The heat is building up. Not for the Indian Premier League matches over the next four days. Roads are deserted due to high temperature; there are fears already of drying taps and the impending annual misery caused by the advent of summer. Mercifully, the IPL contests here are not afternoon affairs. There are just two more to go for the local organisers.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) makes a late appearance here. The team has some big names but then Rajasthan Royals has enjoyed a fine run at home, winning four of the five matches thus far.
The lone loss came against Kolkata Knight Riders but then Rajasthan Royals has slain some reputed opponents like Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils. It is a different team when playing at home. No wonder skipper and mentor Shane Warne says, “We love playing here.”
CSK is sitting pretty at the third spot in the table with 12 points from 10 matches while Rajasthan Royals is lying fifth with 11 points. This obviously becomes a significant encounter since a win here would clearly enhance the team's chances for a place in the qualifiers.
Settled combination
CSK has a settled combination with the key batsmen enjoying a fair success. Mike Hussey, S. Badrinath, Suresh Raina and M. Vijay have, at various stages, wielded the bat to profitable use.
Hussey has served the best in terms of aggregate while Badrinath happens to be equally consistent in performing at crucial stages.
Raina relishes these contests, as do bowlers Albie Morkel, Doug Bollinger and R. Ashwin. CSK has a compact combination with roles well defined and distributed.
Rajasthan Royals continues to improve and discover winners in its ranks.
The tournament has done a world of good to the likes of Ashok Menaria. The left-handed batsman has gained immensely in confidence. The assurance that he brings to his batting has been infectious and the motivation has come from veterans Warne and Rahul Dravid.
Dravid has enjoyed being in the limelight in this format. It goes against his philosophy of playing the waiting game but then this is not a new vocation for this battle-scarred champion. He was a brilliant stroke-player when he arrived on the international scene — remember the midwicket six he smashed off Allan Donald in South Africa many seasons ago.
It was in keeping with his calibre but then often Dravid has needed to curtail his desires at the crease in the interest of the team. Few remember Dravid as a ferocious executor of the pull shot.
This edition of the IPL has seen Dravid give his fans a peep into his early days when he enjoyed playing the shots, especially on the rise. The heat factor notwithstanding, the fans are expected to fill up the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
The match should be a cracker given the fact that the last two matches at this venue are to be played on fresh pitches.
With his criticism of a ‘slow pitch with low bounce' after a humiliating show here, the Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar compelled a rethink on the playing conditions offered by the host. We shall discover on Monday if there has been a change.
