IPL giants seek to end title drought

Monday, 6 April 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Down but not out: Chennai Super Kings had to settle for a disappointing third-place finish last year - BCCI ESPNCricinfo: After a strong start that included six wins on the trot, Super Kings’ form tapered off towards the end of the league phase, but was still good enough to take them to the second qualifier, where they lost a runathon to Kings XI Punjab. R. Ashwin’s stated ambition of Chennai Super Kings becoming the IPL’s Manchester United is the sort of chest-thumping theme fanboys and brand managers swear by. Such comparisons are, however, little more than a gimmicky twist given the relatively recent origins of the tournament itself. Still, it can’t be ignored that Super Kings have been the gold standard for teams in the IPL. They have made the last four in each of the last seven seasons, including four straight final appearances and two titles. Given Super Kings’ success rate, three consecutive years without an IPL title is deemed an underachievement. But even as their supporters twitch nervously, Super Kings are unlikely to panic. The team’s accomplishments have come on the strength of sameness, and despite the inevitable shuffling, they have managed to keep their core intact, investing mainly in must-haves at the auction. Michael Hussey, who played for Mumbai Indians last year, is back, even as Captain M.S. Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and Ashwin remain the team’s constants. Another familiar figure is coach Stephen Fleming, whose cricket brain is only one of his many strengths in the set-up. Apart from rigorously implementing his pet phrase ‘consistency of selection,’ he has also been Super Kings’ trusted stone-waller at media interactions. His man-management methods - ranging from prankish bonding exercises to crisp team meetings - have kept the unit in a happy place. On the field, what hurt Super Kings the most in 2014 was the runs bled by their seamers. Their three frontline bowlers were hit around for more than eight an over. Seam-bowling has been their longstanding weak spot, and they tried to remedy it at the auction, acquiring Kyle Abbott, Irfan Pathan and Andrew Tye, who Aaron Finch called the find of last season’s Big Bash League, after offloading Ben Hilfenhaus and James Hastings.With Mohit Sharma, Matt Henry, Ashish Nehra, Ishwar Pandey and Dwayne Bravo already in the squad, it would appear this flank has more beef now. The batting department doesn’t lend itself to much change, but Hussey’s arrival will likely see him opening with Brendon McCullum, while Dwayne Smith, Super Kings’ highest-scorer last year, will remain an option as well. Super Kings have a big complement of star names to call on, with Dhoni and Raina, who hasn’t yet missed a single IPL fixture, leading the way. But this year’s big draw has to be Brendon McCullum, after his smash-mouth striking - 328 runs at a strike-rate of 188.50 - and leadership brought New Zealand within a match of the World Cup title. McCullum was the third-highest scorer for Super Kings last year with 405 runs at an average of 31.15, but with a surprisingly middling strike-rate of 121.62. Super Kings will also do well to remember that his dropping down to No.4 in the knockout games yielded poor returns. With every ball Kyle Abbott bowled in the World Cup - he picked up nine wickets in the four matches as replacement for the injured Vernon Philander- the Super Kings management must have been progressively thrilled. At Rs. 30 lakh ($ 50,000), Abbott was shopped for a steal. Abbott is tall, pacy and is capable of swinging the ball. It helps that he is tidy - at 4.19, he was South Africa’s most economical bowler in the tournament. McCullum will miss the last stretch of the tournament with New Zealand touring England in May. Coaches Head coach - Stephen Fleming, Bowling coach - Andy Bichel, Fielding coach - Steve Rixon Likely first XI: 1 Michael Hussey/Dwayne Smith, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Ashish Nehra/Ishwar Pandey, 11 Mohit Sharma