If first impressions are anything to go by, IPL-IV hasn't been quite as electrifying as expected. Spectators have turned out, if not in torrents then in steady rivulets, but the mass hysteria of the past seasons appears to be missing.
It might be that a gullible audience has finally awoken to the possibility of cricket overkill, or to the reduced quality of competition so soon after the World Cup; whatever the case, the primary target of the league — television eyeballs — remains intact.
It'll take another week perhaps for contests to assume a more crucial bearing, but a half-decent match-up looms already when teams coming off a loss — neighbours Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore — seek a turnaround at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
Chennai scratched out a last-ball win against Kolkata Knight Riders to start with and then, at Mohali, ran into a lesser known Paul Valthaty, whose flaming hundred — the first of the edition — dealt the defending champion a last-over loss.
The positive
The one positive from the defeat was the strength of Chennai's middle order, which posted 188 despite the team having lost two wickets off the first two balls of its innings. M. Vijay, S. Badrinath and a trademark M.S. Dhoni cameo saved Chennai from being bundled out cheaply. But the bowlers disappointed on a batting wicket, with everybody — including first game hero Tim Southee and the usually steady R. Ashwin — going for more than eight an over. Super Kings will now resume its title defence with the return of two Aussie southpaws — Doug Bollinger and Michael Hussey — to its ranks.
The left-arm paceman's recovery from an ankle injury will hand Chennai an option of attack — aside from Southee — that the expensive Albie Morkel was unable to provide. Hussey, as his recent century in Bangladesh showed, is still the ultimate middle-overs orchestrator. Both Bollinger and Hussey had a prolonged practice session on Friday evening.
Batting has struggled
RCB too started with a win, but has gone on to suffer two losses, the latest of which was by 33 runs to Deccan Chargers on Thursday. Although A.B. de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Tillakaratne Dilshan have looked in good nick, the batting has struggled to maintain the tempo through the innings.
Case in point: against Mumbai Indians, RCB finished its first innings on 140, six wickets in hand. Dilshan remained unbeaten on 59 without really attempting the conclusive carnage and what resulted was a nine-wicket defeat.
How Dilshan, Kohli and de Villiers tackle the spin strength of CSK (if indeed Ashwin, Suraj Randiv and Shadab Jakati all find a place in the eleven) might turn out to be decisive.
RCB skipper Daniel Vettori has been his usual stingy self while bowling, but his decision to promote Zaheer Khan to number three against Deccan was inexplicable.
Zaheer has looked jaded, but has impressed in spurts with the ball. His battle against his India teammates — the left-handed Suresh Raina and the ungainly but effective Dhoni — promises to be one heck of a contest.
