IPL 2019 | Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to fight contrasting realities in a game of bragging rights
IPL
'The start for us is not about runs, especially the first two overs. Our role, especially me and Watto, is to get through those first few overs. Because if we don't lose wickets in those first few overs, we play the powerplay better.'
After Chennai Super Kings had gotten the better of Delhi Capitals in a clearly one-sided encounter in Vizag last night, Faf du Plessis was thrown a tough question of why CSK always start slow in the league. Beyond that, they lose more wickets than anyone else and their opening average of 9.44 is comfortably the lowest in the league. So when du Plessis gave such an answer that they tend to play the “powerplay better”, it was taken with a pinch of salt. However, wait... Just think. Isn’t it also true that the team has already reached the final - their eighth appearance in 10 seasons they have played in total, and the most successful in the history of the IPL. There must be some logic to the statement.
“Naturally you need a few more balls to hit the ball from the middle of the bat. Once we get through that, we generally score quicker. We saw that innings where Watson got 96 - once he gets through the Powerplay, he plays really well. So that's a real strength of ours just to get through that, and it just frees up all the players," the South African added, clarifying the very basic reason of why they go slow and most importantly, why they can afford to go slow.
So, if Faf’s understanding has a semblance of truth attached to it, then just think what a brilliant inversion of the popular myth was that. It is often cited in jest that T20 cricket is all about pre-occupied smartness and the usage of data analytics. While it is easy to notice that Chennai have often lost the way in the first 10 overs of the game, only to be brought back by MS Dhoni more often than not, their strategy has hardly moved away from it. They try and stay in the game and hold back for a final assault, which is the ultimate Dhoni-ism that has stayed clear of other chasing packs. Take Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav for example and they will tell you who was under more pressure.
Mumbai Indians, however, are different and they have a full-proof plan to back their strategy. Believing in the ideology that “Don't put all your eggs in one basket”, Mumbai regularly find a perfect combination and specifically this season, they found their local players turn into match-winners. While CSK run by their instinct and their undying belief on MS Dhoni have had a big role to play, Mumbai have managed to chalk out a winning formula and use the match-ups against each player to maximum effect.
The Reliance machinery that runs behind Mumbai Indians had ensured a great data analytics team, which provides them all the raw data, and when it comes to execution, there is none better than Rohit to exploit it with his sheer game awareness and the understanding of his resources. Looking at it, one thing is very clear that there is nothing much to separate MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma when it comes to the debate that who knows his resources better. CSK scrapped through, often ensuring the game was won on the edge, but Mumbai are a well-oiled unit, and their player knows their role fairly clear.
That was exactly the reason why - notwithstanding the result between both teams in the previous three encounters this season - the final holds so much of significance and not ONLY because it is the final. Mumbai very well knows that they have the resources to pull off another coup against the team, which have failed to dominate against them despite being at their peak of prowess. They know very well that if they can stop Dhoni in the first place, the chance of securing another win is just around the corner considering the longer boundary that Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad offers.
Mahela Jayawardene gave an interesting insight in the press conference ahead of the second round battle against Chennai a few days ago. A left-arm spinner is often Dhoni’s kryptonite after the former Indian skipper started going on the wrong line and decided to move away from his hugely successful doctrine of “taking chances against the spinners”. Keeping that in mind, Mumbai handed a debut to Jharkhand's Anukul Roy, but as it turned out, Dhoni decided to let Suresh Raina lead in the encounter, and himself, sat back, which later revealed to be due to fever. It is the approach where Chennai found a similarity with their “arch-rival”. CSK decided to bench Harbhajan Singh in their second encounter at home despite the spinner securing a man of the match award.
However, the only difference in that approach between both the teams is the CSK's ability to remain clear about the ideas and having a plan B almost at all time of the game. Not even looking back in the comfort of hindsight, this is clear that the belief and the ability to punch above the weight has given CSK an unparalleled success and the Mumbai-based team would vouch for the idea to have an impact for them too as the two three-time champions will lock horns with each other so as to grab the bragging rights and decide which section of the fans will call the shots until another IPL comes along. The game will be as much about subtle similarities - of many things - as much it will be a game of pure contrasts. However, as the cliche goes, whoever can win the moments, will come out as the eventual winner and have the bragging rights until the next summer starts.
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