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. 

Dougie & Mike Hussey Join CSK Squad

Finally! Much Needed New Additions to Chennai Super Kings Squad. Dougie Bollinger and Michael Hussey have joined Chennai Super Kings Squad yesterday. Though it is nice to have Mike Hussey joining the team, it is the addition of Bollinger that fans would be excited about. He adds the much needed the pace to Chennai's weak bowling department.

Impact of Dougie:

Though Dougie is a welcome addition to CSK Squad, let us not kid ourself and believe that he would be savior of all the woes of Chennai Super Kings. Yes Dougie would be mixing sharp pace and swing with a consistent line and length. But this might not necessarily translate to wickets. [Remember other fast bowlers in New South Wales team outshone him during their Champions League campaign]. But we will have a pace spearhead to look forward to. A left arm bowler who can haggle Indian batsman with raw pace and short balls. 

Impact of Hussey:

Though Hussey might not be picked for the match against Rajasthan Royals, his presence brings much needed competition for the four foreigner spots. Now the pressure is on Albie, Hayden & Murali to perform and otherwise get replaced by Hussey. 

What do you think? Will these players turn the fortunes of Chennai Super Kings?

Michael Hussey to Miss IPL

On the background of the doubts regarding the availability of Oram for IPL, another blow has struck Chennai Super Kings Fans. Michael Hussey announced today that he is going to pull himself out of this IPL Season in an effort to reinvigorate himself ahead of the Ashes. Though Hussey could have attended the last two weeks of IPL, he has decided to take a much needed rest for his body and mind.

On hearing the news, V B Chandrasekar commented that

"It is a big disappointment for us, but we have got to respect his need to take rest. No doubt, we will miss him a lot. He was expected to play from the ninth game onwards and play a crucial role. Flintoff leaves by then and we thought, if the bowling gets weakened a bit, our battig would have got stronger."

Disappointed with Hussey's Decision, post your views in Chennai Super Kings Fan Forum or write your comments below.

News Update

Kasi Viswanathan of the Super Kings asserted that there has no official communication from Hussey regarding his reported non-availability. Though Hussey has informed the management about being a little late than other Australian international players, he has not yet officially communicated the unavailability for the entire tournament.

News Source: Cricinfo