WHAT HAPPEN WRONG WITH CHENNAI KINGS ?


Chennai seem to be wearing a crown of thorns. And, if anything, the throne appears rather shaky following a sequence of inexplicable defeats. It is one thing to talk about a team having serious talent and quite another for it to translate into results.

After their fine wins in Kolkata and Delhi, it seemed that Chennai, like the British Queen, could do no wrong. But then, hold your breath! Their journey since exorcising the Devils at the Kotla, has been south-bound in more ways than one.

A Super Over defeat against a struggling Mohali at home in Chepauk followed by the rout in Bangalore has left the discerning and the team’s avid fans wondering whether there is a way out at all for Chennai who were among the top four pre-tournament favourites.

Even granting that skipper MS Dhoni’s absence owing to an elbow injury has somewhat upset the balance of the team besides denying it of strong leadership, Chennai were still expected to sustain the early momentum.

I suspect, there is over-dependence on star players like Dhoni and Hayden, and in T20 format, nothing is guaranteed. So, each individual player is required to step up and perform - something that has been missing in Chennai's ranks.

To this end, it is imperative that each player is made aware of his role and responsibility so that there is certain clarity of thought and action. Obviously, the constant shuffling of batting order has not really helped Chennai, especially while chasing. And it is here that somebody like Dhoni plays a key role in providing stability and of course, composure in a crisis situation.

Suresh Raina, having taken over in Dhoni’s absence, has the potential to become a good captain, but at the moment, it is all about learning the ropes and gaining experience that is part of the maturing process. Also, he is aware of the critical role he needs to play as a batsman and perhaps, the dual role is weighing him down.

In both their recent defeats, against Hyderabad and Bangalore, it boiled down to dealing with pressure situations triggered by the loss of a couple of quick wickets. In the game with Hyderabad, the Chennai team contrived to lose from a seemingly winning position while in Bangalore, they never could get into their stride while chasing 172.

Conversely, their bowling has stood up reasonably well with the ever-crafty Muttiah Muralitharan in the thick of action, picking up wickets at crucial junctures to put the brakes on the opposition. However, all his good work has come unstuck with Chennai conceding far too many in the death overs.

Overall, it has been a rather up-and-down show by the Chennai team, but I still believe that they have it in them to deliver, although the going from hereon will be doubly difficult. If anything, it is not so much the collective talent as the character that will be put to test.