So its largely going to be a day of no upsides for the 4 teams that play tomorrow. Winning doesnt mean anything really but losing can really hurt (for the most part).
1. Chennai: They need to win at least 4/6 games , maybe 5 more. So while beating the Rajasthan Royals will be a relief tomorrow it's really about not losing any more games. If they lose it will be incredibly hard to make up. The good news for them is that they have Hussey and Bollinger back but unsure if they will play both after the long flight. Chennai will win tomorrow unless...
2. Rajasthan Royals: are inspired to prove Gautam Gambhir wrong. Side story but not sure he really meant to insult the Royals when he made the comment that except Yusuf Pathan , the rest of them were 'ordinary'. But truth be told - they are bits and pieces players who on average are just that. Average. At 8 points a win can reallty help them right? Wrong - they are destined to be the heartbreak story forever so they will always come close to being in the semis (maybe even lose on run rate very narrowly) . Such is their consistently inconsistent brilliance that even if they win tomorrow it will mean nothing. But i think they will lose tomorrow (and then come back to beat Mumbai).
3. Deccan Chargers: Another downside only story. Winning is critical but doesnt mean much. They too need to win 4,5 more games - only advantage is they have 7 games; one more than most. So losing tomorrow is less damaging than for the Super Kings. Ryan Harris seems to be the hot favorite to replace Kemar Roach (8 overs, 80 odd runs and no wickets). But its not going to be about the bowling - its all about whether Gilly, Gibbs & Symonds fire - like really fire ; I am talking150+ strike rate. And i think Gilly will set the stage.
4. Mumbai Indians: In an odd sort of way, i think that there's only downside for the Indians if they win tomorrow. It means that the law of averages will catch up, it would mean that they havent really experimented much and that they will get cocky (Bhajji is already talking up being the first team to qualify etc). So for their own good, i hope they lose. I hope they try Duminy, perhaps mix up the order to give both West Indians batting practice and also perhaps rest some of their fast bowlers. But i think Tendulkar will play safe till at least 7 games (maybe 8) are won. And i dont think thats a good sign.
In any case , none of the results tomorrow will impact my semi finals prediction (MI, DD, RCB, KKR) while Chennai (and maybe Deccan) could knock themselves out if they have a poor day in the field.
Vaas & Punjab vs Blore
I hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about why Vaas has been dropped despite being the leading wicket taker (at the time) so was pretty perplexed. But here's an interesting explanation on cricinfo. In case some of you haven't seen i thought i would share. That said, still not very clear why they couldn't use him fully just 'outside the death overs' ??If you have your theories, let me know.
Quickly on today's game - though i wrote off the Punjab team long ago ; i just wonder whether Sangakara & Yuvraj will be smarting (from the ban and all the media reports of a rift) and come out blazing to make things tough for the Royal's campaign? I suspect that might be the case - and even Preity Zinta , she of the forever dimpled cheeks, cant just stay humbled and still smile for too many more games.
How things change – Kallis and Ganguly
Perhaps Kallis won’t like me branding him with Ganguly – but then again if he is reading my blog , I’ll take his displeasure :-)
As Ganguly’s Knights defeated the Chargers (yay for my unpopular KKR in semis prediction) and as Bangalore has lost a couple in a row, the tide seems to be turning. The positive energy about Ganguly is resurfacing here while Kallis , astonishingly , is starting to get some flak. The same Kallis who could do no wrong might be in trouble. I predict that if he scores below 7.5 per over in Bangalore’s next loss, the knives will be out despite an outstanding start to the series. So i thought I’d look at the performances and see whether any of it is warranted.
Jacque Kallis: performance to date
If you take a look at Kallis’s performance you will see the following. (i) He has an astonishing average (courtesy the 4 not outs) (ii) is the highest scorer so far but (iii) his strike rate is 124. If you notice, his strike rate is going down consistently since the game against Punjab chasing 200+.And coincidentally his two poorest strike rates are the ones in games that Bangalore has recently lost. More damagingly, a strike rate of 124 does not put him in the top 50 players in the IPL on the basis of strike rates!!!!! Now that doesn’t sound so good for someone who plays in the powerplay and maybe the critics (who , i promise will come) have something there. However , despite this data , lets really understand what is going on here. Kallis’s role is to stay there and have others score aggressively. And how’s that going. Not as well. Manish Pandey is scoring at a strike rate EVEN LOWER than Kallis @ 119. Couple that with the fact that Uthappa didn’t really fire the last game and now you have the real problem. Make no mistake - if Kallis cant get back to at least 125 consistently then its a problem. But if he does (and he will), he is more than doing his job and the rest of the team (Pandey is in danger anyway) needs to play its role and the Royal Challengers will be back on track.
Ganguly’s revival
Ganguly did dwarf over the rest of his team in the game against Deccan as you can see in the scorecard alongside. 88 runs at a strike rate of 162 is awesome. And if he can pull this off one more game – the positive press will absolutely rocket. Dada’s last hurrah, his swansong, what was Buchanan thinking etc etc . Funnily enough , take a guess what Ganguly’s overall scoring rate is at this point. A measly 113!!!!!! And his role – not yet clear as he has moved up and down the order (seems to be settling to open) and struggled against the pace and struggled to accelerate in all games except the last one.
So spare a thought for Kallis , who has been the best all round player so far – is playing the role asked of him (ok one bad match) and don’t burn him at the stake if he doesnt score at the 150 strike rate – that’s not his job. Dada, sure its his swansong – so , what a great innings and what a turnaround!!
What does a team with a problem of plenty do??
So a good day on the prediction front with both calls (Delhi and Chennai) turning out well. Not so good for the Royals (who i wanted to win despite predicting against). A huge sigh of relief for Chennai. If they win the next game they will truly think they are back with a chance (and the next game is against Rajasthan so Dhoni will fancy his chances - more on that later).
Interesting question now though is what do Delhi and Bangalore do with their team selection going forward.
1. Bangalore: They benched Boucher (risk with Uthappa who's not a specialist) and Morgan but were justified as KP and White both performed well in the limited time they had. Morgan can feel unlucky that he didnt really get a chance while Dravid should feel lucky that he's in. (questionable if No 7 is the right slot for him). Kumble may be thinking that he can move up and down the order to provide flexibility but i think he's there at this point more for emotional reasons. More importantly they have Ross coming soon - and he's been in superb form , treating the Australian test attack in the 1st innings of the 2nd test like he was already playing in the IPL T20. Also Praveen Kumar is losing a bit of steam and Roelof and Dillon are sitting in the ranks (though they are already hitting the foreign player cap). So finding the balance and sticking with it will be hard but important if they are to go through.
2. Delhi: This is a little different from Bangalore - problem of plenty because of non performers. Sehwag certainly hasn't set the stage on fire - he's probably bordering on inconsistency even by his standards wrt big scores every 3 games, Dilshan and De Villiers are already benched and Collingwood has hit the ground running as have Mithin and Jadhav when they had the chance. Nehra is fit and probably wanting a go & when Nannes it back this will be a headache as the bowlers (Yadav, Sangwan, Mahroof, Mishra etc have all donbe pretty well).So a bowling problem of plenty and a batting problem of tough calls (bench Sehwag for a couple - will Gambhir dare?). Either way he needs to get it right fast and stick to it.
What do you think Kumble and Gambhir should do ?
Interesting question now though is what do Delhi and Bangalore do with their team selection going forward.
1. Bangalore: They benched Boucher (risk with Uthappa who's not a specialist) and Morgan but were justified as KP and White both performed well in the limited time they had. Morgan can feel unlucky that he didnt really get a chance while Dravid should feel lucky that he's in. (questionable if No 7 is the right slot for him). Kumble may be thinking that he can move up and down the order to provide flexibility but i think he's there at this point more for emotional reasons. More importantly they have Ross coming soon - and he's been in superb form , treating the Australian test attack in the 1st innings of the 2nd test like he was already playing in the IPL T20. Also Praveen Kumar is losing a bit of steam and Roelof and Dillon are sitting in the ranks (though they are already hitting the foreign player cap). So finding the balance and sticking with it will be hard but important if they are to go through.
2. Delhi: This is a little different from Bangalore - problem of plenty because of non performers. Sehwag certainly hasn't set the stage on fire - he's probably bordering on inconsistency even by his standards wrt big scores every 3 games, Dilshan and De Villiers are already benched and Collingwood has hit the ground running as have Mithin and Jadhav when they had the chance. Nehra is fit and probably wanting a go & when Nannes it back this will be a headache as the bowlers (Yadav, Sangwan, Mahroof, Mishra etc have all donbe pretty well).So a bowling problem of plenty and a batting problem of tough calls (bench Sehwag for a couple - will Gambhir dare?). Either way he needs to get it right fast and stick to it.
What do you think Kumble and Gambhir should do ?
Another big day - predictions?
1. Chennai vs Bangalore: Big game for Chennai. They have to , have to win. And i think they will. Their batting will fire. Perhaps i say this with optimism and hope so as to open up the draw and not have Mumbai/Bangalore be runaway winners - even though they are my semi nominations. The other reason i think this is the case is that Bangalore have (i) had a long break & (b) have a problem of plenty with the arrival of KP and White. The temptation to play both will mean that Uthappa will probably keep wickets and it may change the lineup. If they succumb to trying too many changes then they will confuse the team and Chennai will capitalise.
2. Rajasthan vs Delhi: All of Shane Warne's twitter messages notwithstanding (rodddick and hair salons while maintaining optimism for the Delhi game) - this one will be a tough one to crack for him. 4 in a row is good , 5 is probably asking for too much. Then again, it depends on who Delhi plays in their batting lineup - a team that benches AB and Dilshan (woeful form as may be the case) and still wins so easily needs to be feared. If any one of their top 3 fire then thats that. Nannes, Nehra (he'll be back) and Yadav will do the rest and Mishra will come on after Yusuf has departed. Again, to be clear , i hope Rajasthan wins but just think it unlikely tomorrow (though they'll probably come back and beat the Mumbai Indians in a few days).
Mumbai bench strength - the test. By Aloke Gupte
Some thoughts on the Mumbai-Punjab game; a scare but Malinga was a star.
We needed that - to test what happens when Sach fails.
(a) it is scary (but creditable that they pulled it off in the end)
(b) Bravo & Pollard have to do more (right strategy to bat them at 3 to get some practice)
(c) need to give Duminy 2-3 games to acclimatize (in case we need him later)
(d) sit Dhawan down. He needs to finish a game...that's his task (guy is good but has attitude)
(e) however, don't experiment too much...you may lose the winning touch
(a) it is scary (but creditable that they pulled it off in the end)
(b) Bravo & Pollard have to do more (right strategy to bat them at 3 to get some practice)
(c) need to give Duminy 2-3 games to acclimatize (in case we need him later)
(d) sit Dhawan down. He needs to finish a game...that's his task (guy is good but has attitude)
(e) however, don't experiment too much...you may lose the winning touch
The IPL's best bowlers & batsman: Aloke Gupte's w/o Mar 29th roundup
Posting an article by Aloke Gupte - part time investment banker at JP Morgan, full time cricket enthusiast and statistician :-) Aloke will publish , among other things the weekly round up on this topic. Here goes…
This is more a comment on GT's piece on sunday, but has gotten too long and so here we are. This series serve as a performance review if you will - and while the idea is to predict who will be on top it is perhaps more satisfying (and useful to get predictions right) to who has moved and of course, those that have moved down.
A snapshot of the top 10 batsmen and bowlers also allows us to do some reflective analysis on how their teams are doing, so we will go ahead and attempt a few observations as well.
First, (as is this game's wont) the batting. Last week's order in terms of RUNS was: Kallis, Sehwag, Sachin, Bopara, S Tiwary, Gilly, Mongoose, Symonds, Yusuf and Karthik. A couple of surprises but largely an entirely believable cast of characters. Kallis had 78 run lead and the debate was about whether someone will catch him at all, let alone in 1 week.
Runs
#1 Kallis 310
#2 Sachin 303
#3 Yusuf 250 (easily leads the MVP list right now)
#4 Hayden 215
#5 Sehwag 198
#6 Bopara 197
#7 Raina 194
#8 N Ojha 186
#9 Pandey 179
#10 Uthappa 177
Kallis retains his lead, I think for the last time (not saying this because I am an ardent Mr. T fan, which of course I am). There is something else happening which will impact the teams in a major way - some good, some bad. That’s a long discussion and I'll have to get into that later.
A couple of other things to mention about the names above:
1. 7 Openers! The funny thing isnt that there are so many of them (you would expect that) but that they are there despite not really lighting up the tournament! Kallis & Sachin have been outstanding and you may argue that Bopara, Ojha and Pandey are punching above their weight. Hayden (up from 7th to 4th!) and Sehwag (2nd last week, down 3 spots now) have not exactly been their domineering selves but are perched in the top 5!
2. Yusuf. The man is currently in a league of his own. Went from 9th to 3rd last week, opens the bowling (and does pretty darn well there too). Is the only non-opener in the top 5, which is also a fantastic testament to how well he has done. Not hard to see why the Royals have gathered so much momentum!
3. The Churn. There are 4 new men in the list. Raina, Ojha, Pandey and Uthappa have replaced Tiwary, Gilly, Symonds and Karthik. They currently occupy #7-10 meaning that 6 of last weeks run scorers have done enough to stay ahead. Does any of these 4 have enough steam and opportunity to make a further dent in this list? Will be an interesting to follow their fortunes this week.
4. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. GT hits the nail on the head with his piece on the importance of the bowling in this format. Consider this - the top 10 consists of 3 Royal Challengers, 2 Royals & 1 (the one) Mumbai Maestro (this is the 'Good'), 1 Kings XI, 0 KKR (the 'Bad') and 2 Super Kings (now that’s just Ugly). No co-relation to where the teams are placed, you might say.
For those that want a peek at strike rates, here you go (min of 125 runs): #1 Gilly (retains his spot), #2 Yusuf, #3 Sehwag, #4 Uthappa, #5 Dhoni (same guys in the top 5, middle 3 moving amongst themselves), #6 Irfan, #7 M Tiwary, #8 Hayden, #9 Rohit, #10 Sachin. Kallis is 16th! Remarkable that the man who has 1 six to his name should be in this mix.
Batsman of the IPL (so far): Sachin Tendulkar (runs, speed, leading the team, max impact…its all there). Watch this space to see if he remains there next week.
Bowling now.
Last week's men (Wickets): Vaas, Murli, Symonds, Praveen, Ishant, Balaji, Maharoof, Nannes, Matthews, Mishra (quite an odd lot)
Last week's men (Eco rates): Murli, Kumble, Kartik, Vaas, Yuvraj, Symonds, Nannes, Zaheer, Langeveldt, Rohit Sharma (a somewhat better lot)
GT is right - you would rather have a Zaheer in your team than Balaji or Ishant…the difference is palpable. Here are both lists for this week:
Bowling
Wickets Eco rate
#1 Murli 11 (6.28) #1 Kumble 5.49 (5)
#2 Tait 9 (7.20) #2 Kartik 5.57 (4)
#3 Vaas 8 (6.66) #3 Murali 6.28 (11)
#4 Bhajji 8 (7.08) #4 Yusuf 6.57 (5)
#5 Vinay 8 (7.66) #5 Vaas 6.66 (8)
#6 Mishra 7 (7.31) #6 Yuvraj 6.66 (3)
#7 Ojha 7 (7.73) #7 Nannes 6.75 (5)
#8 Praveen 7 (7.50) #8 Malinga 6.92 (6)
#9 Balaji 7 (8.95) #9 Trivedi 6.93 (3)
#10 Symonds 6 (7.00) #10 Symonds 7.00 (6)
Murli has over taken his buddy Vaas (who, poor chap got dropped for the headline signing Kemar Roach!?). My conclusions:
1. The Unfortunates. Bowlers do have it tough and not just because of flat decks, short boundaries and the Mongoose. Take 2 cases this week : First, Vaas (#3 in wickets, #5 in eco rate) dropped last night for $700,000 signing, fast Kemar Roach! All this while, Herschelle Gibbs plays on after being ranked #14 amongst batsmen. Now, Murli Kartik - is #2 on eco rates and plays for a team (KKR) that you think needs him. However, register this - he drops Sachin, gets stick from Dada and mysteriously disappears for the game against Kings XI. Strange? No, just the lot of a bowler.
2. The 2nd Spinner. Continuing the trend of unhappy bowlers, am sure both Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha are thinking they deserved to be on the flight to the Carribean more than Chawla (4 @ 7.63). They are both in the top 10 wicket takers - 7 apiece and Mishra has a better average then Chawla. Even Murli Kartik might agonize a bit about this - he has the same number of wickets, lot more experience and is one of 2 bowlers conceding <6 runs per over!
3. Yusuf. I know. I know. But what can you do, the man is in 3 of the 4 sets above! He hasn’t made it to the top 10 wicket takers (yet) but it would take a brave soul to bet against him!
Bowler of the IPL (so far): Murli. Very difficult to look beyond a man in the top 3 on both parameters and bowling with gusto. His sheer joy at dismissing Sri Lankan team mates Sanga and Mahela (within minutes of each other) was great to watch!
Happy watching and I'll be back with the next edition of BEST, next Monday
Its all about the bowlers
So you saw the chart i shared in my last post that showed the Mumbai Indians batting & bowling averages. I wondered if there was more to it than just the fact that Harbhajan is dominating both averages. I rifled through the other team’s performances to date and realized that its all about the bowling. Take a look.
You already saw that Mumbai Indians have 5 bowlers with an economy rate below 8.
Now lets take a look at the other consistent performer in this years league. The Royal Challengers of Bangalore. Here’s how they stack up (you can click on the chart to expand size). If you look carefully you’ll see that they have 4 strong batsmen with a 30+ average. The rest are not as strong but frankly that’s because their top order fired so well that the others didn’t even get a chance. (Remember Kallis didn’t get out for the first 4 games). And their bowling – well 5 bowlers with an economy rate below 8 and only only 7 used (even if you count Kohli’s 2 overs).
Closer to the bottom of the table and take a look at Chennai Super Kings.They also have have 5 batsmen with 30+ averages – each having scored at least 100 runs with a very healthy strike rates (>125). However look at the bowling. The fact that they now have 6 bowlers with a sub 8 per over average hides an important nuance. They have tried at least 12 bowlers and half of them have cost well above the 8 per over average. So a very unsettled bowling line up.
If i go further down to the bottom of the pool – the story is even worse. Only one Punjab Kings X1 batsman scoring at an average greater than 30, 13 bowlers tried with more than half of them leaking > 8 runs per over. So that team is really in the dumps. Nothing really working.
So Bangalore has great bowling & batting averages, Mumbai has done a great job in bowling and is heavily reliant on Tendulkar for the batting. Chennai has a positive score on batting but an unsettled look to the bowling and the Punjab da puttar’s have nothing working.
So , and my head of analytics back at work will cringe at the statistical accuracy of these conclusions, here’s what it leads me to believe. 1. Bowling will be the key to the IPL 2010 Success: Teams need to stick to 6-8 bowlers hereonin and have at least 4 of them average below 8 runs an over. 2. Batting is necessary but not sufficient: You cant win this without at least 3-5 batsmen having an average of >30. But that's not enough (as Chennai showed).
So what does this mean for the teams.
1. My semi final predictions: Bangalore and (shockingly) Kolkata actually have a well balanced team. Its Delhi and Mumbai thats somewhat lopsided. Mumbai desperately (i think) need to find a balance that gets them at least 2 more 30+ average batsmen (drop McLaren for Duminy and maybe Nayyar or Kulkarni from last year for Satish). Delhi in contrast need to get some more bowling - maybe Nehra can do the trick but I've never figured that guy out.
2. The rest: On paper Deccan have great balance - i just dont believe in carrying so many old legs. Rajasthan also has good balance, the best captain and tons of magic. I always hope that they can make it through but despite the balance that this article recommends (and that the numbers suggest they have); they may always remain the 'almost' team as they perhaps have too many young legs. Chennai needs bowlers and by the time Bollinger comes it will be too late. Punjab - its hard to learn how to bat , bowl and field after losing 6 games; even a dimpled smile cant save them now.
You already saw that Mumbai Indians have 5 bowlers with an economy rate below 8.
Now lets take a look at the other consistent performer in this years league. The Royal Challengers of Bangalore. Here’s how they stack up (you can click on the chart to expand size). If you look carefully you’ll see that they have 4 strong batsmen with a 30+ average. The rest are not as strong but frankly that’s because their top order fired so well that the others didn’t even get a chance. (Remember Kallis didn’t get out for the first 4 games). And their bowling – well 5 bowlers with an economy rate below 8 and only only 7 used (even if you count Kohli’s 2 overs).
Closer to the bottom of the table and take a look at Chennai Super Kings.They also have have 5 batsmen with 30+ averages – each having scored at least 100 runs with a very healthy strike rates (>125). However look at the bowling. The fact that they now have 6 bowlers with a sub 8 per over average hides an important nuance. They have tried at least 12 bowlers and half of them have cost well above the 8 per over average. So a very unsettled bowling line up.
If i go further down to the bottom of the pool – the story is even worse. Only one Punjab Kings X1 batsman scoring at an average greater than 30, 13 bowlers tried with more than half of them leaking > 8 runs per over. So that team is really in the dumps. Nothing really working.
So Bangalore has great bowling & batting averages, Mumbai has done a great job in bowling and is heavily reliant on Tendulkar for the batting. Chennai has a positive score on batting but an unsettled look to the bowling and the Punjab da puttar’s have nothing working.
So , and my head of analytics back at work will cringe at the statistical accuracy of these conclusions, here’s what it leads me to believe. 1. Bowling will be the key to the IPL 2010 Success: Teams need to stick to 6-8 bowlers hereonin and have at least 4 of them average below 8 runs an over. 2. Batting is necessary but not sufficient: You cant win this without at least 3-5 batsmen having an average of >30. But that's not enough (as Chennai showed).
So what does this mean for the teams.
1. My semi final predictions: Bangalore and (shockingly) Kolkata actually have a well balanced team. Its Delhi and Mumbai thats somewhat lopsided. Mumbai desperately (i think) need to find a balance that gets them at least 2 more 30+ average batsmen (drop McLaren for Duminy and maybe Nayyar or Kulkarni from last year for Satish). Delhi in contrast need to get some more bowling - maybe Nehra can do the trick but I've never figured that guy out.
2. The rest: On paper Deccan have great balance - i just dont believe in carrying so many old legs. Rajasthan also has good balance, the best captain and tons of magic. I always hope that they can make it through but despite the balance that this article recommends (and that the numbers suggest they have); they may always remain the 'almost' team as they perhaps have too many young legs. Chennai needs bowlers and by the time Bollinger comes it will be too late. Punjab - its hard to learn how to bat , bowl and field after losing 6 games; even a dimpled smile cant save them now.
Bhajji takes Mumbai Indians all the way
So a crazy game today at the IPL2010.
Its one of those days when you are delighted that your predictions go wrong. What can i say about the Royals – i think i am going to be in a huge dilemma in the unlikely event of a MI vs RR finals :-) They are my soft spot team since 2008. Naman Ojha, you beauty as one commentator would say!!!! And Aneesh Vijayakar called it right – the Chennai team isn’t coming together as well.
And then there’s the Chargers. While I’ve always said that too many ‘oldies’ will crimp them & they wont make the semi-finals; Gilchrist and the Chargers lost the plot. I thought the law of averages would catch up with Tendulkar & that Gilly would fire. Neither happened & Warne’s tactic of starting with a spinner against Gilchrist seems to be paying off now.
After having Mumbai at 119/7 , you would have thought that Kemar, RP and co would have delivered the sucker punch. Instead Harbhajan delivered the 19/20 punch. (19 runs in the 19th over and 20 runs in the 20th). Who would’ve thought ??
Harbhajan’s performance was out of the world today. Definitely the man of the match in my book. But take a look at this chart alongside. He’s the No 1 Batsmen (based on averages) and No 1 bowler (based on economy rate) in the Mumbai Indians team. I pulled this chart in the break so its changed some now – Harbhajan has added a few more wickets but Malinga has moved up on economy.
However the strength of the side seems to be the bowling by far. 5 bowlers with economy rates of under 8 and at least 3 match winners (Bhajji, Zak and the slinger). Plus Bravo & Pollard will improve as we go along.
That said , i do worry about the batting. Its been revolving around Tendulkar and not having a single other player with a 30+ average is worrying as also the fact that all the rest of the Indians are young and susceptible to pressure as we go to the knockouts. Need to have Bravo move up, perhaps even consider Duminy (at the expense of McLaren) at some stage and Pollard stay as the finisher. Otherwise the middle order could spell trouble when it matters.
A few more thoughts on what's working in this competition as i looked at this chart. Till then though – what an outstanding performance.
Its one of those days when you are delighted that your predictions go wrong. What can i say about the Royals – i think i am going to be in a huge dilemma in the unlikely event of a MI vs RR finals :-) They are my soft spot team since 2008. Naman Ojha, you beauty as one commentator would say!!!! And Aneesh Vijayakar called it right – the Chennai team isn’t coming together as well.
And then there’s the Chargers. While I’ve always said that too many ‘oldies’ will crimp them & they wont make the semi-finals; Gilchrist and the Chargers lost the plot. I thought the law of averages would catch up with Tendulkar & that Gilly would fire. Neither happened & Warne’s tactic of starting with a spinner against Gilchrist seems to be paying off now.
After having Mumbai at 119/7 , you would have thought that Kemar, RP and co would have delivered the sucker punch. Instead Harbhajan delivered the 19/20 punch. (19 runs in the 19th over and 20 runs in the 20th). Who would’ve thought ??
Harbhajan’s performance was out of the world today. Definitely the man of the match in my book. But take a look at this chart alongside. He’s the No 1 Batsmen (based on averages) and No 1 bowler (based on economy rate) in the Mumbai Indians team. I pulled this chart in the break so its changed some now – Harbhajan has added a few more wickets but Malinga has moved up on economy.
However the strength of the side seems to be the bowling by far. 5 bowlers with economy rates of under 8 and at least 3 match winners (Bhajji, Zak and the slinger). Plus Bravo & Pollard will improve as we go along.
That said , i do worry about the batting. Its been revolving around Tendulkar and not having a single other player with a 30+ average is worrying as also the fact that all the rest of the Indians are young and susceptible to pressure as we go to the knockouts. Need to have Bravo move up, perhaps even consider Duminy (at the expense of McLaren) at some stage and Pollard stay as the finisher. Otherwise the middle order could spell trouble when it matters.
A few more thoughts on what's working in this competition as i looked at this chart. Till then though – what an outstanding performance.
Test mobile blog.
One more 50 from Tendulkar - it's like he is 16 all over again. 12 more runs to be the highest scorer of the IPL this season. Also, just heard that Kumar Sangakarra has been banned for one game (and $50k) for poor over rates - the Punjab woes continue.
Correction - thanks to Aneesh Vijayakar
My good friend (and another cricket crazed junkie) Aneesh Vijaykar pointed out a mistake in a previous article where i had said that Tendulkar , in contrast to Yusuf, hasn't hit a single six and is still the 2nd highest run scorer in IPL 2010.
He did in fact hit a six , against Murali in the last game at CCI. And it was actually the 200th six of the IPL. You can see that here
Thanks Aneesh. And i hope you are right about your faith in MI for the 'away' game against Deccan ... but i fear you will not be.
He did in fact hit a six , against Murali in the last game at CCI. And it was actually the 200th six of the IPL. You can see that here
Thanks Aneesh. And i hope you are right about your faith in MI for the 'away' game against Deccan ... but i fear you will not be.
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