The Hindu : Sport : Super Kings may find the going tough

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 10, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

Super Kings may find the going tough

Nandita Sridhar

Kings XI Punjab an upbeat bunch after five wins on the trot

— Photo: V. Ganesan

ROLLICKING TIME: Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh would expect James Hopes to come good as he seeks to continue his winning streak.

Chennai: The Chennai Super Kings, having averted crisis in Delhi, will face a side on a five-match winning streak, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. Kings XI Punjab has gathered an envious number of performers. There has been no dependence on one individual and it has performed well as a unit.

“We had a couple of bad games in the beginning, but we assessed the situation after that. We’ve worked on our game-plans and focussed on being consistent. Everyone’s been assigned a role which they’re all sticking to. Our plans are working out well, and it’s looking good for us,” said Kings XI skipper Yuvraj Singh on Friday.

The Punjab side has worked its way to the top of the points table, which makes it a challenge for the Chennai Super Kings to defeat it for the second time in the competition.

Opening momentum

The Super Kings did well to clinch a final-ball win at the Ferozshah Kotla. The opening combination of Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan and Stephen Fleming provided the much-missed explosiveness since Matthew Hayden’s departure. The host will look to the opening combination again for momentum. Vidyut’s assertiveness upfront was an encouraging sign, and it allowed Fleming some time before choosing to attack.

L. Balaji, playing big-stage cricket for the first time since the series against Pakistan in 2005, managed a brace of wickets. The Chennai Super Kings, cornered into making changes, got it right on Thursday. Dhoni chose to field, drop Parthiv Patel and open with Vidyut. The final result has validated his decisions, and the combination gives Chennai its best chance.

No Sangakkara again

The Kings XI side will be without Kumar Sangakkara again. The left-hander hasn’t recovered from the side strain that kept him out of the game against Bangalore. “He will not be available for selection. We do not want to rush him in. We want to make sure he’s 100 percent fit before getting him back into the 11,” said Punjab coach Tom Moody.

The absence of Sangakkara will be felt in the batting, but the bowling continues to impress. The Punjab side, after teething troubles, has settled into comfort. Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, V.R.V. Singh and Piyush Chawla have clicked concurrently. The bowling attack has coped well with Brett Lee’s exit, and is one of the strongest with no standout overseas presence.

Chennai’s bowling looks less settled in comparison. Gony is impressive when convinced not to bowl short. In the match against Delhi, Virender Sehwag was consumed by a yorker that surprised more than it threatened. Makhaya Ntini looks distinctly uncomfortable meeting the demands of Twenty20, while Muttiah Muralitharan hasn’t troubled just yet.

Albie Morkel has been the side’s response to crisis. His single over against Sehwag set up the thrilling win for the side, while his bowling generally been consistent.

Both teams have changed character since they first met, which makes this a contest of interesting possibilities.

Teams (from): Chennai Super Kings: M.S. Dhoni (captain), S. Fleming, P. Patel, S. Raina, S. Badrinath, A. Morkel, S. Vidyut, J. Sharma, M. Muralitharan, M. Ntini, P. Amarnath, M. Gony, S. Anirudha, K.B. Arun Karthik, Chamara Kapugedera and L. Balaji.

Kings XI Punjab: Yuvraj Singh (captain), S. Marsh, R. Sarwan, M. Jayawardene, K. Goel, I. Pathan, P. Chawla, S. Sreesanth, V.R.V. Singh, Gagandeep Singh, J. Hopes, Wilkin Mota, L. Pomersbach, S. Sohal, U. Kaul and R. Powar.

Match begins at 8 p.m.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport