In a tournament – as protracted and attritional as the IPL – the viewers naturally tend to gravitate towards certain matches more than the others. The selective appeal is a product of multiple factors: team loyalties (sometimes guided by the presence of a particular player), marquee names, and regional rivalries.
But even those who steer clear of such partisanship wouldn't mind a barn burner or two. The Chennai Super Kings-Kolkata Knight Riders clash at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Monday promises to be exactly that – at least on paper. But then, their standing in a crammed points table – KKR and CSK are at second and third places respectively – is an unsullied reflection of robust performances.
Intriguingly, the supposedly lightweight Kings XI Punjab has provided the twist in the tales of both the sides. It required an agonising two-run defeat to turn the serious-looking skipper, Gautam Gambhir, into an even sterner man. The feckless approach was gone and so was the rustiness. A more settled line-up ramped up three victories in four games (one match was washed out).
Chennai's fortunes haven't been entirely dissimilar, although only barely did it evade some scares. The loss at home to Kings XI would doubtless have rankled the side. As coach Stephen Fleming pointed out on the eve of the Punjab match, CSK would dearly love to concede fewer runs in the PowerPlay period. A tendency to take matches too deep for its own comfort – the last ball win against Rajasthan is a case in point – may not always pan out favourably.
For Kolkata, Brendon McCullum's return to form and Gambhir's bounteous run (302 runs at an average of 43.14) has pushed under the carpet Yusuf Pathan's single-digit mean. Mystery spinner Sunil Narine (11 wickets, economy rate: 5.45), along with the likes of L. Balaji and Rajat Bhatia, has manned the bowling flank adequately. With Jacques Kallis delivering a dual punch as only a seasoned all-rounder like him can, Kolkata must be looking to channel the team's wholesomeness into conquests.
The home side, although nowhere near losing sleep over its performance yet, would seek greater assistance from its domestic troops. It wouldn't be a bad time for Suresh Raina (153 at 19.12) to come back into form. M.S. Dhoni could probably consider a top-order role against a potent spin attack.
The pitch is likely to be the same as the one used for the inaugural game and batsmen may find the going fairly smooth. Among other mini-battles, the tactical tussle between Gambhir and Dhoni will be interesting to watch. It would undeniably be too simplistic to place the burden of outcomes entirely on captains but then who doesn't love a joust between fire and ice.
Ashwin fined
Meanwhile, CSK off-spinner R. Ashwin was fined five per cent of his match fee for the Level 1 offence of showing dissent at an umpire's decision (Article 2.1.3) during Saturday's match against Kings XI Punjab.
