Chepauk should witness high-voltage action on Wednesday when two marquee teams — Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians — face-off. Amid the heat, dust and the dazzling lights, cricket could be explosive.
After the glittering opening ceremony of light and sound, there should be fireworks in the middle.
The fifth edition of the Indian Premier League could be a box of excitement and surprises.
This is Twenty20 time and the fielders might be chasing leather. But, then, at Chepauk, the ball might also hold sway.
The relaid pitch played low and slow during the Champions League matches at this venue last year. Run-making demanded application, and spinners turned influential.
Since then, the surface appears to have settled down. A measure of grass on the wicket for the matches here should assist in the binding of the pitch. There should also be greater bounce in the wicket, at least in the early games, here.
In the practice games on the track prior to the tournament-opener, the cricketers appeared pleased with the ‘carry' off the pitch.
The spinners could be hard to counter if the turn they extract combines with bounce. Red soil was mixed with the pitch's largely clay content using air holes ahead of the competition. This surface will surely be under scrutiny.
For CSK, Chepauk has been a fortress. Under the circumstances, the team's reverse here during the Champions League was a shock of sorts for its supporters.
The Mumbai Indians, in contrast, will have recent happy memories of the venue. It was here that the side, under Harbhajan Singh, grabbed its first title — the Champions League.
With Sachin Tendulkar, who was injured then, giving up captaincy ahead of this IPL, Harbhajan remains Mumbai Indians' captain. Both the skipper and his men face a test of character.
M.S. Dhoni continues to lift CSK. The game's great finisher has an instinctive feel for the format that is hard to ignore. The CSK is a potent force collectively and a sense of bonding in the side is unmistakable.
The side from Chennai is a batting powerhouse; it is packed with big hitters who can swing games. The outfit also has a worthy blend of the right and the left-handers. This aspect of the CSK line-up constantly forces the bowlers to shift line.
In the bowling department, the focus will be on how off-spinner R. Ashwin teams up with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. The result could hinge on the sort of pressure the two can put on the opposition in the middle-overs.
CSK's Doug Bollinger, the left-arm paceman from Australia, can strike with bounce and movement with the new ball, and make dents with fuller length and swing in the end overs. Morkel too can rearrange woodwork with his yorkers in the end overs.
The inspirational Tendulkar shares a symbiotic relationship with the Chennai crowd. If he waltzes, years fall away and strokes flow.
Like CSK, Mumbai Indians has men who can bludgeon the sphere; the lanky Kieron Pollard is among the longest hitters of the cricket ball. And the spunky Dinesh Karthik is a wicket-keeper batsman who can give the ball a thump.
The incisive Lasith Malinga could be in the business with the ball for Mumbai Indians, if there is swing — the condition of the ball and the breeze blowing in from the Bay of Bengal through the large gaps in the stand could be major factors.
And if the ball grips, Harbhajan's off-spin and left-armer Pragyan Ojha will come into the picture.
This will be a high-pressure match that will test the nerve of both sides. As the heavyweights clash, sparks could fly.
Match starts at 8 p.m .
