There is an undercurrent of resentment running in the Pink City ahead of the first Champions League T20 semi-final at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here on Friday that is hard to ignore. And right or wrong, it is largely directed against the Chennai Super Kings skipper.
There is an undercurrent of resentment running in the Pink City ahead of the first Champions League T20 semi-final at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here on Friday that is hard to ignore. And right or wrong, it is largely directed against the Chennai Super Kings skipper. Mahendra Singh Dhoni may be among the most popular of India captains ever, but the convinced buzz in the bazaars and by-lanes here is that his team tanked their final Group B league game against Trinidad and Tobago in New Delhi on Wednesday to avoid topping their cluster after the Mumbai Indians had qualified for the semis as the second placed team in Group A. The result ensured that CSK — up against the Rajasthan Royals here on the morrow — would not have to play Rohit Sharma’s Indians in semi-final II of the tournament at the Kotla on Saturday, leaving that job to the Red Force from the West Indies instead. But back to the cricket, and what is potentially a fascinating last-four encounter between the most consistent team in Indian Premier League history and 2010 CLT20 champions, and a side who have not lost a game on home ground this season, IPL and CLT20 inclusive. Earlier in the year, the Royals handed out a convincing five-wicket defeat to CSK here led by a belligerent 70 from Shane Watson in the course of which it rained fours and sixes. Rahul Dravid’s men have carried that red-hot form into the CLT20 as well, emerging as the only unbeaten team of the 10 that contested the league phase. For their part, CSK looked virtually unbeatable in the first three games of the tournament — until their unexpected and inexplicable stumble at the Kotla on Wednesday. Rajasthan, on the other hand, often have opponents tearing their hair out in frustration as they jettison or change plans virtually by the over or the fall of a wicket. That quality has given this team — light on superstar value but heavy on delivery — a lethal dimension which is reflected in a 12-match long unbeaten sequence at home. And as much as anything else, the Royals would want to do it for their captain, for whom this will probably be the last game at the SMS Stadium. CSK will be playing for pride and to extend their proud match-play record. The Royals too have their incentives, and a home sequence unmatched in the IPL. And with everything at stake, a cracking contest is very much on the cards.
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