- 2/18/2025
Gulf News looks back at this week's action of the T20 cricket showpiece now underway in the UAE. Chirag Suri, UAE’s opening batsman who was a part of IPL 2017, will be chatting with our cricket pundits.
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NewsTranscript
00:00We've all spoken about the mighty Chennai Super Kings for more than 13 years now being a dominant feature.
00:06They're like the Real Madrid's, they're like the Barcelona's of the IPL.
00:11We've never seen them below the top 2 or top 3.
00:14So seeing them at the bottom of the table, you know, it's in fact shocking.
00:25Hello, good day. This is Gautam Bhattacharya.
00:28We are back again with another episode of our IPL 2020 in the UAE.
00:34A player review with Chirag Suri.
00:36With me, I've got my colleague Shyam Krishna.
00:38We are back again after yet another eventful week in the IPL as we all know.
00:43I think the topic which had been bothering everybody, it has been discussed, it has been written about is,
00:48you know, the fall of the mighty power that's Chennai Super Kings.
00:53Till about 2018, when they won the league, it was that, you know, the dad's army doing wonders.
00:58Suddenly, the dad's army is looking jaded. It is looking, you know, out of ideas.
01:04The other day, when MS Dhoni said that I didn't see that kind of spark in any young player to blot them ahead of the experienced ones.
01:12That has also invited a fair bit of criticism.
01:14What is your take about, you know, the situation, the spot of bother that Chennai find themselves in?
01:20I mean, so much so that they are saying that it looks like the campaign is over for us.
01:24Obviously, we've all spoken about the mighty Chennai Super Kings for more than 13 years now being a dominant feature.
01:31They are like the Real Madrids. They are like the Barcelonas of the IPL, you know.
01:36We've never seen them below the top 2 or top 3.
01:38So, seeing them at the bottom of the table, you know, it's in fact shocking.
01:42None of us would have, you know, written Chennai off as much as we knew that they were having problems.
01:47You know, Raina leaving. Harbhajan not coming. No replacements announced.
01:51It's not only the players. You've got to really speak to the management as well, you know, what's going on.
01:56There was no such replacement announced, you know, with Raina leaving.
02:00There was no news of a big Indian player being signed.
02:03There was a mid-transfer window. Nobody has been active in that.
02:07So, there are questions. Have they been, you know, adaptive or have they been flexible in their plans?
02:12Yes, they are a franchise who believe in playing those 12-13 players.
02:16You know, they have the least changes possible.
02:19You know, if every season you see the number of changes a team makes, Chennai makes the fewest changes.
02:24So, yes, they are reliant on those 13-14 and they back them for the whole season.
02:28But, you know, when things are not going right, you are in new conditions.
02:31You are not playing at the Chepauk in Chennai or things like that.
02:35These are different conditions. You are playing in Dubai. It's a different ground.
02:38Dusharja, it's a different ground. You need experience.
02:41But at the same time, these are warm conditions. We spoke about it.
02:44As the tournament went on, you could see those tired legs.
02:48You know, the Watsons, the Ghonis. Now, Jadhav has been out of the XI.
02:53So, you are definitely seeing that this team wasn't fit clearly to be in this set-up, in this IPL.
03:02They definitely needed to balance the side-out more.
03:05I feel the management will definitely look to it.
03:07And hopefully, the mega-auction is next year and there are definitely points they need to cover.
03:13And I am sure, whether Dhoni stays on or the team has revolved around Dhoni, we don't know yet.
03:19But I definitely feel that Dhoni is a guy. He is looking super-fit.
03:24There was a couple of games where he batted and he took a couple of twos.
03:29And yes, the heat got to him.
03:30And for the first time, we saw Dhoni really panting and being on the side of the pitch.
03:36So, these are signs of, yes, he is ageing.
03:38But at the same time, these guys can turn it around very quickly.
03:43A lot of things to ponder on for the Chennai Super Kings.
03:46Unfortunate for the fans. So much expectation.
03:49Mixed feelings. But at the same time, I would like to say that there are always teams who have been working hard.
03:57They have put the better side together, I feel.
04:00And they are getting the results now.
04:01As a cricketer, you see, it is one thing...
04:05I will not say that greatness is a shelf-life or anything like that.
04:09But as a cricketer, if you are out of competitive cricket and that too at 38-39, for nearly one and a half years,
04:16and then you think that you can come back, knock a few balls...
04:20So, do think a bit of whatever... Of course, the last five months, any form of cricket was not possible.
04:27But did it also have its role to play?
04:31The lack of match practice. Did it have a role to play with MS in particular?
04:35Definitely. I think, going without competitive cricket, it is okay to practice in the nets and all these kind of things.
04:42But you need the competitive match practice to have the edge.
04:46You have to be believing in yourself.
04:48You can say that MS can do it without practicing and he will be fine.
04:52And over the years, to be honest, he has done that and he showed us.
04:55But I guess it is a bit of both.
04:57Lack of practice, lack of competitive cricket being a way.
05:02Obviously, these five-six months, you are seeing the like of Ben Stokes as well coming.
05:06And he is looking a bit rusty at the moment.
05:08So, it definitely takes time to be in the right.
05:10It is not only about physically being there. It is not about technically being there.
05:15It is also about mentally being there.
05:16I think it has just been a little bit difficult for him to get adapted to this sort of pace.
05:23Especially, we have seen some of the fast bowlers do really well against him.
05:26Talking about the fast bowlers, I will come to Shyam here.
05:29With two-third of the IPL being done with, do you wonder that where was Lachie Ferguson and where was Jos Hazalut?
05:36I mean, what were they doing? Couldn't they have come earlier?
05:39They should have played earlier.
05:40I mean, if you ask me, Hazal should have played at least more than the number of games shared.
05:47He actually played the second game for Chennai.
05:50And he bowled quite well.
05:51What happened was, he was no longer in the mix simply because of the 4-over-6 player quota.
05:57That is what.
05:58Once Dwayne Bravo came in, Hazal would find his space.
06:03I mean, you would understand.
06:04Because Dwayne Bravo is a proven performer at the depth and also a handy batsman.
06:10So, there is no way he could have distraught Bravo.
06:13Again, if you look at how Hazal came back into the team is again when Bravo got injured.
06:19Hazal's presence is completely dependent on a lack of availability of a forward player.
06:26They couldn't have possibly dropped Sam Curran because he is young.
06:30He is a left-hander.
06:31He can bat in any position.
06:34He brings the X-factor there.
06:35So, Sam cannot be distraught.
06:37I am sure Dhoni would have loved to play him.
06:39But the thing is, they couldn't find a slot for him.
06:41Lachie Ferguson was a huge surprise to me.
06:44And for the life of me, I just can't imagine why KKR haven't completely forgot about him.
06:50Because the way he has come back and shown has been...
06:52A man who can bowl 140 clicks.
06:55Not just that.
06:56The sheer variation he brings into it is amazing.
06:58And also, if you look at how Zofra Archer or Rabada or Nogueira or Bumrah or Pattinson.
07:07All these fast bowlers, they have done incredibly well up front.
07:11Especially in the power plays.
07:12So, at least that should have given KKR and Chennai Super Kings the idea that the fast bowlers could be very useful in the power play.
07:19There is this point of debate about the way Shubman Gill had been batting.
07:26So, I will come back to Chirag on that.
07:27Because Chirag is an opener and he knows a trick or two about it.
07:31See, Shubman is one of the brightest Indian batting talents that we can have at the moment.
07:36I mean, he has played for India.
07:39And he could be the next customer if there is any opportunity in the test batting line.
07:45He has scored 311 runs so far.
07:47But his strike rate is something which is causing an element of concern.
07:52In fact, to the extent that Virender Sehwag, a guy who doesn't mince his words...
07:57He said in Crick Bus the other day that either you get more runs in the power play or you come down the order.
08:04Chirag, how do you think Shubman should look for a greater element of risks?
08:11Or what should be his approach to get out of this?
08:14Look, absolutely, Shubman. You can't even doubt it.
08:17KKR was even contemplating to make him captain this year.
08:21Because this is the future.
08:22I see him even captaining the KKR side and maybe even India in the coming years.
08:26Because of the talent and the time he has.
08:28You can see he is playing the fast bowlers very comfortably in the power play.
08:32Yes, there is a concern with the boundaries hitting and maybe rotating the strike in the power play.
08:38He is playing a few dot balls.
08:39And his strike rate is 15 or 20 balls.
08:42But a guy like this, if he gets going, say after batting 30-40 balls, he will definitely get above 50-60 runs.
08:51So, his strike rate will be 130-140.
08:53So, it's okay at an extent when you are playing on wickets where you have to score 160-170.
08:59Because you need someone to have that role who takes the game deep.
09:03And gives those batsmen who are coming in, the big hitters, just a few overs and go express yourself.
09:09You have wickets in hand and you go enjoy yourself.
09:11So, if that is his role, if that's what he is told to do, I am pretty sure if the other guys had fired around him,
09:18if he has been given this role and if the other guys fired around him in the KKR line, it wouldn't have been such a concern.
09:24KKR would have won more games.
09:25But the fact of the matter is that the partnership is not happening.
09:28The opening partnership, they are struggling a little bit.
09:30When it comes to having the big shots, yes, he still has to evolve his game.
09:37We have seen him technically correct.
09:39In the past, like you said, we might even see him in the test arena.
09:45But now, you are not talking about him being in the T20 side or the one-day side.
09:48So, is that a way he wants to go?
09:51Because people start talking that maybe he is going to be considered as a test cricketer.
09:55But I feel he has the shots to not only play test cricket but also one-day cricket and also T20 cricket.
10:01This is the potential and the calibre he has.
10:04So, it's just about a matter of time of finding those boundary options.
10:08And once you start finding that range, the areas and the bowlers you want to target,
10:14I feel if he bats at 140-150 strike rate as well, when he scores big,
10:19I think that should be fine.
10:21There is always going to be guys like Sevag.
10:24They are into commentary and they want to create a buzz on Crick Buzz.
10:28But they will always say these kind of things.
10:30I think a guy like Shubman has to take it in one ear and put it out the other.
10:35There is always going to be guys talking whether you are doing well or bad.
10:39I don't think it's going to bother him too much.
10:41There is a distinction in the table right now.
10:45You have got Delhi, Mumbai, RCB and KKR at the top four.
10:50And the other four there.
10:52But what's happening is, suddenly, the gaps seem to be closing with each win.
10:56For the top four, if you look at MI, Delhi and RCB, after that, the fourth team can be anybody.
11:05I mean, why? Even the third team can be anybody for that matter.
11:08Suddenly, Kings XI Punjab are looking a little more organised side about the way they are bowling.
11:13And with Gale coming in, there is that gravitas.
11:16Though he is coming in at number three, there is that gravitas in that batting line-up suddenly.
11:20The Rajasthan Royals, as we know, the big four still hasn't fired.
11:24It was in the last two games that we have seen Steve Smith trying to anchor the innings in the way we have seen him doing.
11:30And Josh Butler is, of course, extraordinary.
11:32So, this Kings XI Punjab and RR are looking to be the two teams who can still give it a push for that number four slot.
11:41What's your take on that? And do you think there is going to be any further upheaval in the selection of those top four?
11:50We had discussed this in our halfway stage as well.
11:52We were quite confident with Delhi, Mumbai and RCB all wanted.
11:57And KKR. These were my top four. And right now, they are the top four.
12:00So, I am quite a happy campaigner at the moment.
12:02I am enjoying these four teams doing well.
12:04Yes, I would love a Kings XI Punjab to get involved in the mix.
12:08But, they have obviously got three wins in a row now.
12:11So, they have got the momentum shifting.
12:13And if you have the momentum towards this back-end, the business part of this tournament, it really helps.
12:18You have seen it before.
12:19We have seen teams 5, 6, even 7.
12:22And in the last few games, they come back and make a place in the top four.
12:25So, don't count anybody yet.
12:27But I feel, Mumbai and Delhi, they are far ahead.
12:31I think you can just tell they are fast superior teams.
12:33Yes, on a very good day, teams are going to beat them.
12:36But they are just such well-balanced, good-in-form players.
12:39I think they are going to be hard to beat.
12:42Whatever condition it may be.
12:43Shaan, what's your take?
12:44Do you see any surprises?
12:46We are not talking about the top three.
12:47But for the fourth, or maybe for the third, do you see any surprises as we go along?
12:52I would think so. At least for the fourth slot.
12:53Like Chidai said, even third or so could be different.
12:57But at the moment, it looks settled.
12:59But the thing is, I think the fourth slot, there will be a huge scramble.
13:02And you can't rule out somebody like Kings XI coming back.
13:05Because if you look at the matches which they have lost,
13:08they have lost two narrow matches, at least two games which they have lost very narrowly.
13:13And there were other matches, like the one against Kolkata,
13:17where they turned a winning position into a losing position.
13:20They even lost matches where they should have won.
13:23So it's just a matter of bringing all the elements together.
13:25They couldn't get it together.
13:27And like you rightly said, bringing Gayle, I think, changed a lot of things.
13:32I would still think Rajasthan is in with a chance.
13:35Simply because two of the teams they have taken out is Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.
13:40These are two teams which are capable of winning this IPL.
13:43And they have taken them out.
13:45So I would say Kings XI Punjab is the dark horse here.
13:50I see a lot of writers, commentators, everybody is saying,
13:53this is the greatest IPL ever.
13:55In terms of thrilling matches, close encounters, topsy-turvy results and things like that.
14:01What do you guys think about it? Is it the best IPL ever?
14:04It definitely is close to being the best ever IPL.
14:08I think in terms of the matches that have been played.
14:10Yes, we are missing the crowds and all that.
14:12If you are looking at the whole entire picture.
14:14But in terms of the matches being played, we have never seen such things happen before.
14:19Double super-overs and things like that.
14:21I think it's unheard of.
14:22Things that we can't even think about.
14:24The excitement levels are out through the roof.
14:26The TRPs and all these IPLs.
14:28I think they don't need crowds to have these games exciting.
14:32Watch the game at home.
14:33It's a thrilling atmosphere, man.
14:35Everybody is enjoying them.
14:36The ratings are through the roof.
14:38I think if anybody, the BCCI is going to thank the UAE for hosting this IPL over here and making it all happen.
14:45What we have seen, quite a few public memories shot.
14:48There surely had been lot of interesting additions back in India.
14:53But the X-Factor that we found out was the way your top baseballers have fired in this tournament, number one.
15:02In batting, to be very honest, we are still to see that kind of somebody emerging out of it, out of the woodwork.
15:13Who can steal the thunder from Abbey de Villiers, from Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul.
15:21That's one thing where I felt that we still fell a little short.
15:26Except maybe Devdutt Palikar to some extent.
15:29And of course, the emergence of these flip-back catches and the saves that we have seen.
15:35The wow factor behind those had been so much that people are kind of...
15:42Once a match is over, they are still recovering with a Mayank Agarwal save or a Nicholas Puran save.
15:49So, with that, it's the overall impact.
15:51I think that's my take from this.
15:53Final word from Chirag.
15:55Today, KKR vs RCB in Abu Dhabi.
15:58Who's your pick today?
15:59Both teams are finding form at the right time.
16:01And it's gonna be a good competition.
16:03And this is a very crucial game for both, right?
16:05Like we said, the points table is very tight.
16:07And KKR and RCB, this is a super crucial game for both the sides.
16:12The way it's been going, the excitement levels, both have been involved in some really close finishes.
16:18And the team that really holds the edge, I feel KKR coming off that lucky Ferguson super win.
16:24I'm gonna back KKR for this one.
16:26Thanks Chirag. Thanks Shyam for joining us.
16:29And here's looking forward with lots more to talk to next week.
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