Here is a Preview to Game 44 of IPL's Season 2:-Royal Challengers Bangalore:
International players: Kevin Pietersen, Mark Boucher, Nathan Bracken, Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Sunil Joshi, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Anil Kumble, Pankaj Singh, Jesse Ryder, Dale Steyn, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa, Roeolf van der Merwe, Cameron White, Tinu Yohannan.
Player who will not be available: Kevin Pietersen, Nathan Bracken.
Chennai Super Kings:
International players: MS Dhoni, S Badrinath, L Balaji, Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hayden, Joginder Sharma, Albie Morkel, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini, Jacob Oram, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina, Thilan Thushara, M Vijay.
Previous meetings: CSK 2, RCB 1
Match #15, 2008 – Bangalore – Chennai Super Kings won by 13 runs
Match #46, 2008 – Chennai – Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 14 runs
Match #69, 2009 – Port Elizabeth – Chennai Super Kings won by 92 runs
Talking points:
The last time these two teams played, Royal Challengers Bangalore were shot out for a disappointing 87 in 15.2 overs (chasing 180).
Chennai Super Kings are back on the circuit after a four-day break. They were on a five-match winning streak – will that break affect their momentum? Only time will tell.
International players: Kevin Pietersen, Mark Boucher, Nathan Bracken, Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Sunil Joshi, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Anil Kumble, Pankaj Singh, Jesse Ryder, Dale Steyn, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa, Roeolf van der Merwe, Cameron White, Tinu Yohannan.
Player who will not be available: Kevin Pietersen, Nathan Bracken.
Chennai Super Kings:
International players: MS Dhoni, S Badrinath, L Balaji, Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hayden, Joginder Sharma, Albie Morkel, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini, Jacob Oram, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina, Thilan Thushara, M Vijay.
Previous meetings: CSK 2, RCB 1
Match #15, 2008 – Bangalore – Chennai Super Kings won by 13 runs
Match #46, 2008 – Chennai – Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 14 runs
Match #69, 2009 – Port Elizabeth – Chennai Super Kings won by 92 runs
Talking points:
The last time these two teams played, Royal Challengers Bangalore were shot out for a disappointing 87 in 15.2 overs (chasing 180).
Chennai Super Kings are back on the circuit after a four-day break. They were on a five-match winning streak – will that break affect their momentum? Only time will tell.
Chennai have lost both their earlier matches at Durban – they were beaten by Delhi Daredevils (restricted to 180 chasing 190) and by Deccan Chargers (Couldn’t defend 166) in the first couple of weeks of the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings have in their line-up Matthew Hayden (Orange Cap holder) and Suresh Raina (the second highest run-scorer in the competition).
Matthew Hayden scored the fastest half-century of this IPL in the previous match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore – he needed only 22 balls to get to his half-century.
Matthew Hayden has hit the most sixes in the tournament so far – he has so far hit 17 sixes and 49 boundaries in his 426 runs (that converts to 70% of his runs).
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Ross Taylor’s 81 (33 balls) in the previous match against the Kolkata Knight Riders is the quickest 50+ innings in the IPL – his strike at the end of that innings was an astonishing 245.45.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have struggled while bowing at the death – they conceded 60 runs in the last four overs against the Kolkata Knight Riders, while in the match against Mumbai Indians the last four overs cost 43 runs and 55 runs in two matches.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have used up as many as 23 different players in the 11 matches they’ve played so far – that’s a lot of chopping and changing of the team.
Robin Uthappa has had a disappointing tournament so far – apart from the half-century against the Mumbai Indians (66*), he has aggregated 85 runs in nine innings. His overall performance in the competition so far is 151 runs at an average of 16.78.
Similarly, Virat Kohli, who has played in each of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s matches, has only one half-century in nine innings – he aggregates 108 from the other eight innings at an average of 13.5 and a sub-100 strike-rate of 91.53. Considering the Royal Challengers Bangalore have a few other players who have the reputation of being big-hitters, fielding Virat Kohli in each of the matches is a move that is questionable.
Despite being considered strong title-contenders because of the South African connection, Royal Challengers Bangalore are languishing in the bottom half of the table. They need to now win all three of their remaining matches to give themselves a chance of making it to the final four (their remaining opponents are Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers).
Chennai’s Shadab Jakati has turned out to be a surprise package with the ball – in five matches, Jakati has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 9.18 and at a wicket every 8 balls. He has returned with a wicket every single time he has bowled in the competition.
Chennai Super Kings have been the best in utilizing the fielding restrictions – they average 52 runs in the first six overs – that’s the best average by a batting team in the tournament. Their scores at the end of the first six overs in the tournament read: 40/2 vs MI, 68/0 vs RCB, 61/1 vs DD, 62/1 vs DC, 40/2 vs RR, 53/2 vs DD, 53/0 vs DC, 57/1 vs KXIP and 37/2 vs RR.
Sudeep Tyagi has been a refreshing addition to the Chennai Super Kings; line-up. He has so far played five matches and has had an economy rate of 6 or under 6 in each of those matches. However, he has never-ever completed his quote of four overs.
Getting Albie Morkel to bowl with the new ball has been Dhoni’s master-stroke – Morkel has picked up a wicket in his first over in four out of five innings he has bowled the first or the second over. However, Morkel’s magic with the bat is yet to be seen – he has hardly had the opportunity to bat in the last few matches – his highest in the competition so far has been 13*.
Chennai Super Kings have in their line-up Matthew Hayden (Orange Cap holder) and Suresh Raina (the second highest run-scorer in the competition).
Matthew Hayden scored the fastest half-century of this IPL in the previous match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore – he needed only 22 balls to get to his half-century.
Matthew Hayden has hit the most sixes in the tournament so far – he has so far hit 17 sixes and 49 boundaries in his 426 runs (that converts to 70% of his runs).
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Ross Taylor’s 81 (33 balls) in the previous match against the Kolkata Knight Riders is the quickest 50+ innings in the IPL – his strike at the end of that innings was an astonishing 245.45.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have struggled while bowing at the death – they conceded 60 runs in the last four overs against the Kolkata Knight Riders, while in the match against Mumbai Indians the last four overs cost 43 runs and 55 runs in two matches.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have used up as many as 23 different players in the 11 matches they’ve played so far – that’s a lot of chopping and changing of the team.
Robin Uthappa has had a disappointing tournament so far – apart from the half-century against the Mumbai Indians (66*), he has aggregated 85 runs in nine innings. His overall performance in the competition so far is 151 runs at an average of 16.78.
Similarly, Virat Kohli, who has played in each of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s matches, has only one half-century in nine innings – he aggregates 108 from the other eight innings at an average of 13.5 and a sub-100 strike-rate of 91.53. Considering the Royal Challengers Bangalore have a few other players who have the reputation of being big-hitters, fielding Virat Kohli in each of the matches is a move that is questionable.
Despite being considered strong title-contenders because of the South African connection, Royal Challengers Bangalore are languishing in the bottom half of the table. They need to now win all three of their remaining matches to give themselves a chance of making it to the final four (their remaining opponents are Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers).
Chennai’s Shadab Jakati has turned out to be a surprise package with the ball – in five matches, Jakati has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 9.18 and at a wicket every 8 balls. He has returned with a wicket every single time he has bowled in the competition.
Chennai Super Kings have been the best in utilizing the fielding restrictions – they average 52 runs in the first six overs – that’s the best average by a batting team in the tournament. Their scores at the end of the first six overs in the tournament read: 40/2 vs MI, 68/0 vs RCB, 61/1 vs DD, 62/1 vs DC, 40/2 vs RR, 53/2 vs DD, 53/0 vs DC, 57/1 vs KXIP and 37/2 vs RR.
Sudeep Tyagi has been a refreshing addition to the Chennai Super Kings; line-up. He has so far played five matches and has had an economy rate of 6 or under 6 in each of those matches. However, he has never-ever completed his quote of four overs.
Getting Albie Morkel to bowl with the new ball has been Dhoni’s master-stroke – Morkel has picked up a wicket in his first over in four out of five innings he has bowled the first or the second over. However, Morkel’s magic with the bat is yet to be seen – he has hardly had the opportunity to bat in the last few matches – his highest in the competition so far has been 13*.