Find Me A 100 Winner / Mandeep / 04 May 2009 /

Two of the most fearsome opening partnerships of the IPL lock horns in today's match at East London with the likes of Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Heschelle Gibbs on show and it should prove to be a cracker, says Mandeep Dhanoa.

These two heavyweight teams meet in a mouth-watering clash on Monday. Can Chennai narrow the gap, and help secure a spot in the top four?

Team News

Both teams are becoming increasingly settled when it comes to finding the right balance in their eleven The importance of the match should result in both teams playing close to their perceived strongest line ups. Chennai will continue with the prolific Hayden and Raina and know they can rely on some lower order big-hitters such as Dhoni and Oram. Murali will as ever play a vital role, particularly if Chennai can bat first.

Deccan will look to their star opening partnership to continue their great starts. Rohit Sharma continues to impress, as do some of the more unknown young Indian players such as Tirumalsetti Suman. Look for Dwayne Smith to play an important role with bat and ball. Ojha and RP Singh will be looking to continue their excellent performances so far in this tournament.
Venue, pitch and conditions

This match will be only the second at East London. This beautiful and picturesque venue held the recent match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians. In that match the aggressive pairing of Jayasuriya and Tendulkar struggled to score at over a run a ball, and only a superb late rally from JP Duminy helped the team to post a target of 149. Chasing proved to be difficult, and only two players from Kolkata made any significant contributions.

So the middle order could be crucial here, and I believe Dhoni's batting could be the key here today. Together with the sensational Raina and the improved Badrinath, I give Chennai the edge. As ever Murali will be extremely difficult to play, particularly in the second innings.
The ground itself is on the small side, which will help the six hitters. This is an area where both teams thrive. Whilst the likes of Gibbs, Gilchrist, Sharma and Dwayne Smith are all capable of smashing the ball out of the park for the Chargers, so are Hayden, Raina, Dhoni and Oram for the Super Kings. Gilchrist is top of the IPL Most Sixes table with 13, closely followed by Suresh Raina.

Match Odds

The market likes Chennai, and gives them a slight edge. Currently you can back Chennai to win at [1.83]. Part of the reason Chennai are often favoured is the reliability of Matthew Hayden. He so rarely fails and always has a superb strike rate. This means he regularly provides a trading opportunity. Hayden has stated in interviews this season that his objective is to make use of the first 6 over fielding restrictions and try and hit over the top.

However Deccan themselves arguably have an even better opening pair. Gilchrist and Gibbs can demolish an attack on their own. With both performing well, the left hand right hand combination is formidable.

The difference may well in the middle order when pace is taken off the ball. Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are both sensational young talents, and have had an impressisve tournament so far. Dhoni however has an acute ability to assess the conditions, pitch and opposition, and adapt his game accordingly. He can play a support/anchor role, or be the one to attack the bowling. Deccan's top order must perform if they are to win. Chennai can afford some failures and still have a good batting performance. [1.83] may at first seem a tad short, as these teams are very closely matched, but in the grand scheme of things is the one that represents the value.

Top Batsman

Today's match has so many options to choose from. With RP Singh bowling so well, Hayden may find his bullying approach more difficult. Dhoni is due a big score, and he would be my selection. For Deccan, the first 6 overs provide the best opportunity as Murali will begin his spell in the seventh over. Gibbs is the man for me today.

Featured Market

With such aggressive opening partnerships, backing over 9 runs in the "first Over Runs" market at [3.15] seems a good bet. Hayden alone hit 10 in his last match, and the Deccan openers hit with similar desire.

Mandeep Dhanoa says: Back Chennai Super Kings at [1.83].

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