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IPL giants CSK, MI feeling the heat in the new season
Between them, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians share nine titles. This season they only share four defeats each to start with
“I will summarise (it as) probably batting, bowling and little bit of fielding, it’s pretty much everything,” the exasperated Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming explained another defeat, this a rout against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. “But it’s just pressure, not able to get into position to pressure oppositions, we are just coming a distant second,” the former New Zealand skipper added after the loss at DY Patil Stadium in Nerul.
It was the same story at Pune, where five-time champions Mumbai Indians were drubbed by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The two most successful sides in Indian Premier League history find themselves in a rather bleak territory, having lost all their first four games.
At the DY Patil Stadium, a sea of yellow filled the top two tiers of the stands that were open for the public. The fans though fell silent on the fall of MS Dhoni’s wicket; even skipper Ravindra Jadeja’s late hitting couldn’t revive their enthusiasm. SRH didn’t lose a wicket in their chase till the 13th over, which ensured CSK supporters didn't find their voice for the rest of the game.
It has been the story of defending champions CSK so far this season. Except for the game against Lucknow Super Giants where they lost after scoring 210/7, their batting hasn’t clicked. In the tournament opener, against Kolkata Knight Riders, they got 131/5; against Punjab Kings, their chase ended at 126; and on Saturday they huffed and puffed to 154/7.
MI Bowling Woes
Mumbai Indians have been let down by their bowling. No total has been defendable. They lost the first game after scoring 177/5, in the second they conceded 193/8 and were never in the chase; in their third game, KKR overhauled their total of 161/4 in 16 overs, and on Saturday, their 151/6 was never going to be enough against RCB’s batting, and they lost by seven wickets.
Writing eulogies on the basis of early reversals may be premature, but there are glaring gaps that need immediate attention. Until Saturday, CSK had been unable to click as a unit. If the batting was firing, the bowling misfired. On Saturday, both failed. The same for MI.
CSK’s defeat on Saturday will be difficult to fathom for their fans because it came against a side that had been equally underwhelming–Sunrisers Hyderabad—having also lost their first two games.
It seldom happens that you are champions one season and in the next you become so bad. The fans will have to remember that CSK is a completely different side from the one that stormed to their fourth title. Their results are a reflection of what happened at the auction table. The dynamics of the auction are such that it’s difficult to get the player of choice. Hence, the players you retain become absolutely crucial. CSK will now be looking at the four choices they made.
On hindsight, they may look at whether retaining Moeen Ali over Faf du Plessis was the right decision. The South Africa batter not only scored consistently, but what goes unnoticed is how he helps the young batters at the other end to gain in confidence and perform. Ruturaj Gaikwad seems to be missing his influence while at RCB Anuj Rawat is benefitting from the senior pro’s company as he has come into his own. Besides, Ambati Rayudu is a pale shadow of the batter he was in the middle overs.
Dhoni’s last minute decision to step down from captaincy has upset the dynamics. He was retained mainly because he would be the captain. Purely as a player his position is not guaranteed any more. Though Dhoni was captain when they took that call, du Plessis with his vast experience of leading South Africa would have been a good option as captain.
Deepak Chahar’s injury has taken away their ability to strike with the new ball and apply pressure. They were also not able to get a suitable replacement for fast bowler Josh Hazlewood at the auction.
NO BACK-UP FOR BUMRAH
Mumbai Indians’ past success has been built on a sharp pace attack. Lasith Malinga’s exploits are legendary while in between Mitchell Johnson tormented batters in IPL. For the last two seasons, Jasprit Bumrah made a good pairing with Trent Boult. Former India seamer, Irfan Pathan, has pointed out how the absence of a quality seamer other than Bumrah is hurting MI.
Speaking on Star Sports, the official broadcaster, Pathan said: “Mumbai Indians know how to make a comeback from situations like these. They've done it in the past, in 2014 and 2015. In IPL 2015, they were in a similar situation and came from behind to lift the title, but that team was a little different. This year, MI doesn't have a bowler who can support Bumrah well. This is a major headache for the captain. MI’s batting still looks good as they have young Tilak Varma doing well, Suryakumar Yadav starred in his comeback game, and Ishan Kishan has been firing at the top.
“You hope Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard will also score runs as the tournament progresses but their bowling department looks weak, especially the pace attack. Traditionally, the pitches in Maharashtra have suited fast bowlers and if the seamers do their job, then Murugan Ashwin will also return with better figures."
After the defeat to RCB, Rohit Sharma pointed out the need for building on starts. “We had got off to a 50-run partnership, but got out at the wrong time. That is hurting us a little bit. It is definitely not a 150-run pitch, Surya showed us you can do that if you bat sensibly.”
Zaheer Khan, MI’s director of cricket operations, has put the poor start down to the inability to close crucial moments. In the first game, they seemed to have the game in their pocket when they reduced Delhi Capitals to 104/6 in a chase of 177, but allowed their seventh wicket pair to take the game away. “You’ve got to be able to close those moments where the momentum is shifting. We’ve as a team not been able to do that. That is something we have to focus on.
“It’s a long season, so we have to keep things tight and keep getting better,” said Khan.
Experts have also pointed out that there has been too much tinkering in the playing XI. They have already tried out 15 players in the first four games. MI also may be better served restoring in-form batter, Suryakumar Yadav, to No 3 to hold the innings together.
Earlier, both CSK and MI were known to bounce back from these situations, but there’s a vast difference from the teams that achieved such feats and their current line-up.
The task is cut out for the IPL giants.
