Indian Premier League Cricket – This may be the year for the Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings
by Juris Graney
It is always going to be hard justifying backing against a team that features one of the greatest tacticians of Indian cricket, an Australian who helped revolutionise opening batting and the world’s greatest wicket taker.
Futures Odds to win Indian Premier League 2010:
- Delhi Daredevils +400
- Chennai Super Kings +450
- Deccan Chargers +450
Bangalore Royal Challengers +600
- Rajasthan Royals +650
- Kings XI Punjab +700
- Mumbai Indians +800
- Kolkata Knight Riders +800
SQUAD: M Muralidaran, M Vijay, Manpreet Gony, Sudeep Tyagi, Shadab Jakati, R Ashwin, K B Arun Karthik, Justin Kemp, Thisara Perera, Hemang Badani, L Balaji, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Jacob Oram, Thilan Thushara, George Bailey, MS Dhoni, Parthiv Patel, Ganapathy Chandrasekhar
But MS Dhoni, Matthew Hayden and Muttiah Muralidaran are not the only draw cards for punters keen to back Chennai to an inaugural title victory. There team is littered with devastating players the only problem is though, are they beyond their prime and are they in good enough form heading into this series to be genuine title contenders.
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Sometimes it is impossible to find reasons to bet against Chennai, if their opening batsmen don’t spank you then their bowlers certainly will but consistency seems to be their only slight.
Their big name signing of Andrew Flintoff played just three matches last season and has pulled out entirely of this season leaving a gaping wound that although can be filled by Indian fringe players the big question is do they have enough in their bowling arsenal?
Muralidaran’s recent form has been suspect, the 37-year-old struggled against India late last year and he is well off the pace in terms of IPL bowler rankings. South Africa’s Albie Morkel is similarly going through a lean patch with both bat and ball, Makhaya Ntini poor international form was such that he was pushed into retirement and no-one knows how retirement has treated Hayden.
That being said, Chennai have enough in their ranks to be considered contenders.
KEY INTERNATIONAL: Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka) Although he played just one match for Wayamba in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, the 184cm, 20-year-old right arm medium quick is rated as an all-rounder courtesy of a century in first class cricket, and five half centuries in just 14 matches. Not bad for a kid that made his debut in 2008 at age 17. Expect a lot from Perera this tournament and for him to stamp his mark on the Twenty20 world.
SIDE NOTE: STEPHEN FLEMING (New Zealand) – It is still taking some time getting used to seeing the name Stephen Fleming as coach of the Super Kings, the former New Zealand captain has a string of national records to his name but none of them have anything to do with Twenty20 international cricket, in fact he played just five matches accumulating just 110 runs however first class Twenty20 he has played a bunch, 53 matches to be exact in which time he scored 1157 runs at a strike rate of 121.91.
It was obviously the reason he was snared by the franchise for $350,000 in the inaugural year. His role is now solely as coach and tactician and he seems to be doing a pretty good job getting his team to the finals in the first year and the semi finals last year.
AREAS TO WATCH: Batting – with run scoring machines Hayden, Dhoni and Suresh Raina at the crease this team can be brutal early on. Their strength lay in their batting which will be buoyed by the inclusion of Michael Hussey and Justin Kemp in the middle order but if early wickets fall, they will be put under serious pressure and in this form of the game, they will need to be on song from the very first delivery.
LOCAL INTERESTS: Suresh Raina is one the most exciting all-rounders doing the rounds and is definitely one to watch. Last season he piled on the runs as his team’s second highest run scorer behind Hayden while with the ball he was economical.
BOWLING RANKS: Muttiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka) – One name stands above the rest in respect to taking wickets and it is Mr Murali. Last season his 13 matches yielded 14 wickets at a strike rate of 21.4 and an economy of 5.22.
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