EXCLUSIVE
Follow UsFormer Netherlands and Australia seamer Dirk Nannes feels that the presence of England all-rounder Moeen Ali will give Chennai Super Kings a slight advantage over Lucknow Super Giants when the two sides come face to face against each other on Thursday (March 31).
Chennai were without Moeen in the first game and were hammered by Kolkata Knight Riders. The top-order failed to deliver and it was largely because of MS Dhoni CSK managed to post a respectable total of 131, which Kolkata chased down comfortably. Meanwhile, Lucknow’s star-studded top-order too collapsed against Gujarat Titans and that played a key role in their five-wicket defeat.
Despite the below-par performance, Nannes still believes that CSK have a better batting unit than LSG. "I probably prefer CSK’s only because of all the experience they have. The two teams were on the wrong side of the coin toss and we saw the ball nipping around and that made life extremely difficult for the top-order," he told Cricket.com.
"I have got some sympathy for them but with Moeen Ali back in the team, knowing his form in the last IPL and how dominant he could be, I just prefer CSK. To think how deep they can bat now… I don’t think they will stick to the same batting line-up as the previous game, but that would mean Dhoni slipping down to No. 8 (if they stick with Shivam Dube). Can you imagine that? It’s remarkable how deep they can bat and how much power they have in their line-up."
Nannes also heaped heavy praise on Dwayne Bravo who had a fantastic game with the ball, picking up 3/20 in his four overs. “Someone who has the experience and can deliver under pressure, I think he is a more important player. We know Dwayne Bravo is quite effective at the death. And, he takes wickets. Many teams have good spinners but not many have quality death bowlers and that’s why I feel Bravo is important.
Lucknow were reduced to 29/4 inside five overs but the likes of Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni and Krunal Pandya stepped up and propelled them to a competitive total of 158/6 in their 20 overs. In the second innings, Gujarat needed 67 off the last five overs but that's when Rahul Tewatia and David Miller took apart LSG spinners Hooda and Ravi Bishnoi. The two conceded 39 runs in the space of two overs and the Titans ended up chasing down the total with two deliveries to spare.
"I think the challenge for them is they couldn’t defend 67 off the last five overs. That’s just throwing a game away, going close to 14 runs per over at the death. And, bowling spinners in the 16th and 17th over, meaning they didn’t have enough faith in Mohsin Khan. I don’t think they were brave enough at the death."
Nannes also offered his support to Bishnoi who was slammed for a six and two fours in his final over. "I think Bishnoi will go away and learn from what happened to him. The nature of this sort of tournament is that the game evolves. Bishnoi would have seen what happened and they would have gone back and come up with a plan.
"It’s just one game. I think we are jumping the gun if we think Bishnoi is under the pump. Yes, if this becomes a trend and he has nothing to counter, then it becomes a problem."
