Betting Controversy defeats CSK in the finals

Last 2 times, CSK ended up as runner-ups. I was proud of the team and their performance. And was happy that the better team won the match - at the end. But this time, the controversy prevented CSK from having a proper preparation for the game. And it showed on the finals. 

Disappointed. Though the orange and purple cap ended with CSK, the team was outclassed in the finals. Even a master performance bowling by Albie and batting by Dhoni was not enough to win the match for CSK. As per Dhoni analysis, we peaked a little too early in the game - this time

Do read about the season 1 final & season 5 finals. Though i hope that the team comes back stronger next season - with the betting controversy firmly behind it, believe it would take another 1 or 2 seasons for the teams to recover from the taint of betting. 

See you again during the championship league. 

Chennai Super Kings Reaches Finals in Style

Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings in both the league games. But Chennai Super Kings showed their professionalism by winning comfortably against Mumbai Indians. They showed that they are the team of IPL. A beautiful win set up the top order batsmen.

Positives:

1. Hussey: Not letting Faf play for even a single game was a remarkable achievement. A deserved winner of orange cap. Hope he gives another similar performance in the finals 

2. Raina: This is Raina that CSK know of. Showed again why he is the person that Dhoni wants in his team

3. Jadeja & Bravo: Their bowling showed why the team would retain them ahead of others in the team this year. 

Now just hope that Hussey & Bravo continue to hold the orange and purple cap after the finals. 

Now to the fifth finals for CSK. And hopefully to the third championship title.. 

Player's Fan of the Match: Raina. His batting today set-up the winning total for CSK today. 

P.S: Not well for a long time so not able to update the blog regularly. 

With 7th Consecutive win, CSK reach playoffs

With a victory today, CSK have more or less confirmed their playoffs slot.100% Playoff Qualification is by no means a easy task. And the team should be recognized for this achievement. And for once, the team has qualified without having any nail biting matches in the final days of the league. Hats-off to the team management, support staff and the players. Now the focus should be on reaching the top 2, so that the team has a buffer if they fail in the first semi-finals. 

Positives

1. Raina: BACK IN FORM. CSK's batting today was all about him. Hope he provides more such hundreds for CSK team. 

2. Albie: Small cameo of 25 runs made  a key difference to his bowling today. Hope he carries the same confidence to the future matches. Clutch players like Albie, Bravo, etc. would be very crucial during the big matches - when the teams' abilities are streteched. 

3. Bravo: Another great final over by Bravo. Great to see Morris (last batch) and Bravo coming good in the final overs. 

Generally a good match where the key players like Albie got a chance to bowl and Dhoni implementing the trick of bowling the entire quota if a bowler is in form. 

I would expect the team to give opportunities to a few players - Jakati, Faf, etc.  and rest players like Morris, Dhoni, etc. in the next few matches. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Raina

Another thrashing by CSK

CSK dealt a thrashing to Pune Warriors to retain their No:1 spot in IPL Premier League Table. While the middle order batsmen set up a comprehensive total, their bowlers & fielders backed it up with critical wickets. 

It was great to see CSK continue their winning momentum and ending Pune Warriors's hopes of reaching semi-finals. 

Positives:

1. Raina & Badri: For the explosive innings from Dhoni, the victory was set up by well-paced batting by Raina & Badri. Raina is slowly coming to his best and Badri never fails to deliver when the teams expect a crucial knock from him. 

2. Dhoni: I believe this is the best we have seen of Dhoni in IPL. He has been winning matches - from the day one of the season. His knock ended the chances for Pune Warriors in the match today.

3. Mohit Sharma:  Continues to impress! We are bound to see him - soon in the Indian colors. 

4. Hussey & Fielding: Crucial run-outs and commitment shown on the field - especially by Hussey was commendable. Hmmm. Hussey will be missed next season. 

5. Experimentation: With just one more win required for qualifying for the play-offs, Dhoni continues to experiment - by bowling Jadeja - right at the beginning. Hope this helps Dhoni to figure out the best combo for the play-offs. 

Also it was the right decision to drop Nannes for Morkel. Hope Morkel gets an opportunity to bat - to show his worth for the team. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Dhoni - In-addition to his batting, his batting and wicket-keeping was spot-on. 

CSK should now look to qualify through a win against Kings XI Punjab at Chennai on May 2. 

All-round team effort helps CSK trump RR

Both these teams have always contested in tight games. I can't forget this experience still. Today's game was no different. Both the teams fought tooth & nails with stand-out performances from Hussey, Watson, Ashwin & Faulkner. Fielding standards were generally high - except for the one or two lapses. And it was a pleasure to watch. 

CSK bowlers bowled their hearts-out on a batting pitch and did well to restrict RR to 185 after a solid start by Rajasthan Royals. 180 was a probably a par-score. So letting them score only 185 was not a bad performance by the bowlers. And Hussey & Raina set up a platform for Bravo & Dhoni to take the team home. 

Positives:

1. Ashwin: Ashwin is back to his IPL-best today. 

2. Hussey: Slowly inching himself to the orange cap, Faf would have a tough fight to displace Hussey from the opener slot.  And he saved around 5-10 runs through his fielding only.

3. Raina: Slowly he is getting better - which is the most positive news from today's match

4. Bravo: His ability to deliver in crunch situations has become 'legendary'. 

5. Team Management: Though Albie is 'officially injured', playing Holder instead of Albie was a good decision. Was a gutsy call. Considering the pitch, the team Management did pick the right squad. 

Negatives:

1. Vijay: Would have done him good - if he stayed for a little more time in this batting pitch.

2. Jadeja: Had a poor game with the bat & ball. Proved that he is not Chuck Norris. :) But do expect him to be back for the next match. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Hussey - for his efforts in the field & with the bat.

P.S: CSK now take lead in the table. And Chennai Super Kings face Sunrisers Hyderabad in a battle for the top of the table. 

Jadeja does it again for CSK

Another match that CSK nearly made a melee of a small total. Thanks to the efforts on the fielding department and explosive batting of Jadeja, they won the match. CSK never learns from their past mistakes - another match in which the powerplay overs were dominated by the opposition. Until CSK find a method to dominant power-play overs, they would always start the match with a weakness. 

Positives:

1. Mohit Sharma & Christ Morris: Bowled well. Their tight overs slowly brought CSK into the match after the early onslaught

2. Jadeja & Ashwin - Spinner Pair: And I am expecting great things from this pair for both CSK and India. 

3. Jadeja, the batsman: Though i have always been a critic of Jadeja, his batting has improved leaps & bounds this season. Expecting great things from him - this season. 

4. Hussey: Though people may find faults with his run-rate, the difference between both the innings today was the anchor role played by Hussey.
5. Fielding: Run-out by Badri was exceptional. Those things can only be learnt by rote practice - i.e. throwing balls at a single wicket again, again & again. Fielding team & coach deserves applause for winning the match today. 

Negatives:

1. Team Management: At some point in the game, it felt like team management believed the game was on their hands. Other than this, I am not able to put any rationale reason for sending Ashwin as an opener. 

2. Vijay & Raina: They need to get their 'mojo' back. 

3. Albie: Another poor day in the bowling for Albie and he did not get an opportunity to showcase his batting. He desperately needs his confidence back. Among the current four foreign players, he is the most likely to be dropped to accommodate Nannes - once back from the injury. 

CSK has 3 must-win home matches coming up in the next 8 days. Time for the lions to roar and dominate the season 6. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja.  

Mohit Sharma & Hussey set up a comprehensive win

And CSK finally arrives to the party with a comprehensive win against Delhi Daredevils. Hussey & Raina set up a good base for Dhoni to explode against Delhi Daredevils. Hope they are able to repeat the performance in Eden Garden on  Saturday. 

Positives:

1. Team Selection: It was a gutsy call to drop Nannes - Nannes injury turned out to be blessing in disguise. Nannes has not taken enough important wickets and deserved to be dropped. But expect him to be back soon - either in the place of Chris Morris or Bravo. Chris Morris' 7.5+ average & Bravo's 8+ average runs per over  are not sustainable for CSK as they move into the middle stages of the tournament. 

2. Hussey, Raina & Dhoni: All of them had a good performance with the bat. Hope Raina converts one of these thirties to a 75+ some time soon. And hats-off to Raina for recommending (or whoever recommended) Mohit Sharma to CSK. 

3. Mohit Sharma: What a debut way to endure yourself to CSK Fans. Unknown player who delivers for CSK. I am already looking forward for his performance in the next match. 

4. Ashwin & Jadeja: Ashwin & Jadeja recovered from their last match and provided good performance today. 

Negatives:

1. Vijay: We want Vijay of Season 3.

Fan's Man of the Match: We all love the story of surprise debutant unknown young Indian Player winning the match for CSK. And Mohit's performance in competitive pitch today was special. And deserves CSKFansite's Man of the Match Award. 

And special mention for CSK Fans in Kotla - for turning up on a weekday. Can visualize a day not so far - when Delhi & Mumbai grounds have equal CSK support for their home matches against CSK. 

Next game would be against Kolkata Knight Riders @ Eden Garden - to whom we lost the final last year. Time for a revenge?

CSK Bowlers lose the match

While it is easy to blame the CSK batsmen for the loss, 160 is always going to be tough to score in the wicket. 140-150 would have been a very competitive total on the pitch. And CSK poor performance in the power-play was also a key reason for the defeat. While bowlers should have taken early wickets in power-play overs, CSK batsmen (Vijay & Raina) should have been much more aggressive in the first four overs.

Positives:

1. Badri: Badri played a fine innings. Without Hussey in the team, he should have taken the responsibility to stay till the end - rather than looking to score the runs fast.

Negatives:

1. Bravo: Bravo has been having poor season so far. Might not be a bad idea to drop him for one match and play Hussey & Jakati in Bravo & Anirudh's place

2. Nannes: Your No:1 strike bowler can't be your most expensive bowler. 

3. Ashwin: Don't think Dhoni is getting the best out of the bowling unit - especially of Ashwin. It is time for Ashwin to win matches for CSK. 

Next Game is on Thurday against Delhi. Should believe it would be a must-win game so that CSK don't fall too behind the top four. 

No-ball costs RCB the win

Another match that set the pulse racing in our hearts. A match of despair, hope, despair, hope & finally sadness of losing the match - after coming so close.. But winning the match by a no-ball. This is why we follow CSK & IPL! A match we can only attribute to God.

Positives:

1. Pitch: It is time the ground start producing pitches that would assist CSK spinners. How can our home ground assist other teams rather than us?

2. Sir Jaddu: Sir Jaddu has arrived!

3. Dhoni, Raina & Badri: All had a breezy 30s and lost wickets in the crucial phase. Hope they start making bigger scores

Negatives

1. Bravo: As a player who occupies the key foreign all-rounder slot, it is time he stands-up and be counted. I won't be surprised if Albie plays instead of Bravo in the next match. 

2. Middle Overs: CSK should stop this experimentation with Indian medium pace bowlers and pick Shadab Jakati. This should help us shut-down opposition in the middle overs. It was in these overs that CSK lost the way today. 

Man of the Match: Dhoni & Jadeja. Their partnership in the last few overs was the key point in bringing the match towards CSK. 

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 Super Kings reach fourth IPL finals

Set up by an amazing innings by Vijay, Chennai Super Kings thrashed Delhi Daredevils. Even before the match begin, Delhi Daredevils did their bit to help us - by dropping Morne and by picking Sunny Gupta. Murali Vijay & Hussey set up the innings beautifully and then the other batsmen continued the explosive work. After a poor tournament for CSK batsmen (none of the CSK batsmen are there in the top ten), they are finally coming into the party.

Scorecard:Chennai Super Kings 222 for 5 (Vijay 113) beat Delhi Daredevils 136 (Jayawardene 55, Ashwin 3-23) by 86 runs

Positives:

1. Hussey & Vijay: The chemistry between both these openers was beautiful to watch. Thank you IPL for bringing them together. 

2. Raina: It was great to see Raina playing a little gem. I am sure a big innings is just around the corner. 

3. Dhoni, the captain: Thanks to CSK Setup, Dhoni always get charged-up during an IPL campaign. Nice to see him giving overs to Jakat & Morkel and make frequent fielding changes to ensure that DD batsmen does not settle down. 

4. Ashwin: Playing for Chennai in the play-offs brings a new zeal in Ashwin. His role would be crucial in the finals. 

5. Albie Morkel @ No:5: It was a great decision by the team management to send Albie ahead of Jadeja. Though it did not work today, I am sure Albie would have more success in these situations than Jadeja. 

6. Hilfenhauz: Bowled beautifully in his three overs. Ensured that DD never got a chance to chase the mamoth total. 

Negatives:

None

Fan's Man of the Match: Vijay - Vijay showed his grit today by attacking - right from the first ball and staying till the last ball. Also showed why CSK retained him - ahead of Ashwin. 

Time to cool off for a day and ensure that next IPL finals is also played at Chennai only. 

CSK - A Step Closer to IPL Crown

While most of us thought that CSK sneaked into the final playoff spot,  they proved today that they deserved  to be there in the play-offs. Team effort from Hussey to Jakati helped CSK enter the qualifiers easily. In days like today, you are really proud to be following this team.Now, the fight to enter the finals @ Chennai

Positives:

1. Dhoni: Dhoni, the exceptional captain & Dhoni, the explosive batsman is  BACK. Right from bowling Jakatin @ the beginning to the bang-on bowling changes, he got it correct. And seeing the old Dhoni, who attacks the bowlers - right from the first ball - was a welcome change. And that SIX of Malinga was SPECIAL. 
2. Fleming & Dhoni: Right from picking Jakati & Hussey in the squad to sending Badri at No:4 , the team management got it right. But sending Jadeja ahead of Bravo & Morkel is unforgivable - in my eyes
3. Jakati & Badri: Both of them have been in & out of the team. And have not got opportunities to shine. But they proved their value to their team today. 
4. Bravo & Morkel; Big matches bring this that extra bit in them. Great Work from them
5. Ashwin & Hussey: Very Important Contributions from both of them. 

Negatives:

1. Raina: Our Star Batsman of the team has not made significant contributions this season. Believe in him to make the key contributions in the next two matches. 
2. Hilfenhauz: He should be the leading bowler in the team - who carries the team's bowling on his back.  Still has not adapted his bowling to Indian conditions. Hope he does so in Chennai

Fan's Man of the Match: Surely, Dhoni the captain, the batsman and the wicket-keeper. Hope he continues to give such performances for CSK.

What do you think about our Chances against Delhi Daredevils?

CSK is 'out of IPL - Season 5'

Poor CSK Season comes to an end with a loss to Kings XI Punjab. Now Only Miracles can help us now enter the play-offs. And the miracles generally do happen only for deserving teams. CSK - with such a wealth of talent - depending on other teams to qualify - is simply unacceptable.

And a shoddy batting & bowling performance by the team today. After playing so well for the last three matches, the team simply lost its momentum. None of the senior players - other than Bravo - took up responsibility for the team. Missed Badri desperately in today's Match

Positives:
1. Bravo: Remember Bravo was only bought for 200k USD in the auction. Buying him was one of the master-strokes. He has proved his value once again.

Negatives:
1. Other Players: None took ownership of the game. After seeing today's match, we don't deserve to be in the IPL play-offs. Hope the team makes a turn-around next year.

I blame the poor season on the decision to buy Jadeja in the auction.Who do you blame this poor CSK Season on?

P.S: We are not completely out as the title implies. If all the following teams - KXIP,RCB & RR lose atleast one match, we will enter the playoffs. But I can't foresee the possibility of  all the three losing the required games - with a playoff spot on play. But as CSK Fans, let us keep hoping & praying. :)

Final Ball Six Keeps CSK Hopes Alive & KICKING

Another final ball victory.
Another CSK batsman comes to the rescue.
Another match where we don't know whether we should be thrilled or disappointed with this team...

They did not start well. They come back strongly. They do well. There is no way that the opposition can win from here. Then they give the opposition a hope. They tighten their noose around themself. Then the oppostiion believes only a miracle can stop them from winning. And in the middle of this tough situation, CSK Win.

Only thing I can say is that "OH! CSK for taking us to such a nervous ride"

Positives:
1. Hussey & Vijay: Hussey & Vijay continue their form of the last year final. Gave the team - a wonderful platform to win the match easily.
2. Bravo: Cometh the hour, Cometh the man.

Negatives:
1. Selection: Seriously, the team did drop Albie Morkel. What is with CSK dropping somebody immediately - after they have done well. At any rate, Albie is a better T20 batsman & most importantly a better finisher than Faf. Any day, Albie Morkel picks himself ahead of Faf. Hope CSK don't repeat this mistake again. Sorry My Mistake. Albie is down with Flu as his twitter states

Fan's Man of the Match: Bravo. For keeping himself cool in the crunch situation - winning with a six from the last ball - is an art.

Dominant Performance against Delhi Daredevils

This is the Chennai Super Kings we know. The team that thrashes even the top sides - without breaking a sweat. What a great performance by CSK Team. And Hilfenhauz is finally reprising his awesome form - this season. Now he is the most crucial player for the next two matches.

It was surprising to see Yo Mahesh - missing out from the team - after a fine performance in the last game. And Badri & Faf - still being away from match fitness - meant Hussey & Anirudha stayed on the team.

Now Chennai moves on to the next stage - where they have to necessarily win both the away matches - to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

Positives:

1. Hilfenhauz: Cometh the hour, Cometh the Man: Amazing performance by HIlfenhauz on setting up the win. 
2. Albie Morkel: Did his role as a second seamer wonderfully. He should consider himself lucky for getting such seamer friendly wickets in the last two matches
3. Hussey & Vijay: Great to see CSK Regular Openers among some runs. They have created a selection problem for Fleming & Dhoni (with Faf & Badri expected to be match-fit for the next match)

Fan's Man of the Match: Hilfenhauz - on the way he has redeemed himself - after those three awful balls in MI match. Now he has to help CSK win the next 2 matches. 

Should we thrilled or Should we angry?

In days like this, watching Chennai Super Kings is a hazardous work The team did well to contain Rajasthan to a sub-par score. And then found ways to loose the match. And thanks to Albie & Aniruddha, the game was won. What a see-saw journey? I am not sure whether i should be thrilled or angry at CSK Players and team management?

Hope this match becomes the stepping stone to win the next three matches. 

Positives:

1. Raina: Raina is slowly getting some runs under his belt. It is not far away - when he starts winning matches in the IPL. Hope he wins the match against the table toppers tomorrow. 

2. Yo Mahesh & Hilfenhaus: Good to see both the players getting some fine figures under their belt. Believe the team should continue to play them through the IPL.

3. Anirudha: With the way Anirudha played, he has forced the management to pick him ahead of under-firing Vijay. Anirudha-Faf partnership might not be a bad thing after all. 

Negatives:

1. Bravo: Bravo was sub-par. It seems he has lost his focus in IPL. It is time that the team management made his role - clear in the team. Is he a wicket-taking bowler or Is he a bowler who is responsible to contain the runs? Is he a hitter or is he a person who holds the innings together?

Fan's Man of the Match:  Anirudha. For hitting that awesome six against Shaun Tait. Did not think an Indian batsmen can do that. 

My Playing Eleven for the next match is

1. Anirudha 2. Faf 3. Raina 4. Bravo 5. Dhoni 6. Badri 7. Albie 8. Jadeja 9. Yo Mahesh 10. Ashwin 11. Hilfenhauz

What are your thoughts on the playing eleven?

Disappointing Start to IPL Season 4

Though Chennai Super Kings have the best-performing team in the last few years, my wishes are not really high this year. I want them to reach semi-finals once again. I strongly believe this team has potential to win the IPL again this year. 

But I can see myself - the team repeating the same mistake they did with Flintoff. Rather than addressing the problems of the team (i.e. explosive opening batsman and good Indian fast-bowlers), the team playing so that they can justify the price of Jadeja. Now with a star coming in, CSK has to find the right team composition - before they can start picking up steam. 

Positives:

1. Raina: In every IPL, we are used to see a different 'Raina' and the trend continues. He is crucial in the early matches before others starts picking up pieces. 

Negatives:

1. Selection: Really Faf as an opener?? Hope the management does not make mistakes like this again. 

There were a lot of things to feel unhappy about. Hope Fleming & Dhoni sit together to figure out the winning combination. 

Who do you think should be in the playing eleven?

Bravo sets up a CSK Victory

What a way to come back from a humilating defeat in the hands of Mumbai Indians specifically Malinga. Bravo played the first of the many match winning knocks for Chennai Super Kings. 

Positives:

1. Bravo: Impressed both with his batting and bowling. A true-match winning performance. Showed the team his class act.

Now the team plays T&T next. It is a must-win game for the team. 

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?

Clinical Display from CSK.. We are Champions Again

Chennai Super Kings successfully defended their title with another clinical display. Great Opening Partnership by Hussey-Vijay set up the most dominating win of the season. 

WHOA!! We are IPL CHAMPIONS AGAIN!! The team did well to raise up their game for the crucial match. This is why Dhoni's captaincy and Fleming's coaching is crucial for Chennai Super Kings.

Positives:

1. Vijay & Hussey: What a way to come back to the form. They showed determination and intent by running very hard in the initial overs.  They scored 56 runs in the first six overs without even a single boundary. Commendable performance from the openers. 

2. Ashwin: Again another great bowling performance. His early wicket of Gayle snubbed out the slightest hope that RCB had. 

3. Jakati: Another great bowling performance from him. 

Fan's Man of the Match: Vijay. His explosive innings and his determined running between the wickets was commendable. Hope to see more such clinical partnerships from Hussey & Vijay in the next season.