Kochi Tuskers are set to sign off the tournament with their 14th and last match of IPL 2011 against Chennai Super Kings. Some severe defeats have already knocked them off. But CSK eyeing the Points Table desperately needs a win to get pass the Kings XI scare.
History
When they played last at Kochi, Tuskers went on rampage after the rain. They chased the target at a rate of 9 runs per over against the strong Chennai Super Kings bowling unit. McCullum and Parthiv were the star of the match.
2011 Performances
Chennai Super Kings had a balanced and composed tournament so far with 2 victories and 1 loss. The teams looks formiddable, although batting is ruled by Indians till now, except one performance from Hussey. They have snatched victory from the mouth of defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in firtst match. Kings XI surprised them with the Valthaty hammer, whereas against Royal Chalengers, the comfortable victory brought calm and composed look back on team member’s face. They were the last victim of Tuskers wonderful campaign and lost comfortably in the rain-curtailed match. Later they also lost to the Group Champion Mumbai Indians, and comfortably won the first match against Pune Warriors, defending a low total. The back-to-back match against Pune Warriors saw CSK making a clinical chase of small total. Then, at home they registered easy victory over clueless Chargers. They won the home match convincingly against RR, but lost meekly the away match against KKR. In the away game against RR, they easily dented Jaipur forte too. Later they easily swalloed Sehwag-less DD at home.
When Kochi played their first match, they went on to score the highest score of the tournament, scoring 161/5. But Bangalore batsmen chased it. Even Pune Warriors defeated them in the same fashion. But, against Mumbai Indians they realised their batting strength and decided to chase, and earned their first victory. Against Chennai Super Kings also they earned easy victory chasing a high score. Against Knight Riders, Kochi bowlers earned a remarkable victory defending low target. Kochi batsmen failed miserably in the absence of Brendum McCullum and Rajasthan Royals thumped them. Against Deccan Chargers, they reached another low by scoring third lowest total of IPL and losing the match, which they should have won. They lost the last match against DD. After a string of defeats, finally Kochi could win their 4th match, easily thumping Delhi Daredevils at Kotla. Then in the back-to-back match they drubbed KKR again. In their last match they too were victim of Gayle force and were snubbed by RCB. They also failed to pass survival of the fittest test against Kings XI. But they bounced back in style trouncing Rajasthan Royals in their last match.
Player’s Performance in 2011
Kochi’s player’s performance index shows McCullum and Hodge in good form. Mahela’s dubious decisions on Jadeja has made him lost his good nick now. New Captain Parthiv Patel been playing good cameos and is set to touch 200 runs. Their bowlers have shown mixed form and taken only 56 wickets in 13 matches.
For Chennai, player’s performance index shows Husseyy leading with 393 runs. Badrinath, Raina and Murali Vijay have also scored more thann 300-runs while Dhoni is close to joining their club, still being in 200-club. Bollinger, Morkel and Ashwin are among the wickets. Overall CSK Bowlers have managed to take 64 wickets in 12 matches.
Who Will Win Today!!
Considering the home advantage, CSK is the firm favorite. This is their time for revenge. But even Kochi players are not alien to the Chennai ground, specially the captain Patel and Muralitharan who played there for last 3 editions. Can Kochi Bowlers do something special which no opponent bowling unit has done this season at Chennai!! More than that McCullum, Hodge, Parthiv and Jadeja will have to give the performance of the tournament to unsettle CSK.
Key Battles
Bollinger/Morkel/Ashwin vs McCullum/Parthiv
Bollinger and Morkel form the best trio of the tournament. Together they have grabbed 41 wickets so far. McCullum and Parthiv showed how to make a good chase in their last clash against CSK. To stop them from repeating the devastation, the trio must devise some new plan. Last time they failed. This time they cannot afford much with knockout place so close.
RP Singh and Co vs Hussey/Raina/Dhoni
Hussey is carrying his form from Australia. Dhoni appears in extraordinary form, but have been good only for cameos so far, except the MOM knock in last match. Raina, Badrinath and Vijay are also in trmendous form. Kochi Tuskers bowlers do not have good record. But the last trouncing of RR will give them confidence to repeat the feat again against CSK.
Patel/Muralitharan vs CSK
Patel is leading the Kochi side now. He was left out by CSK. Muralitharana was also ex-Kings member. He did not get much chance to play as he never got fit in the plans of Mahela. Parthiv is sure to give him the chance. Both can create havoc for CSK. Would CSK know the tricks to keep them under control!!
Kochi Tuskers Kerala Squad
Batsman: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Michael Klinger, Brendon McCullum (WK), Owais Shah, VVS Laxman, Kedar Jadhav, Chandan Madan, Parthiv Patel (WK), Yashpal Singh
Allrounder: John Hastings, Brad Hodge, Steve O’Keefe, Thisara Perera, Steven Smith, Ravindra Jadeja,
Bowlers: Muttiah Muralitharan, Sreesanth, Ramesh Powar, RP Singh, Vinay Kumar, Balachandra Akhil, Balachandra Akhil, Deepak Chougule, Gnaneswara Rao, Raiphi Gomez, Sushant Marathe, Prasanth Padmanabhan, Tanmay Srivastava
CSK Squad
Batsmen: Dhoni (Captain), Faf du Plessis, Michael Hussey, Srikkanth Anirudha, Subramaniam Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Murali Vijay
Allrounders: Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel, Scott Styris, Suresh Raina, Yo Mahesh
Bowlers: Tim Southee, Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, George Bailey, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shadab Jakati, Joginder Sharma, Abhinav Mukund, Sudeep Tyagi, Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas, Ganapathi Vignesh
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