CLT20 2014: The Pat Cummins factor and 4-match rounds

Guru’s team for CSK v KKR and HH v KXIP

Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders

With Dwayne Bravo back, Chennai Super Kings’ four overseas players pick themselves: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Faf du Plessis and Bravo himself. While as much as MS Dhoni would like to believe that this brings the balance to his team, nothing would make the team complete till the CSK think-tank understands that they need a top-class fast bowler who is adept at the death. Something that Doug Bollinger at his peak did for the Chennai-based franchise; no wonder that it is in that year they won the double: IPL and CLT20 in 2010. Managing to scrap their way to one more title with a half-good Bollinger the next year, they never reached the high, again: The connect is obvious here.

They have managed to finish in the top 4 year in, year out, yes. But since when did finishing in the top 4 in a league of 8-9 teams became an achievement? Also, when a good number of the teams haven’t yet cracked the code of approaching a T20 game. All that for another day.

Coming back to our fixture, this batting line-up of the Super Kings’ with the addition of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni could make Kolkata Knight Riders bleed heavily on that Hyderabad deck, which was an absolute belter last year and should ideally remain that way again, if they don’t include Pat Cummins.

The Pat Cummins trump card

While Shakib Al Hasan’s loss can’t be compensated, I don’t really see Morne Morkel’s absence as a blow to the Knight Riders’ hopes. Morne has never been a dependable option at the death; his lengths are more suited to bowl up front in LOIs. So, if anything, Cummins’ pace, swing and the ability to fire yorkers in at a decent rate is only going to make the bowling attack better. The question, though, is will Gautam Gambhir pick him in the playing 11?

You wouldn’t be surprised if Andre Russell gets the nod ahead of him, after watching how these teams have gone around with their tactics all this while; would you? Now that Shakib wouldn’t be playing, it also makes way for Jacques Kallis to be back in the team. That would mean KKR could think that they have got two overseas fast bowling options and opt to leave Cummins out. That doesn’t make sense, yes, but making sense is the last thing these teams would think of. We have seen it before, and we could see it again.

If Cummins plays, with the early assistance in that deck, chances of him scalping one of McCullum and Smith or even both of them are very high. Suresh Raina wouldn’t fair any better, either. But you can’t leave the entire top 3 just because they are not capable of handling one bowler, so I would have Raina in: the safest of all and multi-dimensional. For all the talk about Du Plessis’ form, none of his innings came while batting at No. 4 in a T20 game. To make it even worse, he could be demoted in favour of someone like Ravindra Jadeja or Dhoni according to the match situation. There is too much unstability down the order, which rules all of them out.

I don’t usually look at Super Kings’ bowling options, especially when the match is on a flat wicket. It isn’t different time time around, either. Bravo would be a safe pick if Du Plessis isn’t playing, but now that he slots in at No. 4 and Dhoni’s inclination to promote himself on occasions mean that the Caribbean could primarliy be used as a bowler, not worthy enough of a spot, more so at 1,050,000.

As far as the Knight Riders are concerned, Robin Uthappa, despite the massive flop show in Australia just as expected, will make his way into my team. There is a difference between being out of form and being out-classed. I believe Uthappa was out-classed Down Under as an opener. In familiar conditions, he should be back to his best. While Sunil Narine can’t be expected to be amongst the wickets, the way he is being used – 3 at the death – could give him a couple of cheap scalps. Even if it doesn’t, he is always a safe option, returning 50-60 points even on his bad days.

Kallis is past his best and won’t be opening, while Ryan ten Doeschate is under-utilised by the Knights for years now. The others don’t exude confidence

Cummins, if selected, will walk in, as well. If not, that is it: 3 players from both the teams.

Captaincy pick: Robin Uthappa

Guru’s team if Pat Cummins isn’t picked

Hobart Hurricanes v Kings XI Punjab

Again, with the match at Mohali, this is expected to be a high-scoring affair. With Kings XI playing their second match in a 4-match round, I would love to have both Glenn Maxwell and David Miller in my team. Remember Schedule Mantra? Apply it here: the fastest a team plays its second encounter is in a 4-match round. In addition to it, I believe both of them will spend good time at the crease, as, in Ben Laughlin, Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger, the Hurricanes have the bowling attack to exploit the early assistance on the deck and take a couple of quick wickets.

Akshar Patel could be economical, but I don’t see him being amongst the wickets on this deck, while Rishi Dhawan could be taken for runs.

When it comes to the Hurricanes, Laughlin is someone who is both good upfront and at the death and so makes his way into the team. While I would have loved to have Travis Birt, he seems to be playing at No. 5 – an unusual position for his style of batting, of late, and that isn’t something rewarding with the top 4 of Ben Dunk, Tim Paine, Jonathan Wells and Shoaib Malik expected to take lion’s share of the strike. Malik could bowl, ended the Caribbean Premier League 2014 campaign as the second leading run-getter, bats at the top and is playing on supportive conditions: enough to get him in.

Ben Dunk couldn’t repeat his Big Bash 2014 heroics with Mumbai Indians, even on batting-friendly conditions. But with Sandeep Sharma not playing for Kings XI, Dunk could be up against a below-par bowling unit and could cash in on it. Also, that he comes in at just 700,000 and helps in balancing my team works in his favour.

Captaincy pick: Glenn Maxwell or Shoaib Malik

Northern Knights v Cape Cobras

With 9 slots filled by the four teams from the first two fixtures, I rope in Northern Knights’ players Trent Boult and Kane Williamson to fill up the squad, as the team plays the third fixture of the tournament main, against Cape Cobras. Cobras don’t really have a player whom you could bank on within the remaining budget. Hashim Amla takes 900,000 from your budget, while JP Duminy leaves a dent worth 1,050,000.

Duminy would be someone I would surely draft in ahead of the match. More on that will be discussed in the next article. As of now, while assembling a playing 11 for the first two matches, I don’t see him getting in with that price tag of his. Amla had a phenomenal Ram Slam T20 tournament – 317 runs in 8 matches at an average of 45.28 and a strike-rate of 143.43 – and proved that it was no fluke with South Africa in the T20 World Cup that followed – 185 in 5 matches at an average of 37 and at a strike-rate of 131.20. It would be fine. Never have I thought that one day I would be taking Amla in my T20 fantasy team, but times change, you see. Both the Africans can wait for now, though.

Probable last minute changes

If Cummins doesn’t play, Smith would be the first player to walk in to my team. And that requires some chopping and changing: Kane Williamson and Cummins out, Dwayne and Akshar in.