Related Link : DFL Indian Premier League 2007/08
Now that the first semi final is out of the way, we can lick our collective chops at the prospect of a contest that will certainly better the first semi final. Chennai Super Kings with its phlegmatic and highly successful captain Dhoni and its underestimated firepower will lock horns with Yuvraj’s Punjab Kings, a balanced side that looks well settled and closely knit as a team. A delightful contest indeed!
Man to man the Punjab side looks much stronger than the Chennai outfit. Tom Moody must be complimented. The players know their roles, know each others’ strengths, have settled down into their natural game and are on a winning streak. Shaun Marsh has redefined how batsmen can be successful in T20 while playing conventional cricketing shots. He will certainly make his presence felt in this match and may well be on the way to score a big knock today, again. Mahela, Sangakarra and Pomersbach will provide stability to the batting in the event of an early wicket and Yuvraj will provide the required momentum. There will not be a case of a batting collapse like Delhi’s with this lineup today and a score of 170 plus should certainly be on the cards if they bat first. This is also a side that’s capable of chasing down scores of 180-190. Moody’s and Yuvraj’s planning will also be better than the Delhi outfits which seems to plan everything on the field. Sreesanth, Irfan and Piyush Chawla have done extremely well in the bowling department for Punjab and have provided crucial breakthroughs and tight overs. All in all Punjab is a very solid package and Chennai will be aware of that.
Chennai Super Kings has had its share of ups and downs but the team has stuck it out to make the last four. Surprisingly the Chennai team’s foreign players and big names have not yet made a big mark after the exit of Hayden and Hussey with the exception of Albie Morkel to some extent. If Murlitharan has to find form, this is the time. Same goes for Makhaya Ntini and Fleming. Even Dhoni has not found an inning that has made a significant impact in any match – he is the one who can take a 180 and convert it to 220. It’s time he figured a way to make bowlers bowl to his strengths, to upset bowler’s rhythm in other ways. Chennai will pose a threat to Punjab only when at least three of their five big players contribute significantly enough to make a difference.
Thankfully the Chennai Super Kings fringe players have picked their game and are lending support to the bigger names admirably. Raina, Badrinath and Parthiv are all hardworking cricketers who know their roles and they have done well too. Chennai would be happy with 180 to defend and they could get that score if they plan well. Chennai’s bowling is steady without being penetrative. If only Murali can find his form, his overs could upset the Punjab batsmen’s plans. If Chennai can restrict Punjab to anything below 160 they would have done a fantastic job.
If the match does come to the wire as I expect it to, I’d stick my neck out to favour Chennai as my favourites. I give Chennai the edge in such a situation for the simple reason that it will then come down to how well the captain can hold his team together as well as his nerve. Dhoni has had his share of success with his formula of trusting his players completely and trusting them to the very end. In a pressure situation, his style of leadership could be decisive because it does leave his players the space to perform without any further pressure. In tight moments his players could just find that little extra in themselves (fuelled by his faith in their abilities) and turn it their way, just as they did in some of the earlier matches. Manpreet Gony should testify to that!