephen Fleming will not be available for the rest of the tournament leaving due to personal reasons (birth of his child) as per reports. This will be a bit of a blow - losing our accomplished, experienced opening batsman on the eve of the semifinals. At the same time he hadn't really set the world on fire as yet but I for one was banking on him to come good.

So what are our options now ? Do we go for a replacement foreign player as we can ? However I do think it will be too much to get a newcomer in at this late stage and ask him to gel with the team. We have the option of going in with either Vidyut or Aniruddh of course, but I for one would be interested in Chamara Kapugedara.

I know he didn't quite impress in whatever chances he got but I have seen him play for Sri Lanka and when he gets going, he can be a class player.

What are your thoughts ? How do we go about this problem ? How do we replace Fleming ? Looking forward to hearing from you guys.

The Path For Chennai

Cross-posted on The DLF IPL

If we win any one of the next two games, we are THROUGH.

If Mumbai beat Delhi we are THROUGH even if we lose both our games.

Otherwise, (i.e. if we lose both our games, and Delhi beat Mumbai) we can still go THROUGH if Mumbai loses their other two games as well, i.e. to Rajasthan and Bangalore. In short, if Mumbai loses all its games, we are THROUGH even if we don't win any more games. If Mumbai loses to Delhi but wins one of their other two games (either Rajasthan or Bangalore) then we will have to rely on run-rate.

If we lose both our games, and Mumbai loses to Delhi BUT wins the other two games - we are OUT.

The easiest thing for us would be - to just win a game and be happy ! :D:D:D

Future International Players

The long term success of a professional club is hugely dependent on the way the club acquires and nurtures young talent. But in our team, most of the international stars are in their thirties and could not be expected to play for more than 5 years. So it is time, our team starts acquiring young players especially bowlers to strengthen the bench and lay a foundation for a strong future team.

One of the players that I wanted to see on the yellow clothes was Ajantha Mendis, the young Sri Lankan mystery leg spinner. He could have easily become the future replacement for Muralitharan in Chennai Super Kings team.  But Cricinfo reports that he has been poached by Kolkata Knight Riders. Similarly, one of the franchises is close to sign a record deal with Pietersen for the next three years. Hope there is some one in Chennai Super Kings who scouts for young talent (both Indian and foreign) and bring them into the team in a earlier stage so they develop a sense of association with the franchise.

Who are the players (not yet signed by any franchise) you would like to see on our squad?

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?

Why we need 3 wins...

Both Murali and Fleming echoed in their TV interviews that 2 wins will carry Chennai Super Kings team to the semifinals. This belief is held by both the team and its fans. But is it true?

Take a look at the IPL points table and the probable results for the rest of the IPL matches. And Decide for yourself

IPL Points Table 

Teams	Matches	Points
Rajasthan Royals	9	14
Kings XI Punjab	9	12
Chennai Super Kings	10	12
Mumbai Indians	9	10
Delhi Daredevils	10	10
Kolkata Knight Riders	10	10
Deccan Chargers	10	4
Bangalore Royal Chargers	9	4

 

Probable Results in Upcoming Fixtures

Home Team	Away	Probable Result
Rajasthan Royals	Bangalore Royal Challengers	Rajasthan Royals
Delhi Daredevils	Kings XI Punjab	Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata Knight Riders	Chennai Super Kings
Deccan Chargers	Mumbai Indians	Mumbai Indians
Bangalore Royal Challengers	Delhi Daredevils	Delhi Daredevils
Kolkata Knight Riders	Rajasthan Royals	Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai Indians	Kings XI Punjab	Mumbai Indians
Chennai Super Kings	Bangalore Royal Challengers
Delhi Daredevils	Kolkata Knight Riders	Delhi Daredevils
Kings XI Punjab	Deccan Chargers	Kings XI Punjab
Chennai Super Kings	Rajasthan Royals
Delhi Daredevils	Mumbai Indians	Delhi Daredevils
Deccan Chargers	Bangalore Royal Challengers	Deccan Chargers
Kolkata Knight Riders	Kings XI Punjab	Kolkata Knight Riders
Rajasthan Royals	Mumbai Indians	Rajasthan Royals
Deccan Chargers	Chennai Super Kings	Deccan Chargers
Bangalore Royal Challengers	Mumbai Indians	Mumbai Indians
Kings XI Punjab	Rajasthan Royals	Kings XI Punjab

 

It clearly shows that three or four teams would reach the required 16 points and would fight for the final two semifinal spots. This means the net run rate would be the one that decide those spots. And Chennai Super Kings with one of the poorest run rates (as of now) may miss out that spot. So to be sure, it is essential that the team musters 3 wins in the rest of their IPL campaign. If not, they have to depend on Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers to produce a few upsets against the other teams.

Impact of Today's Match

With the drubbing we received today at Mumbai, Chennai Super Kings' Net Run rate has taken a plunge. This means even a two wins out of the four matches may not be enough for the team to secure its semifinal spot. So a little bit pressure on Dhoni and let us see how the team responds to this pressure.

 

How do you rate Chennai Super Kings' chances of reaching the semifinals?

3 Defeats in a Row...

Today's game was our third defeat in a row. Bottom four teams would be looking to seize this opportunity provided by Chennai Super Kings. And Cricket Commentators have started writing our team off.

What do you think the team should do to reverse this losing streak???

New Players, New Look

With the departure of key players like Mathew Hayden, Hussey and Oram, and the arrival of two new players - Morkel and Ntini, Chennai Super Kings sports a new look. Now the task lies on the hands of Dhoni and the management to make these new guys feel at home and continue the winning momentum. Hope the players like Ntini, Morkel and Fleming understand their role and play them into perfection.

 

Makhaya Ntini:

My opinions about him remains the same as the one I wrote in my squad analysis. His lack of variations in his bowling arsenal creates doubts about his T20 viability. But his recent form in the Indian Test series should bode well for the team.

Albie Morkel:

Relatively unknown foreign player in the squad, he is the second highest paid player in the squad. A T20 specialist, his performance in the recent South African Domestic T20 tournament made headlines. While his tight bowling helped his team(Titans) all through Pro20 series, his quick fire 33 (from 17 balls) became the critical difference between two teams in the finals.

Stephen Fleming:

An astute reader of game and the situations, his presence in the top order is enough to quell any doubts about the strength of CSK's top order even after the departure of Hayden and Hussey.

 

Impact - Batting:

Departure of Hayden and Hussey has surely eroded the touch of invincibility in our batting lineup. But our bowling is getting strengthened. A positive thing about the departure is that the middle order batsmen like Badrinath would get more opportunities. Hope they make them count. I am expecting Suresh Raina to become the key player. Hereafter, you will hear more from commentators on how Chennai Super Kings' young batsmen are making their opportunities count. :)

Impact - Bowling: 

With Ntini and Morkel, Chennai Super Kings' bowling is surely strengthened. Hereafter, Dhoni cannot complain that Chennai Super Kings lacks strike bowlers. In experienced Ntini, Murali and young and upcoming Gony, Chennai Super Kings boast three world class strike bowlers and in Joginder and Albie Morkel, the team boasts two bowlers who had tighten the run rate in the middle overs.

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.

 

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.

Pre-Tournament Favourites

Times Now in its show on Indian Premier League, aptly titled as "The Summer Slam", called Chennai Super Kings as the pre-tournament Favourites. It was good to hear that from a third party, which do not have any affiliation or affection for Chennai Super Kings. 79% of voters in the poll on this blog seem to agree with this view.

But it set me up thinking...

Are we really the strongest team on paper?

What do you think about it? Post your views on comments section...