End of day's play

So who will make the final 4 at the IPL?

Here's what i think.

1. Delhi because Viru will win 2 matches on his own in his remaining games. Any team good enough to win after keeping McGrath and Vettori on the bench has to make it.
2. Chennai: great momentum and in form batsmen in Hayden/Raina/Dhoni. And I have to believe that the back up power of Badri/Oram/Albie will provide enough firepower. Their bowling is somewhat weak & I suspect defending a below 150-160 score will be hard.
3. For the other two slots: On paper it’s between Rajasthan, Punjab, Deccan and Mumbai (i dont think the Bangalore run will sustain).
1. Punjab: ability to throw away matches (Yuvi, Irfan and even Sangakarra to an extent are in my mind not yet reliable)
2. Deccan: team may have peaked too early
3. Mumbai: needs to figure out batting strategy (what is shikhar dhawan’s role?). Jayasurya despite one hit is not the right guy.
4. Rajasthan: I think they will make it esp as Graeme Smith seems to be hitting form. The team has a much bigger X factor (think Pathan, Jadeja, Mascarenhas , Warne and Tyrone) and keep producing bowlers (munaf, kamran, amit singh etc).

So net, i think its Delhi, Chennai, Rajasthan for sure with a close call between Punjab (slight edge now with Brett Lee back) & Deccan. Sorry home boys of Mumbai but it is what it is – pay for poor selection.