CSK vs KKR: Battle between two wily skippers

Dhoni’s Super Kings take on Gambhir’s Knight Riders in high-voltage clash.

April 27, 2015 01:56 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 05:07 pm IST - Chennai

Suresh Raina and Ishwar Pandey sweat it out on the eve of their match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Photo: R. Ragu

Suresh Raina and Ishwar Pandey sweat it out on the eve of their match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Photo: R. Ragu

By its very nature, T20 cricket is rather shallow. Yet, the ruthlessly compressed format does throw up moments of gripping action and excitement. In this territory, you will not find the many-layered treasures of the longer duration matches that pose demanding questions of skill and temperament. But then, the T20 concept is lapped up by all those who want to cheer a plethora of sixes and boundaries.

Never mind if the boundary ropes are pulled further back, the bats are so thick and strong that they can power blatant mis-hits over the ropes, and the rules are hopelessly against the bowlers who have already been marginalised in modern day cricket.

T20 cricket lacks depth — a belief that this format unearths bright talents is flawed — and does not truly test a cricketer’s ability. Yet, these games provide the youngsters a platform, and possess speed and energy that appeal to vast multitudes.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the most successful team in the Indian Premier League, and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champion, are two popular sides in the format. They will face each other in what could be a high-voltage clash at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

The in-form CSK has 10 points from six matches, while the Knight Riders has seven from an equal number of games. The duel could have an impact on the final standings in the league.

The Kolkata side will be sweating over its ace spinner Sunil Narine. The West Indian bowler has undergone bio-mechanical tests for a suspect action at the Sri Ramachandra Sports Medicine Centre here, and the results are expected on Tuesday.

Even if the verdict does not arrive on time, KKR has the option of playing Narine. Will the franchise be willing to take the risk?

The game could be a clash between two wily skippers, M.S. Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir. Dhoni has, typically, kept calm, shuffled his fielders around and rotated the bowlers. He comprehends the pulse of T20 cricket, and seldom allows the batsmen to settle down.

Gambhir is a smart captain who reads the flow of a game capably. What plan will he have against the marauding Brendon McCullum at the top of the CSK order? With his bat-speed and range, McCullum has sent bowlers to different corners of the field. The Kiwi has blasted 232 runs at 46.40 with a whopping strike-rate of 171.85 in six matches of the ongoing edition.

Will Gambhir get his spearhead Morne Morkel to bounce at the New Zealander and wait for a top-edge, and have tight spin from the other end to deny space and speed to McCullum?

The battle between the rejuvenated warhorse Ashish Nehra — 12 wickets at an economy rate of 5.70 — and accomplished opener Gambhir could have a bearing on the match as well. Left-armer Nehra has been lively, swinging the ball back or angling it across. Control has been his strength.

In fact, the all-Indian pace trio of Nehra, Ishwar Pandey and Mohit Sharma has bowled with verve. And, CSK’s spin duo of R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja could once again find some purchase from the surface.

Both teams bat deep and have game-changers such as Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan. This could be a close, tension-filled game.

Teams (from):

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (capt, wk), Ashish Nehra, Baba Aparajith, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Faf du Plessis, Ishwar Pandey, Matt Henry, Mithun Manhas,Mohit Sharma, Pawan Negi, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Samuel Badree, Suresh Raina, Ronit More, Michael Hussey, Rahul Sharma, Kyle Abbott, Ankush Bains, Irfan Pathan, Pratyush Singh, Andrew Tye and Eklavya Dwivedi.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (capt), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Johan Botha, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Ryan ten Doeschate, Azhar Mahmood, Pat Cummins, Brad Hogg, KC Cariappa, Aditya Garhwal, Sheldon Jackson, Kuldeep Yadav, Sumit Narwal, Veer Pratap Singh and Vaibhav Rawal.

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