Saturday, May 31, 2008

IPL D-Day!

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings

The final of the inaugral competition of the Indian Premier League.

Its Shane Warne's Royals up against MS Dhoni's Super Kings.

I think its a match up between the team leds by the best captains on display in the IPL.

Even though I would have liked to see the Kings XI there, the Super Kings are peaking at just about the right time.

I hope tomorrow's game it is not a one sided affair on the lines of the semi finals.

The final definitely has the ingredients to stir up a pot boiler.

Here are some things to think about over the next 18 hours before the final gets underway.
  • The Royals have beaten the Super Kings in both their league matches, but that will count for little come tomorrow's Final.
  • Graeme Smith, one of the leading scorer for the Royals, is out with a pulled hamstring. Will the Royals miss him or will they prove that it has always been about the team effort and not individuals?
  • The Super Kings hardly looked like the material for a final but they're there. Will MS Dhoni lift his 2nd 20-20 trophy in the space of 8 months?
  • Or will Shane Warne make sure that the Royal March ends the way it should?
  • Sohail Tanvir, Shane Warne, and Shane Watson have 56 wickets between them. Will Raina, Badrinath, and Dhoni be able to stand up to them?
  • The world's best spinners, Warne and Murali, will be up against each other. Warne has done far better than Murali in the IPL, but whose day will it be tomorrow?
  • With Smith out, Akmal will probably play. That will make it 2 Pakistanis and 2 Australians for the Royals taking on 2 South Africans and 2 Sri Lankans for the Super Kings.
  • MS Dhoni's bid price of $1.5 million is almost half that of the entire Rajasthan Royals squad. One is the most expensive player of the IPL, and the other the lowest priced franchise.
  • Who will the Mumbai crowd support? The Royals kicked them out but it was the Super Kings who made it at their expense.
  • There will be no SRK, no Priety Zinta, no Katrina Kaif, no Akshay Kumar. Instead the low profile owners, a cement company and a consortium of media professionals, will keenly watch the contest from their VIP boxes.
Tomorrow its the D-Day of the IPL and one can expect a grand finale.

Lets hope we get one.

Ottayan and CSK Fan - I can see you guys smiling. But I hope the Royal March continues!

Make your pitch on this post...



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7 Pitched:

  1. David Barry said...
     

    Warne has done far better than Murali in the IPL, but whose day will it be tomorrow?
    You're thinking is too wicket-oriented. :) Murali's been excellent with the ball.

  2. Viswanathan said...
     

    I am with David here. Just to give a back ground, there was an interview on NDTV with Murali, Warne and Kumble as the guests.

    While talking about their roles, Murali said, his role was containment.

    I also think some of Gony's success should be credited to Murali. Knowing that they cannot take on Murali, the batsmen take on Gony at the outset and fail.

    BTW, this is off -topic, Rajasthan Royals have been harping about how each player knows his role and thats why they are a success.

    It is pure gas. I deem RR as the most lucky side, take the semi finals, as Warne said, everything went their way. Remember, Asnoodkar was dropped by Mahroof, could Warne plan that? If he did it is match fixing. :)

    Too much has been made of Warne's Captaincy. It also is irritating, to find other Captains being dismissed as intellectual lightweights.

    RR is riding on a high- lets all enjoy it.

    Having said that, I am keen to see the finals to assure myself that Dhoni is a good Captain.It would be interesting to watch the moves and counter moves from the Captains.

    Cheers

  3. Q said...
     

    DB, my comment was based on wickets as well as overall stats. Barring the semis, Warne had 10 more wickets than Murali at less than half the average. The difference in economies was 1 run - Murali's 6.7 to Warne's 7.7..

    I didn't say Murali did badly but that Warne had done better, which he has.

  4. Q said...
     

    Ott - Tanvir, Watson, and Munaf have also picked up early wickets for the Royals. But Warne has continued to pick wickets.

    Murali has done a good job containing no doubt.

    As for the Royal March. Agreed luck plays a factor, but Warne has been exceptional.

    I don't think the other captains have been dismissed as dimwits...

    There was no doubting Warne's abilities as a captain. Everyone had read abt his exploits at Hampshire and what he could have done for Australia.

    The IPL gave the world an opportunity to witness that.

    I believe Warne has been outstanding. His presence on the field, the way hes talked to the players, his presence in the dug out - its all been tremendous.

  5. Anonymous said...
     

    It is going to be a hard fought game. RR dont have Smith today. They will surely miss the solid starts that he has given RR. Dhoni's team will be high on confidence after thrashing the KXP.. Will be interesting to see todays finals.

  6. Gaurav Sethi said...
     

    make that IPL MSD-Day if chennai have to win. If CSK finds themselves in a 3D (s/f) situation, how MSD reacts could be the key.

    Fatigue a factor for CSK?

    ravi shastri made this point in the 3d s/f: bat first vs RR, you don't want Warne to control the 2nd innings of the game -and with RR batting 2nd, there's only so much Warne can do.
    A bit far out yet interesting.

  7. Reviews said...
     

    While talking about their roles, Murali said, his role was containment.

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