Match Preview: Pune, still, start an inch ahead of CSK

Chennai Super Kings and Pune Warriors meet at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai for their second match of this season. Having won the first encounter by a comfortable margin of 7 wickets, one would have expected Pune to be oozing with confidence. But the last game’s shocker against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where they gave the match away in the penultimate over of the match, must have dented their morale to some extent.

Defending champions CSK, on the other hand, have suffered 3 defeats out of the 5 games played. The two matches in which they came out victorious, were against teams placed below them in the league table. If the win against RCB was largely due to Albie Morkel’s brilliance — where he smashed 28 runs off the last second over of the match, the earlier match was due to the solo performance of Ravindra Jadeja.

Chennai’s batting has been of major concern. With none of the batsmen barring Faf du Plessis in form, the news that Albie Morkel isn’t avaiable for the match and Dhoni is doubtful couldn’t have come at worse time.

Pune on the other hand are a better unit. Now placed at number three on the table, Warriors have won three out of their five games. The last match’s defeat was by a whisker, and had it not been for the wayward bowling by Aashish Nehra things would have been so much different.

That’s not to say that the Pune camp has nothing to worry about. Apart from Jesse Ryder’s undefeated 73 and Robin Uthappa’s 69, none of the batsmen have been able to reach the half-century mark. The all-rounders and the bits-and-pieces have performed well. Players like Samuels, Steven Smith and Manhas have clicked when needed, and with Ganguly’s captaincy behind them everything has fallen in order.

Pune’s best bowler Ashok Dinda, who has taken eight wickets in the tournament so far, might not be available for this match after having picked up a side strain in his last outing. Having to go with Ashish Nehra, again, in this match will involve a lot of risk.

Players to Watch Out for:

Pune

Jesse Ryder - The burly Kiwi looks in fine form after scoring 122 runs at 40.66 from his four matches. His 73 in the last match was reminiscent of the all-rounder who had burst into the internation scene with Chris Cairns-like potential. Like Shane Watson and a few others, Ryder can use this platform for the revival of his career. And given Pune’s worries at the top, the team would want him to be more consistent.

Robin Uthappa – After years of good performance in the IPL, one wonders what has kept the selectors from giving Uthappa back his national cap. He was excellent in his sole half century so far, and Ganguly’s move to leave the opening slot for him has actually paid of. Like every year, this year again Uthappa would expect that the selectors are watching when he bats.

Murli Kartik – He has been spoken about for years as India’s best spinner in the domestic circuit. However, the jump to next level never fully happened. It had a lot to do with Kumble’s availability, but then also he deserved more chances than what he got.

Kartik had been spectacular for Kolkata in the previous seasons. Now, in Pune colours he hasn’t really set the stage on fire, but we hope it’s just a few hours away.

Chennai

Faf du Plessis - He has been Chennai’s leading scorer this season, with 171 runs under his belt. He scored 71 runs off 46 balls to keep the chase on against RCB — before Albie Morkel took over in the final overs. The South African who is fast becoming an international star, is surely a player to watch out for.

Dwayne Bravo - The West Indian all-rounder has been an important part of the IPL since its inception. This year is no different. And with Albie Morkel temporarily out of service, Bravo is expected to take up bigger responsibilities.

Ravindra Jadeja - Jadeja had hit the winning runs in the nail-biting encounter against RCB, but that’s not why we remember him. He had almost single-handedly won CSK the only other win they have had. An excellent fielder, a bowler of note and a big-hitter down the order, he is unstoppable in the T20s. And in the IPL, these are all we need.

Head-to-Head

The previous encounter was won by 7 wickets by Pune Warriors. That was the only they had faced each other this year.

Prediction – The odds are against Chennai. Even more so this time because of the unavailability of Morkel and Dhoni’s playing being doubtful.