Apr 20, 2010

IPL Semifinal - preview

   So SF line up was decided after a tight race till penultimate match of the league. The only team which may missed out will be DD, but their form in the second half of the game was pathetic to say the least. In that place DC with a very strong performance in the later part made into SF.

MI Vs RCB
DC Vs CSK

MI Vs RCB

The match is between the most consistent & strongest team in the league and not so consistent but an explosive team.
The MI team is more or less have a settled look and after beating the opponent comprehensively in their last meeting, they should be considered the favourite. The only area where they have to decide is their overseas players. Pollard and  Malinga are certainities, probably Bravo and Ryan Mclaren will get the nod ahead of Duminy and Jayasuria.

The local players are having a settled look, so the probable line up will be
Dhawan,SRT,S Tiwari,Rayudu,Pollard,Bravo,Mclaren,Madan/Tare,Bhajji,Zahir,Malinga. Maybe Nayar has a remote chance of replacing Sathish. I would prefer a regular keeper than Rayudu in knock out stages as missed chance will cost the match.

They have better and varied bowling lineup which will be handfull to any opposition. Their batting has been the best so far with great consistency and fire power.

RCB after starting with a bang ended the league with inconsistency. Actually the late arrival of few overseas players greatly affected their team composition. They have explosive talent in their squad and having  trouble to select the final 4 players in the team. Steyn and KP will be automatic choice and Kallis to an extent even after recent loss of form. He lends stability to the team as an allrounder. The final spot is between Taylor and White but due to previous exploits, White will be sitting out.

They are having trouble with their indian players for the last few games. Pandey after initial matches never showed the potential he possesses. Hope he doesnt peter out like few other players. Also their main worry will be the 4th bowler spot. It was rotated between, PK, Appanna, Pankaj Singh and Mithun. So most probably any one of the above will be selected. My personal choice will be Mithun or Appanna. Even though Kumble was economical, he hasnt taken enough wickets when compared with other spinners in the tournament. A big match for him will turn the contest upside down.

So my final 11 will be
Pandey,Kallis,KP,Dravid,Uthappa,Taylor,Kohli,Vinay,Steyn,Mithun/Appanna,Kumble.

The hot favourite is MI in this tie, but im going to go with RCB to upset MI at their den.

DC Vs CSK

After a horrendous start, DC are on a hot winning streak. With almost all the players contributing for the win except Gilchrist, they look a very competent and confident team. If Gilchrist gets going like last year, they will leave CSK in hubris but he seems to have lost that extra bit of timing he had. With the indian contingent giving good batting consistency, they will select Vass and Harris for bowling and AG and Symo for batting.
Vass will be the key player for them in their match.

The indian players lead by Rohit, Suman and Ojha provides great stability and fire power in the line up. The toss up will be between Harmeet and RP Singh for the 3rd seamers role. Maybe Harmeet will edge out RP for this match.

So the 11 will be
AG, Monish Mishra,Suman,Rohit,Symmo,Sumanth,Vaas,Harris,Harmeet,Ojha.

CSK is entering the finals after an inconsistent display in the league stage. Their performance was patchy with lots of highs and lows. Their biggest worry is the form of Hayden, i think he got mongoosed and kind of forget how to play with normal bat. CSK will be in a dilemma whether to go with Hayden or drop him. But him opening in SF will always be on the cards. The only foreign players sure of place are Albie Morkel and Bollinger. The other place will be contested between Thussara,Murali and Hussey. But Hussey's poor form will rule him out of the eleven. According to the surface they may decide to go with Murali or Thussara but there is a great chance for Kemp if he gets fit.

The late blossoming of Vijay,Badri,Ashwin gives a great advantage for Dhoni but his biggest concern will be the fast bowling. With no one showing any kind of form, Dhoni most probably will roll the dice and decide to play.

The probable line up will be
Vijay,Hayden,Raina,Badri,Dhoni,Morkel,Ashwin,Thussara/murali,Jakati,Bollinger,Any one of the Joker.

DC will be favourite when we consider their recent form, but i will be going with CSK to reach final.

So let us wait for the onfield action to unfold.

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