Things are bound to heat up when the Super Kings clash with the Royal Challengers in the second semifinal on Saturday.
It may not be official but it is obvious. Vijay Mallya is known to prefer wheels to bats, if ever there were to be a choice. It’s Force India first and Bangalore Royal Challengers second. He chose to be in Beijing for the F1 Grand Prix when the IPL was inaugurated in Cape Town. This weekend his preferences may be changing.
Mallya is rushing to Johannesburg from Monte Carlo to be with his Royal Challengers, who have stunned every team in the IPL. If the team wins the semifinal against Chennai Super Kings at Johannesburg on Saturday, he ‘would skip’ the weekend’s Monaco GP for the IPL final. His team might force him to do that.
With Anil Kumble at the helm, RCB have changed people’s perceptions. The Test squad, led by a ex-India Test captain, has become a worthy T20 team. Going into the semis, RCB carry the momentum. Not long ago, they were above only the Kolkata Knight Riders in the standings.
Kumble has brought about a turnaround. Their skipper has mastered the art of motivating his players. If Shane Warne was the captain of IPL I, Kumble is the leader of IPL II. He may not be holding the Purple Cap but he has kept his thinking cap on. His decision, a la Warne, to elevate Manish Pandey up the order was a well-documented master stroke.
The biggest challenge for him will be to stop Chennai’s Matthew Hayden. The Australian has not played the team’s last three games. The Orange Cap holder is fresh and hungry too. Kings also have in Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Jacob Oram, Dhoni and Muttiah Muralitharan, players who can change the complexion of the game. “We have many options in both batting and bowling,” Dhoni said.
But Kumble’s team looks balanced enough. Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Rahul Dravid, Mark Boucher, Kumble and above all Manish Pandey, have all won matches for the side. What else, they have the motivation, strategy and the momentum. Says Kumble: “We back ourselves. No one gave us a chance but we know we can do it.”
Saturday’s action
2nd semifinal
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers
Live on Set Max at 8 pm
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