Friday, May 22 2009
Johannesburg: While the Chennai Super Kings have been there but not done that, the Royal Challengers Bangalore find themselves in unfamiliar situation of being one of the four title contenders remaining in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.
The two southern neighbours clash yet again tomorrow at the New Wanderers stadium in the second semi-final. The Super Kings were in this position last year when they met and defeated Kings XI Punjab before missing out on the trophy with a last ball loss to Rajasthan Royals.
In contrast, the Challengers finished a lowly seventh last year when they rarely looked like a side that could even be ranked among top four, much less win the trophy. All that of course is a lot of water under the bridge and this year, the Challengers, refurbished and rejuvenated, have given a fair account of themselves to reach the semi-finals.
One of the secrets of Super Kings’ continuing success and consistent performance has been the stability in their team composition. They have a very settled captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni besides a combination that is much the same as last year. As such, the players have had sufficient time together to bond as a team and understand their roles.
At the end of the day, the Super Kings have shown that they are not just a collection of individuals and star players, but are a confluence of contrasting skill sets that has meshed them mature into a fighting fit outfit.
As well as Dhoni has led, one cannot discount the value of the senior international players such as Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey besides coach Stephen Fleming who have contributed in great measure by way of sharing their vast knowledge with other members of the team.
Recently, VB Chandrasekar, director of cricketing operations of the Super Kings squad, shed light on the parameters that guided the management in picking players. “Basically, we looked at cricketers who are team players to start with. Next was to decide on the composition and pick players who fitted into the roles we had in mind,” he said.
Thus, at this year’s auction, the Super Kings eyed Andrew Flintoff with a view to strengthen their bowling while also giving themselves an option of a strong, big-hitting middle-order batsman. Unfortunately, Freddie was coming off an injury when he arrived in South Africa and by the time he found his feet, it was time for him to depart to England for the series against the West Indies.
Then there are the likes of Makhaya Ntini and Muttiah Muralitharan who are the vital ingredients to the mix, given their extrovert personalities besides their status as the World’s top bowlers. It is another matter that Ntini is still to get a game in IPL-2, but his very presence has been comforting while he kept the players in good humour especially on days when nothing went right for them on the field.
So, the Super Kings team is not just about performers but also personalities selected with care and thought. Eyebrows went northwards when Thilan Thushara and George Bailey were picked up at this year’s auction, but the Super Kings knew what they were getting – a Sri Lankan all-rounder of sharp pace with his left-arm seamers and who can club the ball, and an Aussie batsman of some pedigree and proven track record at home. Both these newcomers had their moments while justifying their selection.
May be, few Tamil Nadu players have had opportunities to showcase their talent, but with the focus being on winning matches, only the best, as perceived by the skipper, have made it to the eleven. Thus, Palani Amarnath and Arun Karthik have spent the South African sojourn on the bench while Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Subramaniam Badrinath enjoyed relatively fair success.
With the semi-finals just around the corner, perhaps it is hardly the time to dwell on team selection issues, but suffice it to say that the Super Kings have the ammunition and the right mix of players to pull off a triumph that eluded them last year.
Is it any wonder then that Shane Warne, the shrewd reader and thinker of the game, picked the Super Kings as the favourites for the title?
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