Chennai Super Kings will be the biggest losers as their top stars Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey will depart on April 29.

The already battered Kings XI Punjab will not have the services of fast bowler Brett Lee and Simon Katich, while another struggling team, Deccan Chargers, would have to bid adieu to Andrew Symonds.
Kolkata Knight Riders would loose Ricky Ponting.

The players are leaving to take part in a team training programme ahead of the Carribean tour.
New Zealand stars Jacob Oram would also leave the Chennai Super Kings camp early next month, to be followed by his team mates Daniel Vettori (Delhi Daredevils), and big hitter Brendan McCullum (Kolkata Knight Riders)

With these departures there would be a perceived changes in the fortunes of the teams. South African big hitter Herschelle Gibbs would join the Deccan Chargers, while his skipper Graeme Smith will strengthen the ranks of the resurgent Rajasthan Royals.

Shane Warne will also have the services of Pakistan’s Younis Khan and Sohail Tanvir.

Chennai Superkings can take consolation from the fact that their bowling department will be strengthened with the arrival of Makaya Ntini this week.

Albie Morkel is also slated to join the Chennai Superkings. Will these changes affect the fortunes of the team? Only time will tell.

The speculation over captaincy was triggered after Shaun Pollock addressed the media. Shaun Pollock said the physio would take a decision on whether Sachin Tendulkar plays or not. Tendulkar’s absence was a big disappointment to Mumbai fans, and things look bad for them still.

Pollock also said the presence of all rounders was the strength of the Mumbai Indians, but added the presence of a number of left handers in the Chennai Super Kings team makes it a difficult proposition to bowl to them.

Sachin Tendulkar is unlikely to play in Mumbai Indians’ clash against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, giving a slight edge to the host team. There are rumours that in the match of Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings captained by Dhoni, Shaun Pollock may lead the side instead of Harbhajan Singh.

For Mumbai Indians also there is some good news as West Indian al rounder Dwayne Bravo has joined the team. Dwayne Bravo will replace Dominic Thornley, who was hit by a Zaheer Khan delivery.

It also seems, Mumbai Indians may replace Pinal Shah with Under-19 sensation Saurabh Tiwary, but a final word is not out.

The pitch at the Chennai venue promises to have a truckload of runs.

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that its too early to predict which team would win the DLF IPL tournament. According to Dhoni, the team that gels well early would win the series.

MS Dhoni said, “The teams have played just one or two matches. You cannot make any assessment on this basis. There are lots of matches left. There will be ups and downs. The team which gels well throughout will be the winner.”

Dhoni has a point there. So far, the teams which looked like they were playing as a unit have won. Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers have looked haphazard so far, despite the presence of some experienced players.

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians

The main problem that worries Mumbai Indians is the fitness of their captain Sachin Tendulkar. He missed the team’s first match against Bangalore Royal Challengers because a groin injury. It is not known till now whether Sachin would be able to play in tomorrow’s game against the Chennai Superkings. Harbhajan Singh had captained Mumbai Indians in the absence of Sachin.

If Sachin Tendulkar is absent, then it would be Harbhajan Singh who would be leading the side just like the last game. All eyes would be on the ongoing rivalry between Matthew Hayden, the Chennai Super Kings batsman, and Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai Indians spinner. Well, it is not as bad as the rivalry between Harbhajan SIngh and Andrew Symonds for sure.

According to Dhoni, the start of DLF IPL has been just perfect. “The start has been great, Brendan McCullum’s batting has been a solid one. Fans also got what they wanted. They saw some huge sixes, dance by cheerleaders, teams piling up huge scores and bowlers taking wickets. It provided excitement for the fans.”

The Chennai Super Kings captain also rubbished the possibility of him opening the innings in tomorrow’s match. On the other hand, if Sachin Tendulkar is available for play tomorrow, we may get to see tendulkar opening with Sanath Jayasuriya – that would be an explosive combination.

Hayden said he has had serious run-ins with Harbhajan and such a contest on the field would be electrifying for the whole world.

Matthew Hayden also said the IPL Twenty20 format brings back memories of Kerry Packer’s breakaway league which threatened to split cricketing fraternity, but said cricket as a game would benefit immensely from IPL.

But what happens as the Australians are to pack their bags from IPL in the first week of May for their training camp against West Indies?

Hayden does not seem perturbed. He says the big hitting Albie Morkel from South Africa can replace him in the Chennai squad.

Hayden is also all praise for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying the Ranchi-lad has a fine cricketing brain.
Matthew Hayden also said big scores would be the order of the day in IPL.

Dhoni seems to be comfortable in his own skin with the Chennai team – especially if you see the Tamil ads he features in for Sonata Watches. Despite initial apprehensions, having foreign players in city teams have not seemed to matter much at all – except that they are much mroe consistent tan our local players and take away the shine.

As an euphoric Chennai Super Kings led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni welcomes Mumbai Indians for the home match, both the teams will have plans knit around the presence or absence of one man – Sachin Tendulkar.

In their first match against Bangalore Royal Challengers, Mumbai Indians may not have missed Sachin Tendulkar as a batsman, but the absence was evident as a skipper, and of course his aura, which would have pumped in an extra dose of adrenalin into the Mukesh Ambni-owned side.

True opening batsman Luke Ronchi did not last long in the Mumbai stadium, but the big hitting Australian can be pardoned for this was his first match in the Indian sub continent. And Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka, who first mastered the art of hitting over the top while field restrictions are in place, did not let Mumbai Indians team down.

But imagine the prospect of Sachin opening with Sanath Jayasuriya for Mumbai Indians. That is one thing which even the agile thinking of Indian ODI and Twenty20 – and now Chennai Super Kings – captain MS Dhoni and the master cricketing brain of Chennai Kings coach Keppler Wessels would not relish much, even though they would have thought of umpteen plans to tackle such a scary scenario.

Mumbai Indians did fall short of another ten fifteen runs against Bangalore Royal Challengers but Robin Uthappa showed his prowess to be dangerous.

Thronley got retired hurt with more than a dozen stitches, which means he is almost out of the Mumbai Indians squad. This also means Sachin Tendulkar can make a quiet entry into the squad without much of a reshuffle. Sachin Tendulkar can also chip in with Sanath Jayasuriya for a spell of bowling, who went for 39 runs in his four overs, to give some variety to the bowling attack.

Abhishek Nayar showed that he is an exciting prospect with his willow as well as some stunning catches.
Bowling would be Mumbai Indians’ main worry and Sachin Tendulkar needs to do some damage control and may be try and bowl his entire quota without much damage. India discard Ashish Nehra was wayward, but he was taking the field after a huge gap.

Among the Mumbai Indians bowlers, Shaun Pollock was spot on with an amazing 4.17 runs per over rate, at one point bowling five dot balls to Bangalore Royal Challengers’ skipper Rahul Dravid, but The Wall would rather fend him off than try cut loose and throw his wicket.

This time also, Chennai Super Kings would not do some thing foolish, but the likes of Matthew Hayden and Dhoni would definitely try and upset Pollock’s rhythm early on, lest he unleashes his nagging accuracy and make life difficult.

Shaun Pollock did play a cameo 28-run knock of 12 balls while batting for Mumbai Indians, and the South African would be mighty pleased and eager to carry on from were he left.

After the initial success of getting Rahul Dravid when he was looking dangerous, Mumbai Indians bowler Harbhajan Singh did well to get another key man Jacques Kallis, but the pressure of captaincy did show. If Sachin Tendulkar comes into play, Harbhajan Singh would have a different take and might relish reviving his love-hate relationship with Matthew Hayden.

Mumbai’s Dhaval Kulkarni also did a decent job with the ball, though he would be getting pearls of wisdom to improve his approach to the game from coach Lalchand Rajput, Sachin Tendulkar and Shaun Pollock himself as the tournament progresses.

Chennai Super Kings are riding on a wave of success unleashed by Michael Hussey and and Matthew Hayden, M S Dhoni and Suresh Raina to it apart from Parthiv Patel and you know why they have emerged as bookies’ favourites.

Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttaiah Muralitharan would have to do more than the job of containment and he is capable of that also. Jacob Oram, M Goni, Amarnath and Sharma weren’t impressive at all during the high scoring match against Kings XI, but they have time to make amends.

In the absence of a testing bowling attach, Chennai Superkings would want to bat anyway and put up a mammoth total on board before hoping for the Mumbai Indians to buckle under pressure.

So the role of Hussey, Hayden and Dhoni is vital for Chennai Super Kings. But you cannot expect Michael Hussey to perform another big innings simply going by the law of averages and also because that was a sort of once in a lifetime exploit. It can’t be repeated every other day.

But Hussey would undoubtedly want some big hits for himself and would not allow himself to be bogged down. Its either a hit or a walk back as the Aussie doesn’t trust dot balls.

Dhoni has so far failed to perform with his bat, and this is the big match for him to unleash his hard-hitting fury. Chennai Super Kings needs a valiant effort from the Indian Twenty20 skipper.

Suresh Raina played a cameo and he will be expected to do that again or may be even promoted up the line-up if Parthiv is dropped. Stephen Fleming may also get a look in.

The verdict is that there is no clear edge for Chennai SuperKings vs Mumbai Indians as is perceived.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jacob Oram , Albie Morkel , Suresh Raina, Matthew Hayden, Stephen Fleming, Michael Hussey, Parthiv Patel, Joginder Sharma, Makhaya Ntini, Nuwan Zoysa, R. Ashwin, S. Anirudha, Sudeep Tyagi.

Mumbai Indians
Sachin Tendulkar,Sanath Jayasuriya, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Shaun Pollock, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Loots Bosman, Ajinkya Rahane,Abhishek Nayar, Yogesh Takawale, Pinal Shah, Ashwell Prince.

As per the latest news, Sachin is unlikely to play in the inaugural match of Mumbai Indians against the Bangalore franchisee Royal Challengers. Sachin is nursing a groin injury. In the absence of Sachin, the team will be led by Harbhajan Singh.

It is expected that Sachin’s absence is a boon for the Royal Challengers, which were embarassed by Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the DLF IPL on April 18. Royal Challengers, led by Rahul Dravid, will also be happy with the presence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the veteran West Indian who will add more strength to the batting line up of the ROyal Challengers.

If Sachin is missing from the Mumbai Indians squad, the cricket fans in Mumbai would surely be unhappy. But, Sanath Jayasurya and Robin Uthappa will surely add the much needed fireworks for a Twenty20 match.

The main weakness of Mumbai Indians is that they dont have many T20 specialists in the side, though Robin Uthappa is an exception. Although, the absence of SAchin Tendulkar would be a blow to the Mumbai Indians, the fact that they are facing a low-on-confidence Royal Challengers would act as a big morale booster to the Mumbai Indians.

Whether all that was worth it, we will know soon as the match is going to take another hour to end one way or the other. Bangalore Royal Challengers would try hard; they are still smarting from their collapse to the Kolkata Knight riders.

Yesterday, Robin Uthappa said that the youngsters in the side would benefit a lot by playing alongside the likes of greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Shaun Pollock and Sanath Jayasurya in the DLF IPL which kickstarted on Friday April 18. Uthappa had contributed a lot with his bat and was very useful in the lower middle over in India’s T20 World Cup win this year.

Robin Uthappa said, “It will be exciting and a lot of fun. We will learn a lot from the top international players of the team. Sachin and Sanath can also bowl well and we have a lot of all rounders. At the moment I don’t see any weaknesses in the team.”

Mumbai Indians would be led by Sachin Tendulkar itself and had been bought by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries for an astronomical figure, thus making it the most expensive IPL team among all the franchisees. Mumbai Indians will also have Master Card as the team’s founding sponsor.

Ashish Nehra, who had been out of the Indian team for a while, is also looking for making a comeback. “It’s good to be back after 18 months after not having played much cricket (during the period). I am pretty excited.”

Mumbai Indians will face off the Royal Challengers team, the IPL franchisee of Bangalore which is led by Rahul Dravid and owned by businessman Vijay Mallya, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, today.

Sachin Tendulkar unlikley to play, in which case Harbhajan Singh will lead Mumbai Indians 

Another battle between two former Indian skippers is on the cards when the Reliance owned Mumbai Indians captained by Sachin Tendulkar takes on battered Bangalore Royal Challengers led by Rahul Dravid.

Only this time, Sachin’s presence is not guaranteed as he is fighting injuries. A decision on whether or not Sachin will play will be taken just before the match, but odds are that he will sit out.

But that does not give any breather to Rahul Dravid’s Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Explosive batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, who can tear apart any bowling attack, will most certainly open with Robin Uthappa, the Bangalore lad whom Dravid and Mallya would have rued not to get in the player auction.

The dazzling Uthappa can be as dangerous or even better than Sanath Jayasuriya and therein starts the woes of Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Luke Ronchi is another prolific big hitter that they would have to contend with in the batting line up. Ronchi’s larger than life exploits in Australian league had earned him a call from none other than Sachin Tendulkar, an honour that he will look to repay with the willow at Wankhade stadium on Sunday.

South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock comes with a vast array of experience and the immaculate ability to bowl on the spot. This means that he have the opportunity to trouble Bangalore Royal Challengers with the bat as well the ball.

Dilhardo Fernando and Ashish Nehra would ably back Pollock as they try and check the run flow and take wickets.

And the man who would lead them all in the probable absence of Sachin Tendulkar is Harbhajan Singh, who was bagged by the Mumbai Indians for a whopping $850,000. Harbhajan’s experience in volatile, high-profile contests would come to the fore as Mumbai Indians’ coach Lalchand Rajput knits his strategy to tame the Bangalore Royal challengers.

The pressure clearly is on Vijay Mallya promoted Bangalore Royal Challengers and its skipper Rahul Dravid.

Lasith Malinga has been ruled out due to injuries, but Mumbai Indians have roped in Dwayne Bravo to replace him. The West Indian, however, is not likely to play the match against Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians’s second match against Chennai Super Kings is likely to see Bravo taking the field.

Rahul Dravid has been at the receiving end of a barrage of criticism for selecting a team, which resembles more of a test side than even a one day side, while the requirements of Twenty20 is clearly more unique than even ODIs. The Bangalore skipper has his own logic and game plan and a sound cricketing brain, but that needs to be converted into a win at any cost to settle down in the tournament.

Bangalore Royal Challengers has a formidable bowling attack, but its is yet to take off in the absence of Anil Kumble and pace spearhead Dale Steyn.

Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, fresh from his last over exploits against Sri Lanka, has arrived but he is unlikely to play in the Mumbai match.

Zaheer Khan, who would have a better idea about the Wankhade stadium pitch, would have to ensure that he doesn’t get hit initially.

Many think a wayward Zaheer’s first over cost India the world cup final against Australia and also Bangalore Royal Challengers first match against Kolkata Knight Riders. But if he gets into the groove, Zaheer can be menacing.

Misabah-ul-Haq’s absence is a major issue for Bangalore Royal Challengers, as there aren’t many who can hit the red cherry out of the ground in the Team.

A pitch favouring the batsmen makes Bangalore’s Royal Challengers’ task more difficult. Jacques Kallis will have to cut loose if they are to put up a decent total. Mark Boucher can be deployed to tackle Harbhajan Singh as the South African is a able player of spin.

Praveen Kumar emerged as the best bet for Bangalore Royal Challengers in both batting and bowling. Praveen Kumar was the only one to reach double digits in the mach against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Virat Kohli would have another opportunity to show that his Under-19 skills can be elevated to the international level.

Mumbai Indians are the clear favourites and Bangalore Royal Challengers would have to come up with some astonishing performance to lift their own spirits and bury the ghost of Brendon McCullum.

Teams

Mumbai Indians

Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Uthappa, Shaun Pollock, Dilhara Fernando, Luke Ronchi, Abhishek Nayar, Ajinkya Rahane, Dominic Thornley, Musavir Khote, Dhaval Kulkarni, Pinal Shah, Sorah Tiwary, Siddarth Chitnis, Swapnil Singh, Vikrant Yelligeti.

Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Zaheer Khan, Cameron White, Ashley Noffke, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Sunil Joshi, Ross Taylor, Sunil Joshi, K P Appanna, Sreevats Goswami, J Arunkumar.   

The Mumbai Wankhede stadium will witness the first home match of the Mumbai Indians, being led by none other than the icon player of the team Sachin Tendulkar lock horns with the Bangalore Royal Challengers led by Rahul Dravid.

The main problem which is still facing the Mumbai Indians is the fitness of their star batsman Sachin Tendulkar. It’s still not known as to whether Sachin would play in the inaugural match of the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Royal Challengers skipper Rahul Dravid would be a worried man after their disappoint loss against the Knight Riders. The match saw one of the most exciting batting performances in the history of the game with Aussie Brendon McCullum blistering his way to a mammoth 158 and thus handling an easy win to his Knight Riders team. The same thing would repeat if Rahul Dravid fails a way to send back the Lankan marauder Sanath Jayasurya, who is bound to open the Mumbai Indians batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar. Jayasurya is well know for his aggressive batting and he would surely be a menace for the Royal Challengers if allowed to settle.

Bangalore Royal Challengers is worried by the absence of two exciting bowlers Dale Steyn and Nathan Bracken. While Dale Steyn is playing domestic cricket in South Africa, Aussie Nathan Bracken is nursing an injury. Without the presence of these two promising bowlers, the bowling line-up of Bangalore Royal Challengers lacked sharpness during their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders and this would be a major concern for the Royal Challengers. They have to find some way to strengthen their bowling line-up especially, and also the batting line-up does not look too good with Indian test player Wasim Jaffer opening the batting.

Just like Mumbai Indians is worried over the fitness of Sachin, Bangalore Royal Challengers also has a reason to worry – Indian test captain Anil Kumble’s fitness. It is unlikely that Anil Kumble would be ready for the match against Mumbai Indians on Sunday.