An Anatomy of the IPL Final with Likely Scenarios

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Ashish Nehra CSK
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Ashish Nehra CSK. (Photo Source: BCCI)

An Anatomy of the IPL Final with Likely Scenarios: We are moments away from the all-important IPL Final to kick off with it’s grand stature. It will surely be a cracker of a game and the atmosphere to the setup has been ecstatic. Every single ticket for the finale was sold out days before and we will witness the gigantic ambiance of the Eden Gardens for one last time this season. Coming to the strategic counterpart of the game, here we would be dissecting the game into four quarters and analyse the game’s anatomy minutely.

First Quarter (1-12 Overs of the First Innings):

A good start is something which the doctor ordered for both the teams. The pitch at the Gardens contradicted it’s nature in this season when being compared to other seasons. The lowest total in this season out of six games have been 165. From the perspective of the batting team, they would like to blast off right in the powerplay overs as ball would be coming nicely onto the bat. If CSK bats first, Dwayne Smith would hold the key and he got to smack a solid 30-40 runs in real quick time. Absence of McCullum might affect CSK’s cause. For MI, the same shall have to be done by Simmons. Also, keeping wickets for the death overs will also hold a key. Now, coming on to the bowling side, Bowling changes will hold the key in the first few overs as the batsmen shouldn’t be allowed to go big and get settled. We might see plenty of spin right in the initial overs, owing to the slowness of the track. CSK has a fortifying spinning strength with the likes of Negi, Jadeja, Ashwin and even Raina countered by Harbhajan, Suchith for MI.
Expected Score: 75-90 runs for 1-3 wickets.

Second Quarter (13-20 Overs of the First Innings):

Now this will be one of the business halves of the match and might well decide the game’s course. Owing to the fact that a total of 160+ have been attained in each of the 6 matches being played here, the batting team would go for an onslaught if they manage to keep wickets in hand in the first quarter. As a batting line up, MI holds the upper hand here with the presence of batsmen in the likes of Pollard, Harbhajan, Rayudu, Pandya perfectly suited for such roles. Lack of form of the CSK middle order in the recent past would be a woe for them. However, players like Raina, Dhoni, Negi and Jadeja have to rise up to the occasion and play well. Now let’s switch our focus on to the bowling team. Well, for CSK, the economical spell by Bravo would matter much. Bowling slower ones could shower success on such a pitch. Also, for spinners, they need to have a strong heart and keep the deliveries as slow as possible. The wicket does offer something for the slower ones.
Expected Score: 80-100 runs for 2-5 wickets.

Third Quarter (1-12 Overs of the Second Innings):

IPL final
Harbhajan Singh MI. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Now, the pressure would get amplified as we progress and fielding will count something priceless in this quarter. If there are mis-fields and dropped chances, then things would go against the fielding team for sure. If CSK bats second, a lot might revolve against the Experienced Pro, Mr. Cricket or Michael Hussey. He has the due capability of anchoring the innings. For MI, their opening pair, featuring Parthiv and Simmons is capable of producing flying starts. They did that consistently in the recent past. Also, rotating the strike and converting the ones into twos would keep the required run rate under reach. The powerplay overs shall be utilised by hitting boundaries but wickets must be kept in hand. For the bowling team, wickets will surely hold the key. If the bowling team succeed in picking up 3-4 wickets, then the fate of the game is likely to be sealed in favour of the respective team.  The Yorkers of Malinga and McClenaghan for MI matched by the swingers from Nehra and Mohit Sharma for CSK  would hold the key. Also, the 2-3 overs’ spells from Harbhajan or Ashwin would have a huge impact.
Expected Score: 80-90 runs for 0-2 wickets

Fourth Quarter (13-20 Overs of Second Innings):

It will be THE deciding phase of the game. A fact needs mention here. On 4 out of the 6 occasions in this IPL, the team batting second have won the game at this venue. With things getting down to the wire, the nerves of the players will be tested. Batsmen shall have to look to play straight as much as possible and must rotate strikes if boundaries are hard to come by. One over at this phase could mean much for each of the teams. This is the phase where some intense big hitting can be observed. But at the same time, batsmen should not try to hit every single ball and one important thing at this pitch is that, batsmen needs to get to the pitch of the ball and strike hard to get a maximum. From the point of view of bowlers, a straight line is preferable with a gradual mix of slower and faster ones. For the spinners, a stump to stump length without experimenting much could well work it out. Yorkers should be tried and bouncers should be limited owing to the fact of conceding extras. With things getting down to the wire, this is the most unpredictable yet significant phase of the game.
Expected Score: 60-100 for 1-5 wickets

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