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With the sixth edition of the Indian premier League set to enter the last phase in a few days, a clear picture has emerged as to the teams in contention for four slots in the knockout .
Heading the table is Chennai Super Kings, followed by Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. The fourth place could go to either Royal Challengers Bangalore or Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Out of picture
Barring a last minute surprise, the four qualifiers should come from the five leading the table at the end of Saturday’s matches. While cricket is perceived as a team game, an individual’s ability to swing the fortunes of a team cannot be discounted, especially in the T20 format.
Four teams — defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors India — are practically out of the tournament though Knights and Kings may still fancy their chances, albeit mathematically.
There may be any number of reasons why the four teams failed to make an impact.
One of the primary reasons could be due to some of the highly rated players’ inability to fire. As far as both Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors India are concerned, the team’s discomfiture could arise from a complete system failure. A marauding Virender Sehwag or a brilliant Yuvraj Singh could have provided the needed spark to their teams. It seems neither head coaches Eric Simmons nor Allan Donald of the respective sides could motivate the individuals to help turn the tide.
Not right
Knight Riders’ undoing was its failure to strike the right combination. Captain Gautam Gambhir, having lost his place in the Indian team, was keener to establish his credentials than get the best out of his team-mates. He maintained that playing for the defending champion itself was a motivation. Apparently, the team suffered due to his attitude of not communicating with individuals. The team also suffered owing to non-performing domestic players. Yusuf Pathan is a shining example. He has yet to get a half century for KKR.
Kings XI Punjab is also in a similar situation. Lacking in star value, the outfit had a number of talented players but failed to click as a unit. Unlike KKR, the Punjab side had a decent domestic line-up, but its overseas players like Davis Hussey, Adam Gilchrist and Azhar Mahmood failed to give the side the right support at the initial phase of the tournament until David Miller came along to establish himself in the second half of the competition. By then, it was too late for the franchise.
> sabanayakan.s@thehindu.co.in
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