Their batting has come a cropper, the bowling has followed suit and as batting coach Mike Hussey admitted on Friday afternoon, their fielding too has left a lot to be desired
MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli
Sport by itself is unpredictable, the fickle T20 format even more so. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru and their legion of fans are perfectly entitled to believe they are tantalisingly close to clambering back to the top of the Indian Premier League table and all but securing their place in the Playoffs with plenty to spare, unlike last year.
Twelve months back, one of the more popular franchises left it very late, having to string together six straight victories to sneak into the second stage. This year, they have been practically unstoppable, especially away from home, though they did finally manage to break their M Chinnaswamy Stadium duck last week, after three successive defeats.
Poor season for Dhoni & Co
Standing between them and an almost guaranteed berth in the next stage are a team at the exact opposite end of the spectrum. Where RCB had an excellent auction in November, former five-time champions Chennai Super Kings made several dubious calls, which has translated into a nightmarish run. CSK are propping up the table with just two wins from 10 outings; victory at Chepauk in their opening game against Mumbai Indians six weeks back was a false dawn. Their batting has come a cropper, the bowling has followed suit and as batting coach Mike Hussey admitted on Friday afternoon, their fielding too has left a lot to be desired.
They lost designated captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to an elbow injury early in the tournament and not even Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the one-time worker of miracles, has been able to turn the clock back. Dhoni has seldom looked as helpless as in the last few weeks, almost waving the white flag and talking about planning for the next season long before CSK’s exit was formalised after defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings on Wednesday.
CSK can at best play party-poopers, starting with Saturday’s faceoff against high-flying RCB at the Chinnaswamy. Sometimes, early elimination can work wonders and free up minds. While collectively, the team has only pride to play for, individually, there is plenty at stake for numerous players, not least the young batting triumvirate of Shaik Rasheed, teenaged opener Ayush Mhatre and South African Dewald Brevis.
It is to this trio that holds the key to CSK’s future, along with a few reinforcements bound to be summoned in the closed season. A good outing against a crack bowling attack expertly spearheaded by Josh Hazlewood will do wonders for their confidence and perhaps precipitate a change in the CSK stance, from a concerted dependence on experience to a more T20-centric reliance on the fearlessness of youth.
Kohli holds the key
RCB have been electric with their batting, Virat Kohli firing on all cylinders, and Hazlewood has helmed a terrific pace group in which Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal too have been penetrative. Krunal Pandya’s best season with the ball has allayed any concerns regarding their spin resources. If there is one thing RCB should guard against, it’s peaking too early, though for a side still searching for its first title, motivation will hardly be at a premium.
The hosts will be hoping evening rains that have been lashing the city for the last few days stay away on Saturday, though the lead-up has been anything but promising, given that both teams’ practice session on Friday were scuttled by the elements.
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