Recharged DC look to halt CSK

Dhonis men aim for semifinal berth

Deccan’s semifinal hopes were almost over after they lost six of their 10 matches. However, a seven-wicket victory over RCB on Thursday boosted their morale and Adam Gilchrist’s men will look to win the rest of their four ties.

The last time the two teams clashed, Andrew Symonds had blown away Chennai by hitting a 43-ball 50 run and picking up two crucial wickets.

However, meeting out the same treatment again will be far from easy considering Chennai’s recent form. They have beaten RCB, Rajasthan Royals and table-toppers Mumbai Indians in the last three outings.

After a series of flops, Chargers’ middle-order finally came to the fore last night when T Suman (78) and Andrew Symonds (53) shared an unbeaten 91-run stand to overhaul RCB’s 184 with four balls to spare.

But the Chargers’ opening combination has been a problem with Mohnish Mishra, Herschelle Gibbs proving failures so far and even Gilchrist not being in the best of form.
Another cause of worry for them is Rohit Sharma’s inconsistency, who has scored 264 runs in last 10 matches with just one fifty.

Ojha the key

In bowling, Pragyan Ojha has been the most consistent bowler for Chargers, picking up 15 wickets to lie at the top of the bowlers list in IPL III. Although RP Singh has been in and out of the team, he has taken nine wickets.

Symonds has also troubled the batsmen with his part-time bowling, picking up nine wickets so far. Chennai, on the other hand, have five wins from 10 matches and are a contender for the final four. However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side have suffered because of an inconsistent batting lineup.

Their opener Matthew Hayden has been scoring in patches while Murali Vijay, despite out cheaply in his last outing, smashed 78 and 127 in his side’s win over RCB and Royals.
Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni have got starts although a big score is still due from them.

But Chennai will hope the inclusion of Australian Michael Hussey in the ranks will give the side an additional weapon and Dhoni will have to use him tactfully on the morow.
In the bowling unit, Muttiah Muralitharan, who is third in the highest wicket-taker’s list, has been Chennai’s most reliable but expensive.

In his absence in the last match, R Ashwin, Thilan Thusara and Shadab Jakati did a fine job.

In the pace department, Doug Bollinger has lent the side a fierce look.