Indian Premier League - General Discussion

How Jadeja doesn't bat higher up is beyond me.[DOUBLEPOST=1603993283][/DOUBLEPOST]What a franchise! What a team!
 
Well that was some innings from Jadeja! Well played, he has turned his hitting a great way this IPL. KKR all but out and with this win MI qualify!
 
Feels so good to have consecutive wins again. And Jadeja, what a player! Feel for Nagarkoti, he was bowling superbly until those last two balls, he was let down heavily by his skipper.
 
He was let down by Lockie Ferguson bowling a beamer.

I wouldn't be gifting Rana an over with dew in play and two Indian batsmen capable of taking down spinners at the crease. Lockie's bad day could be put down to death over shenanigans but that Rana over was ridiculous.
 
While one might accuse Kolkata of not being deserved winners in other games based on the balance of play (which I don't think is fair), I definitely think they did not deserve to win today after making several odd decisions. The only one I could think of as good was DK being left until late instead of being sent in early which probably gave them ten extra runs. The stats might say that Rana has two fifties after opening but I just think he was too good a batsman to miss out and was due some big scores which have come recently. He has barely made use of the powerplay in both games and most of his aggression has been in the middle overs versus spinners. Is it worth having him early if he can compensate earlier? For someone like Gayle who can win you games on his own probably yes, but for a slightly inconsistent Rana? Probably not. Rinku and Narine were probably a spot or two too early IMO, feel like Morgan should trust himself more to bat through, he is a batsman of international standards who should not be in the shed until the end. As I said at the start of the season, it really does seem like a case of 'too many cooks spoil the broth' in this KKR dugout.

Gaikwad was very good yet again, felt a bit bad that he wasn't there to finish things for the side. I hope this shuts up every CSK fan on social media that was criticizing him just two games ago for the 'spark' comment. Watson looked really tetchy, plenty of singles were denied in the powerplay overs due to him being unable to run them. Can't afford someone like him being inconsistent next season for the most part in the vain hope that he comes good or clutch in the end for two games. Rayudu was brilliant as usual, he is slowly morphing into that old Raina role of scoring quick and consistent 30s targeting the spinners in the middle overs. Full credit to Lungi too, it is not easy to bowl well after being dropped after just two games and he has shown that he should be retained without any doubt.

Kolkata's primary spinners were their best performers for me today, it is not an easy job to bowl so well despite having dew affect the game and to concede less than six runs per over from eight overs was a great job which kept them alive in the game. Siddhesh Lad should be playing if they want an extra top order/middle order batsman, he has experience of being thrown all around the batting order for Mumbai already so he should fit right into this rather fluid Kolkata XI.
 
How Jadeja doesn't bat higher up is beyond me.[DOUBLEPOST=1603993283][/DOUBLEPOST]What a franchise! What a team!

Dhoni's decision to keep coming in rather early is puzzling me a lot now, for years when he was in good touch he would often not promote himself despite everyone imploring him to. Right now when he seems to be a walking wicket unfortunately he keeps coming in early and gets out rather quickly when other batsmen are available. Jadeja should really be the number five in this team.
 
This game meant as much to CSK as any other game and for a team that has never been knocked out of the tournament before the playoffs, you can sense why! I was jumping in delight watching Ruturaj Gaikwad shine! He was exceptional, especially in those overs from 9-11 where he tore into KKRs bowling with some spectacular shots. The future of CSK has been in stellar display today and in our last game against RCB and honestly it looks pretty good. I just wish wish wish if we had given these guys chances early enough in this tournament, especially after we lost Raina and Harbhajan. I hope Dhoni, Fleming and the management have learnt their lessons well enough and don't fall back on the old track. I still felt frustrated that Jagadeesan was pushed back and Dhoni came ahead. I mean, there are still traces that he backs experience in such situations and it was frustrating. In the back of my mind, I wanted him to get out because I felt if he stayed long enough, the required rate will mount up and it would have been deja vu considering the form Dhoni is in. Curran had almost a nightmarish game with the bat today, but luckily for CSK, Jaddu was in beast mode!!

I thought Karn bowling that 15th over almost cost us the game. We had 6 overs left in the innings and Chahar-Curran-Ngidi had 6 overs left amongst them. Karn was already leaking runs in his previous overs (apart from that first one where he got Gill with a beauty).

I feel Jadeja is ready for a change in role, where he plays as a pure specialist batsman who can bowl 2-4 overs depending on the type of opposition batsmen in play. He can transition into the role that Raina used to do with his useful off spin and his solid batting.
 
Was this the last of Shane Watson in IPL cricket? I doubt if he will take strike against Punjab on Sunday with Faf Du Plessis expected to come back in.

I don't think it makes any logical sense for CSK to retain Watson. I have a feeling they might have a talk with him and politely ask him if he can announce retirement so that if a mini auction does not take place, CSK can ask for a replacement for Watson and try for the likes of Malan or Klassen or Guptill to fill Watson's boots.
 
I don't think it makes any logical sense for CSK to retain Watson. I have a feeling they might have a talk with him and politely ask him if he can announce retirement so that if a mini auction does not take place, CSK can ask for a replacement for Watson and try for the likes of Malan or Klassen or Guptill to fill Watson's boots.
I guess you missed something, someone in the comm box said that, Watson has announced that he'll not play next year.
 
I guess you missed something, someone in the comm box said that, Watson has announced that he'll not play next year.

There has been no official announcement on it yet. If there was, it would have been all over the news considering Watson's stature!

Watson has been superlative for CSK (won us a title and almost won us the final last year, with blood oozing out of his legs). But even last year, his inconsistency was very much to the fore and it was CSK's good fortune that the team kept itself in the hunt due to other vital contributions (more so from MSD) and Watson did his thing in the playoffs. The big thing with him is, he adds heavily to the perception of CSK being a old 'n tired side. Even today, DK came into bat, tapped the ball to Watson who was almost at leg gully and scampered for a two. That prompted the commentators to bring up Watson's fitness and agility issues.
 
I did not want to make any post yesterday as the adrenaline was pumping and I would have let some irrationality creep into the larger scheme of things and I felt @Bevab post on the CSK deserved better.

Let us get one thing out of the way- CSK have not executed well this year. I don't think they've played awfully and I can say that because I have seen some legendary Bangalore seasons. If we are to judge them by their lofty standards then yes they have not played well and fallen into the trap of playing 'dated cricket.'

Now let me ask a few questions to you-

This "dad's army" has aged and it is well known. It was well known in 2018 and we all know the results from 18 and 19 and now. As you said, it's a point you accept in the sense that 1st, 2nd and last place are results any franchise would desperately take bar Mumbai in this leg? The same people that were jumping up and down from the last two years are now suddenly crying foul.
The thing that has irked me the most about some posts here is the crystal ball revelations. Without taking any names, statements like "oh this guy is so and so age and he should pack up!" Why? Because a few of us keyboard warriors feel so? I think 2018 was a good tight slap across the faces of people who were making a big deal about this (Sanjay Manjrekar) and an inspirational message for anyone that if your heart is in it and you work hard for it then age is just a number. You can achieve what you want. I think a tremendous amount of crap has been written about Raina without any official confirmations and he has been an equal backbone of this franchise along with MS.

My biggest point is that anyone can have a bad season. The IPL is notorious in this sense because it's like quick sand. The more you struggle in a season, the more it clenches you in. And this year has been a year of the pandemic, preparations have been all over the place, the tournament itself was in jeopardy and I feel it's okay to have a bad year for guys who have basically never had a shocker of a season. Ask an RCB fan. Too much ingratitude here pertaining to CSK. One day, India will lose to Pakistan in the World Cup. It's inevitable. We need to avoid doing what we did in the 90's i.e throw this one out, start a blame culture etc etc. Find the reason for the loss, move on and improve. I certainly cannot remember one franchise in 13-14 years that has so quickly moved on and started prepping in earnest for a new season. Gaikwad is already a fixture next year and it just shows the progressive mindset and professionalism of a well oiled mega cricket team. There is a reason someone so self involved as Jadeja was passionately gesticulating at the 'India cements' branding yesterday and not the "Jadeja" name. These guys have been running cricket teams for 50+ years. They know their sh!t.

I'll again say- With all these bubbles, covid, lack of prep I think CSK should be given more margin. People are talking about Raina bailing, MS has had a season to write off. He simply has become so humongous a name that nobody dares to snarl a finger. Again, I will only agree that this is a side that is finished when it happens agin. Not now.

I had sighted the examples of Baumgartner and Federer not because of any similarity or dissimilarity to sport. If anything, my point gets amplified because cricket is less physical than both of them and as I have said- If these old hags decide they want to win the 2021 IPL, these legends will make something of it. They might not win, but I can sure shot say they will qualify. They are all fit, they are responsible and only simply their template is extinct and no longer jaded. I can already see a decent side taking shape and I think what they desperately need are three things-

1) A dynamic foreign batsman. I have no idea why Billings was let go. May be their overseas slots were filled. I think someone like Jason Roy would be an ideal fit for example at the top with Gaikwad. If I were India Cements, I would move oceans and mountains to get Williamson.

2) What they have desperately missed is a choke bowler. A role someone like Ashwin and Harbhajan has fulfilled for years. They can find one in the domestic circuit to support the leggies.

3) One more Indian batsman of pedigree in the middle order. They could perhaps trade a Kedar Jadhav for someone like an Abdul Samad.

I will just conclude by saying that way too much rubbish has been written about a franchise that has been operating like the Aussie management and team of the 2000's and this extends beyond the glittered history of CSK. It's even before that. They have had poor seasons back then as well and this one is the first in the IPL. Early signs are that they have already understood their mistakes and are working on fixes for not just the long term but also short term future.

The current line up or rather core going into 2021 looks like-

Gaikwad
du Plessis (have a ready replacement like Roy and in case you need both then Faf can always move to 3)
Rayudu
India batsman unless Raina continues.
Dhoni
Jadeja
Curran
Chahar
Indian off spinner
Hazlewood
Tahir

You can see that they don't need any major revamp for next year. Just some things to fall in place. For 2022 yes, it will depend on what these players feel themselves too. But I don't think this side will be a pushover next year. One swallow doesn't make a summer.
 

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