IPL 2018 | KKR’s approach with ball against MS Dhoni is a thing to watch out for, opines Viv Richards
Vivian Richards is excited to see Kolkata Knight Riders' game plan against MS Dhoni in today’s encounter between CSK and KKR at the Eden Gardens. The West Indian legend has also pinpointed Chennai as the standout team in this year IPL and said that it's difficult to predict the top four as of now.
In this year's IPL, what we have seen so far, one thing which appeals the most is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s vintage six hitting abilities. The former Indian captain is hitting the ball as good as he has ever done in his life and that came as a welcome narrative for them who have lost all their hopes on him after his recent travails with the India colours.
In his column for the Times Of India, legendary cricketer Vivian Richards have expressed his excitement to see the approach by KKR bowlers to stop Dhoni’s magnificent run.
"There is no doubt that MS Dhoni has been unstoppable this season, but Dinesh Karthik has brought something new to the table by putting abundant faith in his young bowlers. Both teams have a well-rounded squad that knows when to step up, but it will be interesting to see what the boys do on their given day," wrote Richards in his column.
"Showing confidence and mentoring youngsters seems to be the No 1 agenda in Karthik's scheme of things. KKR's Shivam Mavi went for a lot of runs against Delhi but Karthik played Mavi in the next match and the bowler justified the faith shown on him,” he added.
When these two teams met in the first week of the tournament in Chennai, CSK chased down KKR's 202/6 with five wickets and one delivery remaining despite Andre Russell's heroics. Now, the former West Indies world Cup-winning captain has likened Sunil Narine’s transformation as an opener to that of Sanath Jayasuriya in the nineties.
“Another factor that works for Kolkata is Sunil Narine's role as an opener. It reminds me of Jayasuriya during his heydays.”
CSK sit at the top the IPL 2018 points table and can easily fix a playoff spot with two more wins. Richards believes their success rate is the reason for having a well-balanced squad.
“Among the teams that hope to occupy the top four slots, Chennai is the stand outside. A team that was frowned upon for being full of retired players, it has stepped up and shown the world what experience can do for them. Each player is aware of his role and executes it to perfection," he wrote.
Talking about the excitement and competition level in a high-profile tournament like IPL, the prolific batsman of the yesteryear, stated that when the defending champions are placed in bottom five of the table, the time knows who are the teams to qualify for the playoffs.
“With three former champions in the bottom five of the league standings, it's time we knew who will make it to the playoffs," said Richards.
"I would say the excitement in this IPL is just about to get higher with the final stage of the league yet to come. T20 is unpredictable and that's what makes the game so exciting; with brilliant fielding, spectacular catches, record-breaking innings, bowling perfect line and length, this season has been one for the books,” he concluded.
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