IPL Season 4 - CSK Players' Update on Injuries & Availability

Since quite a few players from CSK team are recovering from injuries , thought that I would do a small post on the status of the key players. 


Indian International Players
1. Murali Vijay - Fit & Raring to play for CSK
2. Badrinath - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions right from April 3rd. 
3. Raina - Fit & Raring to play for CSK
4. Dhoni - Though he is carrying a few niggles, expect him to play in IPL. (But might take rest during one or two matches)
5. Ashwin - Fit & Raring to play for CSK
6. Joginder Sharma - Fit & Raring to play for CSK


Foreign Players
1. Albie Morkel - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions right from April 3rd. 
2. Scot Styris - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions right from April 3rd. 
3. Francois Du Plesis - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions right from April 3rd. 
4. Ben Hilfenhaus - Currently Injured. Tim Southee replacing him in Season 4. 
5. Tim Southee - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions right from April 3rd. 
6. George Bailey - Currently Injured. Upul Tharanga replacing him in Season 4. 
7. Upul Tharanga - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions from April 5th 
8. Kulasekara - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions from April 5th 
9. Suraj Randiv - Fit & Raring to play for CSK. Part of Practice Sessions from April 5th 
10. Doug Bollinger - Currently recovering from an injury. He is working towards match fitness for the match against RCB(3rd CSK Match of the season).
11. Michael Hussey - Is expected to join CSK after his April 13th ODI at Bangladesh
12. Dwayne Bravo - Currently Injured but Expected to be fit in 2 weeks. Whether he would play depends on the understanding reached between West Indies Cricket Board and Dwayne Bravo. Since West Indies are playing a Pakistan series at the same time, a very high probability that he would miss IPL Season 4 entirely. 

Goals for Individual CSK Players

After the end of the world cup, I am sure the management of most of the national teams are looking to build their team for the future. This provides a few CSK Players - a wonderful opportunity to start planning their future for the next few years. Just my thoughts on what a few key players should be aspiring to

1. Dhoni: While he has won all the important tournaments and has been widely acknowledged as the best Indian captain, it is time Dhoni sets his eyes further. He should focus on building a career that puts him as one of the best captains in cricket (if not the best captain in cricket)

2. Raina:  Though his semi-final and quarter-final performance made him an integral part of ODI set-up, good performances in this ipl season(with both bat & ball) would not do him any harm to his ODI career. 

3. Vijay: Vijay has been having a largely forgettable ODI career. This season provides him with an opportunity to remind the selectors. (The crucial position in top three would become available once Sachin retires)

4. Albie: In the world cup quarterfinals, South Africa paid the price for not picking Albie Morkel - a proven low middle order batsman. Time to further rub salt on the wounds of South African selectors and make a case for his inclusion in South African ODI squad.

5. Ashwin: It is time - Ashwin set his eyes on becoming No:1 Indian spinner in ODIs and T20Is. 

6. Badri: Remind the selectors about him and make a case for his inclusion in Indian Test Squad. The next 2 or 3 seasons might be his final opportunity to do so. 

7.  Doug Bollinger: That he is fit and still has got his mojo.  

Happy Birthday Murali

சென்னை மாப்பிள்ளைக்கு பிறந்த நாள் வாழ்த்துகள்!!!!

In all the hype around IPL - Season 2 inaugural match, let us not forgot to wish the king of dosra. Muttiah Muralitharan turns 37 today and his Chennai Super Kings team-mates celebrated the occasion in style, leaving the Sri Lankan off-spinner rather overwhelmed.

Photo Source: SJ Jagadeesh

Probable XI For IPL Season 2

With the end of the auction for IPL Season 2, it is time to pick the most probable eleven

1. Hayden/ M Hussey – Hayden surely picks himself in any team. But the fact that M Hussey would not be for the entire season may lead Hayden to miss a few matches
2. M Vijay/ Abhinav Mukund – Vijay surely lends the much needed stability to the team. And there is Abhinav Mukund to step in as a replacement for Vijay or Parthiv Patel
3. Raina – Hope Raina changes himself to a complete match winner this season
4. Dhoni
5. Albie Morkel
6. Badrinath
7. Flintoff/Oram – With the recent injuries to Oram, I believe Flintoff would be playing ahead of Oram.
8. P Patel – This is a free slot which could be filled by anybody.
9. Tyagi/Gony – Though Gony  played amazingly last year, I believe Sudeep Tyagi pick himself ahead of Gony
10. Balaji
11. Murali/Ntini – With no other top notch spinner in the team, Murali may be playing all the matches

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.

Player Transfer Window Heating Up

With the player transfer window for IPL Season 2 beginning this week, rumours and press releases from different teams have started hitting newspapers and news channels. It is no surprise that most of the teams are looking to offload the high-paid players who did not deliver the goods last year (Gibbs, Afridi, Akhtar). Of the players who performed last year, we may see Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers) being sold to Mumbai Indians for a hefty amount. While Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians may exchange the services of Robin Uthappa and Zaheer Khan.

 

Chennai Super Kings

While the initial reports from Chennai Super Kings seemed to suggest that CSK may not trade any players. The Current sources suggest that Makhaya Ntini may be used as an sweetener/bargaining chip if the team is focusing to buy any player on the transfer list. [Source: CricketNext] But this is unlikely considering the recent performance of Ntini and CSK's lack of quality international fast bowlers in the team... Until if there is any extraordinary player on the transfer list.

Wait until December 29 to know the first list of players on transfer window.(The franchises have two more opportunities to submit lists of players they wish to put up for trading - on January 5 and 12). And Don't expect to see any CSK players on the first list of players put up for trading.

Hayden in the midst of a storm

In an open letter to Chennai Super Kings, Gaurav Sabnis - one of the reputed Indian Bloggers, has requested Chennai Super Kings to terminate the employment of Hayden based on his  comments associating India with third world countries.

All the hue and cry were for this following comment.. 

"Often we find ourselves waiting with hands on hips for someone to face up or someone on the sight board to move away or some of those little frustrations happening with Third World countries," Hayden said.

Yeah! I accept that the words used by Hayden, to express his feelings, might not be entirely right. But that does not mean he was wrong too. He was merely expressing his feelings here and he has every right to do so. Moreover he did not call India a third world country but merely associated the few things happening on the cricket field to those happening in a third world country.. [Remember he didn't comment about the economy or our space mission... ] Though India might be one of the fastest growing economies of the world, even today few places in India are very similiar to any third world country. [If you disagree to this, you are surely a hypocrite]

Rather than taking this remark in our own stride, we the Indians are making a hue and cry. This rather shows our immaturity and not our patriotic feelings. 

But what hit me the most was the fact that a reputed blogger like Gaurav Sabnis could take this remark to the extreme by calling Chennai Super Kings to terminate the employment of Hayden. In this days of globalization, India Cements and for that matter, Chennai Super Kings are global companies/global brands. So Why the heck should they care about this remark?

Yeah! I accept that Hayden could have shown more restraint and could have used better words. But that does not mean he committed an unforgivable sin. Anyway! I sincerely hope and believe that Chennai Super Kings won't do any foolishness by making a fuss of this silly remark. 

Albie Morkel to play for Chennai Super Kings

The controversy about the team that Albie Morkel would be representing for Champions T20 League has been settled. Cricinfo informs that Albie Morkel would be representing Chennai Super Kings in this series. But Titans Chairman Jesse Chellan, has said in no uncertain terms that this is an one-off exception and the same favor won't be given to Chennai Super Kings again. 

Oram Out, Albie in

With Jacob Oram expected to miss Champions T20 League due to his injury, this is a great news for Chennai Super Kings fans. So get ready to see sixes flying from the bat of Albie Morkel during December. 

Personal Demons

But Albie Morkel is also facing a personal battle on which side to support during Chennai Super Kings Vs Titans Match on December 7. [See the whole schedule here]. Read in his own words about the things going through his mind regarding December 7 clash...

  "[The] Titans is my home team and I have been and remain a committed and loyal team member. The IPL and its follow on, the Champions League will create an interesting dynamic for me while on the field in India and it is going to be difficult for me to face my team mates who know my secrets and the way I play."

With the inclusion of Morkel, Chennai Super Kings is one of the strongest team in the Champions T20 League. With the appointment of a coach, all the issues regarding to team composition would have been sorted out. 

Fleming - Player-cum-coach???

I have already written in my earlier post about Fleming becoming the coach for Chennai Super Kings. But with the success of Warne as a player-cum-coach in the first IPL season, it seems Fleming also wants to emulate the same. In his recent interview, he expresses his wish to become "Player-Coach" for Chennai Super Kings. 

Though his wish did not strike me as odd when i read it first time, subsequent readings revealed the enormity of the mistake. Simple because of the fact that Warne (Rajasthan Royals) and Fleming (Chennai Super Kings) are not in the same league. 

• Warne was the captain of his team while I don't see Fleming taking over the captaincy from Dhoni (Though he may become the captain if Dhoni miss any of the Champions League matches)
• Thanks to his stellar performances with the bat and the ball, Warne's place in Rajasthan Royals was never in doubt. With Hussey, Hayden, Oram, Albie Morkel and Ntini coming up with at least one match winning performance, Fleming is expected to warm up the bench for the whole series. 

But if Fleming becomes a coach, he would like to play himself ahead of the team. But more important than all these factors is that Warne assembled a great support team to help in his daily routines of a coach. But Fleming did not have that luxury in the short period of time left for the Champions T20 League. 

But the good news is we can be assured that CSK management team won't commit such a big mistake. So wait to see Fleming as the coach (not player-cum-coach) for CSK Team or some other person taking up as the coach for Chennai Super Kings.

Fleming to Coach CSK @ Champions League

With the end of Kepler Wessels' one year tenure with Chennai Super Kings, there was a huge speculation about the next coach for Chennai Super Kings. Especially since there is less than 30 Days for the start of Champions League Tournament.  Cricinfo reports that this issue might have been resolved and Fleming is likely to take over as the coach of Chennai Super Kings.

Though Fleming might have deceived us with his batting during the first season of IPL, I am sure about his ability as a coach for CSK. Even during the run up to IPL, I have repeated again and again that Fleming's value to the team lies in his understanding of the game and his strategic thinking. Now CSK Management has done the right thing by finding the right job for his abilities. Now I have no doubt that Fleming-Dhoni combo would scale new heights for Chennai Super Kings.

Hussey Picks Chennai Super Kings

Hurrah! None of the CSK Fans could ignore the huge positive impact that Hussey had during his brief stint at Chennai Super Kings(four matches). While he blasted the opposition bowlers in the field, he helped his young team members in the dressing room.. [Remember Badri recalling how Hussey's experience and tips inspired him] So his decision to play for Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League would surely boost our chances of winning the Champions League Final @ Chennai..

Michael Hussey! Welcome On Board!... Once again you have delighted all the Chennai Super King Fans... 

You can read the whole news @ Hindu

Gony - A Loving Husband and A Heart-Broken Parent

Manpreet Gony has impressed one and all by his performance at Indian Premier League. For a novice bowler, who hardly had any first class experience, he has lead the CSK bowling attack with aplomb. Not only that, he has also won a match for Chennai Super Kings with his bat. A man, with a big heart and a great attitude, he surely has a great future before him. Times of India in its article - aptly titled - "The ecstasy and Agony of being MS Gony", reveals his personal side that you will never hear from him again.

A Few Excerpts from the Interview:

"As he stood alone in a Delhi hospital, clutching the lifeless body of his baby, the light seemed to have gone out of his life."

"When a father holds the dead body of his son, the other things in life become insignificant. I was selected to represent PCA in the Buchi Babu meet within seven days of this tragedy. I went as it was my maiden call-up, leaving my wife behind"

"I was frustrated as I was taking wickets in club cricket consistently but was not being considered for selection. I was thinking about leaving but my wife insisted that I should just carry on. Those were hard days"

"I still don't have a job. I used to earn peanuts playing club cricket. My wife sustained the family"

"I snapped all ties with my parents as they were never nice to my wife"

"I want my wife to take the Civil Services entrance test"

News Source: CSK Fan Club

P.S: On reading the personal experiences of players like this, I thanked Modi & Co. for coming up with this concept.

And Thank you, Manpreet Gaur for standing-by Gony during those dark days... Was reminded of the old quote "Behind every successful man, there is a woman". How true!

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?

Goodbye Hayden, Hussey & Oram

A Letter from a Chennai Super Kings Fan

Hi Hayden, Hussey and Oram,

         Thanks for the amazing roles you have played in each of the CSK's wins so far. You have proved that you are worth every penny that Chennai Super Kings paid for you. [may be even more]. It was on your performances that Chennai Super Kings won all these matches.

Dear Hayden,

    Your presence at the top of the batting order was the factor that made Chennai Super Kings' batting the strongest in the competition. Your booming drives and powerful shots made every opposition bowler go for cover.  But we are most thankful for the way, you & Hussey ensured that one of you lasted the entire innings.  Though new players are coming into the team in your absence, you can never be replaced.

Dear Hussey,

    I have to say this "You have won yourself another fan(Me) during your stay here". Seeing you play made me understand why 'Mr. Cricket' is the perfect nickname for you. You showcase everything good about cricket. A professional, you always put the team needs before personal glory. Hope the younger players in the team learn commitment and professionalism from you. While Hayden can never be replaced, it is you, we will miss the most.

Dear Oram,

     Thanks to Hayden and Hussey, we never got to see the towering sixes that you are known for. But still, you understood your role as a bowler and came back strongly in the third and fourth match. But it was your mere presence in the lower middle order that added the touch of invincibility to our batting order. Hope we get to see more of your batting and bowling next year. It is you we await the most.

 

Good bye Hayden, Hussey & Oram. Chennai Super Kings Fans would really miss you all. And do keep in touch with your CSK team mates and share your wisdom. And all the best for your upcoming tours.

Fleming IN Anirudha OUT

The inclusion of Stephen Fleming in the squad, replacing Anirudha Srikkanth, has set the rumour mills churning on whether Stephen Fleming would be included in the squad.

Changes in XI

If Fleming is going to play, we could expect 2 or 3 changes in the squad accompanying it. With the four overseas player rule, Fleming would be replacing Oram. (Since replacing Hussey or Hayden or Murali is pure madness). If so, we could expect one of the Indian batsman(probably Parthiv Patel) to be replaced by a bowler (probably R Ashwin or Shadab Jakati). But bringing Fleming into the squad makes sense, since he could easily counter the threat posed by Ishant Sharma. But my instinct says that Oram, if given an opportunity, would come good with the ball and bat in the match.

Badrinath - Press Conference:

Also it was good to see Badrinath given an opportunity to meet the press today. He was pretty confident and was unfazed by the prospects of facing up to Ishant. “He can bowl only four overs and I will be playing my natural game when I face him,” was the reply when asked about approach for the match.

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]

News Snippets

1. Parthiv Patel raring to go: Parthiv Patel, after a few minutes on arriving in Chennai, has roared his willingness to make a contribution to Chennai Super Kings' march to IPL crown. Aiming to stage a comeback into the Indian cricket team through IPL, he underlined his determination by getting straight to work for Chennai Super Kings. My only hope is that he is able to find a place in the talented Chennai Super Kings XI. [News Source: Hindustan Times]
2. Big Boys are in Chennai: Michael Hussey, Stephen Fleming and Jacob Oram have already arrived in Chennai. While Hussey has already started his training with other Chennai Super Kings Lions, Fleming and Oram are expected to join the lions' practicing session today. [News Source: Official Website]
3. Awaiting Foreign Imports: Matthew Hayden is expected to join the team on April 15 while Sri Lanka’s Muthiah Muralitharan is likely to arrive in Chennai on Monday.
4. Online Ticket Sales: Though Chennai Super Kings has not yet started their online ticket sales, business terms and conditions for online tickets sales is already up.

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Catch a photo snap of CSK big boys shopping in Chennai and send them to my email id - chennaisuperkings@gmail.com .

News Snippets

1. Good News: Cricinfo reports that Jacob Oram is fit. This is great news since it confirms his availability for the first four matches of Chennai Super Kings, in their quest for IPL crown.
2. Bad News: Gerald Majola, the chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), confirmed to Cricinfo that the South Africans would be available for IPL, only after the first week of the tournament. So Chennai Super Kings would miss the services of Ntini and Albie Morkel for the first four matches.
3. Chennai Super Kings Ads: While we are all waiting for the promotional videos from Chennai Super Kings to hit the Televisions, Chennai Super Kings has silently started their Internet advertising. You can see the Google Search Advertisements for Chennai Super Kings official website in the following image. These Google Ads titled "Dhoni's Brigade" with the description "Clash of the Titans. Join the Fan Club" appeared for a short time on Google.