Chennai Super Kings crowned Champions of IPL 3

The 25^th of April may have belonged to the people taking a dig at the IPL’s Chief and issues pertaining to the IPL.. But it certainly belonged to the men in yellow, The Chennai Super Kings, who have been jubilant and clear winners of the third edition of the Indian Premier League. The Chennai Super Kings have been very consistent with their performance in the first and second editions of the Indian Premier League as well but missed the title after going into the semifinals both the times. But this time, they have done it beating the Mumbai Indians in the finals of the 3^rd edition by 22 runs lifting the trophy for the first time. They have, for sure done their hard-work to stay where they are today. The team effort and outstanding spirit of the players have always been on a high. Full marks to Dhoni for his excellent captaincy and his valuable knock against Kings XI Punjab in a do or die game, which fetched them a berth in the semifinals.

We however shouldn’t forget the timely innings from Subramaniam Badrinath and Murali Vijay. The local players have won games for the Chennai Super Kings almost single handedly in the crucial games against Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals respectively. In the semifinal game against Deccan, Badrinath adapted so well and quick to the low bounce and slower wicket after having played a lot of games in the Chennai wicket, which has a good bounce. He played a waiting innings, which was much needed and expected. Vijay has particularly been spectacular, be his batting or fielding. His quick-fire hundred against Rajasthan Royals was a treat to watch and that showed his ability as a T20 batsman keeping low his test-batsman image.

The Champion player for the Chennai Super Kings was indeed Suresh Raina. He has been exceptional getting all the runs on the board to put his team in a comfortable position. Though there had been some ups and lows in his career, he is back and with a bang. His consistent list of scores game by game showcases his never say die spirit and professionalism. And what a fielder he has been, completely top class. He now is also chipping in as a spinner which gives Dhoni an option to rotate his bowlers. To sum it up, Suresh Raina has had an outstanding IPL this season and he has regained his form perfectly at the right time ahead of the T20 World Cup.

The find of the season, Ashwin has clearly delivered his goods upfront for the Super Kings. His bowling in the initial overs is very crucial and he is getting the wickets too. He is a good thinker of the game and he gets the ball in the right areas, giving the much needed breakthroughs. Dhoni completely trusted Ashwin, making him bowl the crucial overs and Ashwin proved every time. So, one more Chennai boy ready to wear the Indian jersey?

The Aussies, Matthew Hayden and Dough Bollinger have played their part well. Bollinger, though joined the team halfway down the tournament, now is a sensation back here in Chennai. His ability to hit the deck hard and also swing the ball away from the batsman has been outstanding. Who can forget Doughy’s catch in the boundary line to get rid of Yusuf Pathan… an absolute blinder and it shows his exceptional presence of mind. Haydos’s form was however on and off. But it isn’t fair saying he dint score throughout the tournament and labeling him as a failure. He has been a psychological advantage for the Super Kings and every game we expect to see an attacking Hayden. Tough Luck Haydos. Looking forward seeing you go over the bowling attack in the next edition of the IPL.

Albie Morkel has been a thorough professional throughout this season’s IPL. He clearly knows what is expected of him and he delivers them. He has been a very successful T20 bowler of the tournament and he is also one of the finest all-rounders I have ever seen. Not to forget Albie’s contribution with the bat. He gives you that big blow or an odd boundary to ease the pressure and in fact he is used to playing in a pressure situation many a times and he had swung the game our way too!!

One of our prime spinners of the ball, Muralidharan has had a good time with the ball. His quota of 4 overs has been very important to the Super Kings. Sometimes he goes for runs and there are games where he has been top class as well. The best part about Murali is that, he uses his weapons, be it the dhoosra or a top spin or the normal off-break very wisely and carefully well directed against the batsman. Whatever it is Murali- You are indeed a top class rare breed spinner!!

Being in Chennai, Cheering them up when they play a game at any part of India with tons and tons of friends, brothers and sisters over the last 5 weeks has been an excellent experience and feeling. Be it a win or a lose – we look at the way Cricket is played, the entertainment relished and the support this big League has achieved in such a short span of time. As Lalit Modi said, there have been some off field mishaps- but the respect for the game and the excitement never fades out. It would have been better without them, but the intensity and entertainment never went down.. believe me. After the big win by the home team, the Chennai Super Kings, its all party time here in Chennai, and we are very much waiting for the trophy to come home!!! In the local language and to all the Chennaites out there” Namba Chennai Super Kings ku PeriyaWhistla Podu”..!!

Bravo Job By .. Dhhhooonnnniiii !! Csk In .. Punjab Out !

There was for sure a tense moment at the Daramshala Cricket Stadium which witnessed one cliffhanger of a match between the Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab. When a game goes as close as this, where the Chennai Super Kings required 14 runs of the final over and they were in a pity state where it’s a must win game for them to keep their semi-final chances alive and kicking, you can always expect the match to go in anybody’s way. After Captain Courageous, Mahendra Singh Dhoni Sky-rocketed an Irfan Pathan delivery out of the park, there was a good sense of relief both in the player’s dug-out and with the millions of fans supporting their home team, back in Chennai. And when he followed it up with another humungous one, which almost went over the mountains, it was all outbursts of emotions and pressure in the stadium, especially Dhoni who found it hard to hide his grit and sense of satisfaction. The players were seen in a pool of emotions and embraced each other with great excitement. As Badrinath said, it’s a team effort to the helm, right from Sudeep Tyagi’s outstanding catch to dismiss Mahela Jayawardena to the bamboozled innings from Suresh Raina and anchor innings from both Badrinath and Dhoni.

When a finisher to the likes of Dhoni, who has an outstanding temperament, stays there till the end playing a responsible innings, one can expect a complete reversal of the game. Though, his progress of scoring starts slowly, he manages to convert the singles into two’s and get the asking rate down. And once he starts to get the ball in the middle of his thick wood willow, he goes blazing guns and I should mention his flick shot which he plays with ease, where he picks the ball from outside off stump to quick-fire it over the mid-wicket boundary, with an amazing bat speed. The Super Kings especially after the dismissal of the man-in-form Raina were in a pressure situation and were forced to press the panic button. Dhoni, their savior, along with Badri displayed some outstanding batting skills with magnificent perfection and professionalism to get a win and to sail into the semifinals with 14 points. In any case, one shouldn’t forget the quick runs by southpaw Raina, who showcased class and an excellent batting effort. Though Badrinath’s scores in the previous games doesn’t look great, he played a match-winning innings alongside skipper Dhoni, which was a much needed knock and it came in the right time too.

The Chennai Super Kings have evolved well and are jelling as a team quite well. Ashwin has been absolutely phenomenal with his spin bowling up front supporting his lefty fast bowler Bollinger, who can hit the deck really hard. Morkel has been reasonably good and he should try more of bowling into the batsman rather than bowling away from him. Also useful contributions from Raina and Jakati in the middle overs are proving effective. Though we seem to have a good combination, we still have a great scope to hone some swinging action and we really have to restrict the opponents to a mere 120-140 odd total. However, with the depth we have in our batting, we really can chase down any total and we shouldn’t forget that our batting have helped us over the games so far. So, with some effort from our bowlers, we can get the act together and make it simple rather than making it a daunting task. Chennai Super Kings now march into the semi-finals with their Skipper leading his team from the front. Beware people; the lion’s den is getting really hot and spicy. So will the Chennai Super Kings go from strength to strength gaining momentum from this fantastic victory?? Anyways… to all you people out in Chennai, lets wear the yellow jerseys and support Dhoni’s Army and Come On People .. ”Idu Namma Chennai Chennai Super Kings !! “