[PPS]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Thankfully I didn't get up and go and sleep or else I'd have missed watching one of the best matches in IPP History.

I was about to switch off the tv once Samson got out. Thankfully I didn't. Infact prior to that when Samson was on strike he refused an easy single because Tewatia was struggling to strike. That 15 min carnage later really changed the complexion of the game!

[Eddy]

In hindsight, it was KL Rahul that cost Punjab the match yesterday. His strike rate of 125 over almost half the Punjab innings was way below par for the game yesterday.

[Amit_breakfree]

2 good matches over the last 2 days:
1) Punjab vs. Rajasthan
Good, clean hitting by Tewatia (kind of redeemed himself). Feel bad for the bowlers though. Beauty of sports.
2) Bangalore vs. Mumbai
Good inning by Ishan (playing his first match this season). Pollard played well though it was late by the time he got into the act. He should surely be sent above Pandya. I think they missed a trick by not pacing their innings, went really slow in the middle overs.
Washington bowled really well for Bangalore. The relief and happiness on Kohli, ABD's face was priceless.

Pant, Sanju, and now Ishan - This IPL looks like audition for the wicketkeeper-batsman slot for the Indian cricket team.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by Amit_breakfree

Pant, Sanju, and now Ishan - This IPL looks like audition for the wicketkeeper-batsman slot for the Indian cricket team.

It is a concern that neither Sanju nor Ishan are keeping wickets.

[Amit_breakfree]

Originally Posted by Eddy

It is a concern that neither Sanju nor Ishan are keeping wickets.

Not currently, but they can. RR have Buttler and Mumbai have De Kock, which will leave them with limited opportunities.

Both Sanju and Ishan keep wickets in domestic cricket for their respective teams (Kerala and Jharkhand).

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by Amit_breakfree

Not currently, but they can. RR have Buttler and Mumbai have De Kock, which will leave them with limited opportunities.

Both Sanju and Ishan keep wickets in domestic cricket for their respective teams (Kerala and Jharkhand).

Sanju does not keep for Kerala regularly. They rotate that role between 2-3 players. Similar is the case in Jharkhand.

[SoumenD]

It's just sad to see CSK struggling this way. All their starts have been slow(while batting) and they end up playing catch-up at the end loosing eventually. Reliance on MSD to pull off miracles is way too much when the man himself seems to be struggling to middle the ball.

Hope they get back some of the old mojo soon else looking at current form they seem to replace Bangalore/Delhi at the bottom of the table this year

[PPS]

It seems CSK Management is a bit disinterested, they haven't bothered to name replacements for Raina & Harbhajan all these weeks. Watching CSK nowadays, I feel they're playing more for the net run-rate & taking the game deep!

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by PPS

It seems CSK Management is a bit disinterested, they haven't bothered to name replacements for Raina & Harbhajan all these weeks. Watching CSK nowadays, I feel they're playing more for the net run-rate & taking the game deep!

Yesterday Dhoni looked like he hasn't slept whole night. They had a chance if Curran had got few more deliveries to face rather than relying on the old tiring Lion. CSK need to regroup and look at their strategy again. They have good players, practically they had 11 batsmen yesterday with Shardul Thakur too capable to hitting big ones coming in last. However, they still wanted to take the game 'deep' rather than start firing from say 14-15th over.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by PPS

It seems CSK Management is a bit disinterested, they haven't bothered to name replacements for Raina & Harbhajan all these weeks. Watching CSK nowadays, I feel they're playing more for the net run-rate & taking the game deep!

NRR doesn't help if you don't win any games
CSK won't qualify for playoffs. Not because they are in shambles but other teams are so much better in composition this year.

DC
SRH
MI
KKR
With RR as dark horses will be my pick for playoffs.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by harry10

With RR as dark horses will be my pick for playoffs.

RR desperately needs Ben Stokes to come back. They have a formidable team with him being a part of it. Last match, I felt Smith and Samson played with some over confidence. Never seen Smith play those agricultural swings.
Too early to say however I feel MI, RR, KKR and SRH to make it to the pay offs.Wishful thinking for CSK and RCB to be kicked out at the earliest

PS: As I posted this, news came out of Stokes joining the team in UAE soon. That's more like a TBHP luck than crediting to any lady!

[PPS]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Yesterday Dhoni looked like he hasn't slept whole night. They had a chance if Curran had got few more deliveries to face rather than relying on the old tiring Lion.

I have never seen Dhoni huffing & puffing like yesterday ever before! Not sure if he was unwell. Curran is the only exciting factor in the CSK team. Exuberance of youth I guess. They cannot keep having faith in players like Watson (like last year) & Kedar Jadhav because other players around aren't exactly firing.

Originally Posted by harry10

NRR doesn't help if you don't win any games
CSK won't qualify for playoffs.

CSK management appears to have forgotten about this!

[KPR]

Dhoni since beginning of the tournament doesn't look charm like he used to be pre covid. Something nudging his mind. He's lost his gentle smile too. Yesterday's match he looked pathetic. I wish this IPL get over soon.

[deathwalkr]

Apparently he was unwell? Saw a tweet by Sreesanth (currying favour? ) mentioning something about that.

But yes, gone are the days when a CSK match was watched with excitement and anticipation. They need to shed age/weight i think (i for sure am no expert!)

[vamsi.kona]

The average age of CSK team is 33 it seems. While age my not be the only factor which decides a teams chances, in such short formats where agility is also very important, it can certainly have bigger impact.