Two teams who have had different fortunes in recent matches will face each other in a very crucial match. Pune Warriors are coming back after a bad match in which they were outshone by the Punjab team in every department. The Warriors batsmen surrendered on a lively Mohali pitch and were bowled out in the 19th over.
Chennai on the other hand registered a magical win over Royal Challengers Bangalore. They chased down a target of over 200 and the match went down till the last ball. Chennai have been a bit inconsistent in this season, but things could change after their splendid performance in the last match.
Both the teams have some quality players in their side and crowd will get their money’s worth if these players play to their potential. Let’s have a look at some of the players who can make a difference in this match.
Pune Warriors:
Robin Uthappa: Uthappa was one of the biggest buys in the last years’ auction. He played beautifully in the first three seasons but has failed to make any statement for the Warriors. Even in this season he has got starts, but has failed to convert any of them. The Warriors will want this Bangalorean to come good, as when in full flow he can play some amazing shots.
Jesse Ryder: The Kiwi opener has been a bit subdued in this tournament. He has not played the way everyone expects him to play. He is an explosive batsman at the top of the innings and can take the attack to the opposition right from the moment go. He will be looking to provide the Warriors an initial flair with the bat. He is also very handy with his medium-pacers.
Rahul Sharma: The tall leg-spinner is in great form and has done well in all the matches that he has played. He can extract steep bounce from any pitch and is a very consistent bowler for a wrist spinner. Rahul Sharma will once again lead the bowling attack for the Warriors and will look to provide them breakthrough in the middle of the innings.
Ashok Dinda: He is one of the fastest Indian bowlers going around. He looks in tremendous rhythm and is bowling with great pace. Dinda has never looked better and the best thing that he is doing in this tournament is that he is picking early wickets. Pune will rely heavily on him to make early in-roads in Chennai’s batting line-up.
Chennai Super Kings:
Murali Vijay: Vijay has been one of the most prolific run-scorer for the Chennai Super Kings in all the IPLs. This season he has been struggling and hasn’t made any impact. Vijay is a big hitter of cricket ball and will be hoping to change the tide in his favour. He has all the shots in his armory and is great to watch when in full flow.
Suresh Raina: Raina has been the man in form for the Super Kings. He has scored runs in almost all the matches and will be looking to do the same in this match as well. One thing that Raina will be hoping to change would be to convert his starts into a big score. He has been getting 30s and 40s but he will really like to have a big innings against his name.
Albie Morkel: We all saw what he is capable of with the bat in the last innings that he played, but this talented all-rounder has the ability to do the same with the ball. Morkel is a very good out-swing bowler and can take early wickets. He is very effective with his Yorkers and slower bouncers at the end of the innings.
R Ashwin: Ashwin is one of the most consistent off-spinner in this format. He is a vital cog in Chennai’s bowling line-up and is one of the trusted troops of skipper Dhoni. He bowls in tough periods and more often than not delivers what is expected of him.
By Gaurav Jha
Indian Sports News