Sachin Tendulkar wears the Orange Cap as the highest run-getter in DLF IPL4 after eight matches (327 runs). Teammate Lasith Malinga is far ahead of the bowlers pack (19 victims) as the highest wicket-taker. Mumbai Indians look down on the opposition from a vantage point at the top of the league table (12 points), confident of countering any challenge rivals may hurl at them from now on, home or away.
Sahara Pune Warriors is next in line to feel the MI might at the D Y Patil stadium on Wednesday night. Tendulkar is carving up bowling attacks in his own classy way, cooling teammates’ anxiety in the dugout with an imperious presence at the crease. The master is playing to his strengths as opener, phenomenal reading of line and length allowing him to clear the field with stunningly timed shots.
A ruthless streak has crept into his batting, as Kings XI Punjab bowlers and fielders realised on Monday night in the course of a 45-ball 51. The chilling message from Tendulkar is he will not be left behind in improvisation when the situation demands. MI teammates Ambati Rayudu, Rohit Sharma and Kieren Pollard relish destroying attacks with ferocious strokeplay, the captain wants rivals to know he is game for anything.
Pune Warriors bowlers have a lot to worry about anyway, the batsmen have to deal with missiles delivered via a side-arm action. Malinga is just getting into mood to keep batsmen of the calibre of Jesse Ryder, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uttappa on tenterhooks with inswinging yorkers, slower ones and bouncers. Four accurate overs from the Sri Lankan at any stage in the match is enough to curb the best IPL strokeplayers.
MI opened the bowling with Harbhajan Singh against KXIP, the feisty off-spinner removed left-hander Adam Gilchrist on fifth ball and troubled batsmen thereafter with tight line and nip off the track.
Hitting out against him off the square is tough on any batsmen hesitant to use their feet. For left-handers like Ryder and Yuvraj, the ball slanting across the bat face is an invitation to punish or perish.
Apart from Tendulkar, Malinga and Harbhajan, the presence of match-winners in Rayudu, Sharma, Symonds, Munaf lends MI such depth that going into the ninth league game, the table toppers appear confident of chasing or defending any total. The leaders have injury problems, with Rayudu and wicket-keeper Davy Jacobs going off the field against KXIP, creating opportunities for first-class players like T Suman to grab.
Fielding and catching of high quality adds to the pressure on rivals.
Pollard’s catch on the long-on fence off Symonds to dismiss KXIP opener Paul Valthaty is an example of MI swinging the momentum their way. The burly Aussie got into the act at extra-cover with a forward dive to send back Abhishek Nayar off Harbhajan. The off-spinner walked across to greet Symonds, once a hated rival in international cricket.
Pune Warriors lost the plot against MI at the Wankhede earlier when the two teams clashed due to a magic moment from Pollard to send back Uthappa. The West Indian’s shuffle and dive at long-on to scoop the ball inches off the turf will remain one of the fielding highs this time. The IPL4 debutants under Yuvraj so far have been under-achievers, neither batting or bowling firing together in one game. The latter is weighed down by the burden of captaincy.
IPL4’s bottom-placed team have assembled an exciting bunch of foreign and Indian talent, but difficulty in clicking as an unit is resulting in tame displays. Sourav Ganguly joins as replacement for injured Ashish Nehra, though inclusion straightaway appears unlikely. The unpredictability of T20 is Pune Warriors only hope to turn fortunes around on home turf, where a certain Tendulkar’s presence assures crowd support for Mumbai Indians, making the visitors feel at home away from home.
