It’s
been more than a month into the 2018 edition of Indian Premier League and with almost another
month to go till we see the final face-off, the teams have a lot to do to put
on a stronger stance. After having played about eight matches each, the time is
just right for the team to evaluate their performance and change their
strategies, if need be. Some teams, albeit weak on paper, have surprised fans
by showing a rather steady performance, whereas a few others who looked
promising on the sheet, have failed to impress, and how!
Sandesh Gaonkar, an ardent fan of Mumbai
Indians, has not lost his faith in the team despite the team’s consistent damp
performance; one of the reasons for this is his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s
association with the team. Gaonkar says, “We are the defending champions. We
have always been slow starters and pick up steam in the latter stages of the
tournament. The team would like Rohit, who has scored 196 runs in seven
matches, to bat either one-down as he did in the last game or open the innings
to give the much needed time for him to settle down at the crease.” Apart from
a struggling bat line-up, Mumbai also have been struggling with the ball as
they have failed to prosper as a unit.
The second biggest disappointment has been the way Royal
Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has performed. RCB is struggling at seventh
position after two wins and five defeats and will be hoping for the return of A
B de Villiers, who did not play the game against Kolkata Knight Riders due to
fever. Jayesh Parvatkar, a staunch fan of RCB and Virat Kohli, says, “The way
we fielded against KKR, we didn’t deserve to win. Our fielding needs to improve
in a big way. Catches win matches and dropped catches make you lose matches.
Also, we have been conceding far too many extras especially in the death overs.
We need some discipline, more than anything else.”
The team that has consistently performed well – Chennai Super
kings (CSK) also happens to be the team that most Goans are rooting for. After
decimating Delhi Daredevils, courtesy some brute batting firepower and flat
sixes from Ambati Rayadu and captain M S Dhoni, CSK is looking unstoppable.
Prasad Salgaokar, a hardcore fan of Dhoni and K L Rahul, says, “The collective
strength of the individual star players has taken Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to
a good position. They would continue to soar and may even reach the playoffs.
If they continue the current form, CSK may well go on to lift the trophy.
Another team that is looking really strong, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will want to
continue with their form. Their collective strength under the leadership of
captain Ravichandran Ashwin makes them a worthy contender who could ruin CSK’s
hopes of having a smooth run.”
For those who are unaware of how the tournament works, each team
after having played every other team twice in a home-and-away format in the
league stages, will attempt to qualify for the playoffs. From the top four
teams that will qualify for the playoffs, the top two teams will play each
other in the Qualifier 1. The winner goes to the final while the losing team
plays Qualifier 2. The third and fourth teams play the Eliminator with the
winner playing the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2. The winner of Qualifier
2 will play the final against winner of Qualifier 1.
Note:
This story was
written ahead of the clash between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers
Bangalore on Tuesday, May 1, 2018.
