Chennai look to extend winning streak against Kolkata

Mohammad Abdullah, Staff Reporter

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will look to carry on the momentum after a spectacular win over Kings XI Punjab when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their sixth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday.

Chennai have procured four points with two wins from their five matches as of now. After a winning start against Mumbai Indians in the opener, Chennai went on to lose three games in a row.

Captain MS Dhoni was at the centre of criticism from all quarters as former greats and fans took to social media to lambast the skipper for a lacklustre performance and captaincy.

Dhoni was accused of coming too late against Rajasthan Royals and playing too slow against Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

But a convincing victory against Punjab brought some respite for under-fire Dhoni. Yet Chennai’s worries are far from over as they still have to do a lot of hard work to stake a claim for being serious contenders for the title.

However, the Punjab rout will do a world of good for Chennai and Dhoni both. It will help restore the confidence of the team, who desperately needed a morale-boosting victory after losing three games on the trot.

Shane Watson (83) and Faf du Plessis (87) put on an unbroken opening-wicket stand of 181 as the Lions thumped KXIP by 10 wickets.

“Obviously performances like that (Watson & du Plessis’ knocks) cover up a lot of things. We are by no means anywhere near where we want to be, but then individual performances with the bat can really help,” Chennai coach Stephen Fleming had said after the victory.

While it was du Plessis’ third fifty of the season, Watson finding his touch augurs well for Chennai after he was seen struggling in the previous games.

But the team think tank had exuded confidence in the Australian all-rounder and stuck with him, who came up with captivating innings finally to live up to his billing.

“You actually have to be very courageous when things aren’t going your way and be very positive as well.

“Sometimes you can be too reckless, sometimes too defensive and sometimes the bowler can be too good for you on the day.

“There is so much to consider. But attitude you can control, and what we try to do is provide some selection security for the guys and ask them to be as confident and positive as they can,” Fleming explained.

The Lions, runners-up last year, are the most consistent team in IPL history, having qualified for the Playoffs in all their previous 10 seasons, reached the final eight times and lifted the trophy thrice.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) also have two wins from their five matches. They were beaten by Delhi by 18 runs in their last match. Chasing a mammoth total of 228, Kolkata could muster only 210.

But it was Eoin Morgan’s heroics which took them so close to the target after being reduced to 122-6 in 16 overs.

Kolkata’s top order has not been up to the mark. Their whole batting revolves around Morgan and Russell and Shubham Gill.

Skipper Dinesh Karthik does not deserve a place in the playing XI, if the selection is to be made on the basis of performance. To return to form, they need a change both in leadership and approach.

Their bowling has been impressive with the likes of Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarty.

West Indian all-rounder Sunil Narine is yet to come up with a significant performance with either bat or ball.