Twenty20 kindling interest in spin bowling appeared a distant thought in DLF IPL 2010, till Muttiah Muralitharan got batsmen to bite the bait. His position at the top of wicket-takers list is encouragement for other slow bowlers.
Chennai Super Kings' away tie against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday will see Shane Warne furthering the line of thinking, continuing his hold on the minds of batsmen at the Motera Stadium.
The contest will be between these two spin kings against power-players Yusuf Pathan (RR) and Matthew Hayden (CSK). Besides fanning the debate about the utility of world-class spinners in cricket's latest version, it should be a real crowd-puller.
Michael Lumb (RR), Suresh Raina (CSK) are timing the ball sweetly enough. India captain M. S. Dhoni is eager to play a decisive role in CSK's turnaround, so flexing batting muscles as per match situation can be expected.
Murali is capable of making the ball talk on any track, even on the Motera wicket which produced fireworks two nights before. Pathan hammered eight sixes off Deccan Chargers bowlers, Lumb lashed seven boundaries for RR batting second in a night game when the wicket is supposed to change character.
Sunday's game between RR and CSK will be played under blazing sunlight, before the floodlights come on in the evening.
Warne is just the sort of big-match performer who loves multiple challenges, four overs against strokeplayers Herchelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma may be enough to gain healthy respect from batsmen facing him for the rest of IPL.
The opportunity to take on Hayden and his mongoose bat, in-form Raina and an assertive Dhoni is challenging enough to bring out the best in RR's captain and motivator.
Warne's energy and eagerness to spin a web of deceit around batsmen is his style of assertive leadership for RR. Murali's wicket tally of 11 so far is the outcome of absolute self-confidence to deliver on any wicket and a way to respond to CSK's needs. Spin can be king is the message these two aces wish to drive home, whenever backed by captains and livewire fielders.
