Super Kings hold the aces

A side that has failed miserably in a tournament would want to finish on a winning note, but the task is made tougher when Deccan Chargers play a team hungry for a win as that would give them a place in the next stage of the competition.

The match against Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Tuesday is definitely not what home team needed as the last assignment.

The Chargers will draw confidence from the fact that one of their two victories in the inaugural Indian Premier League came against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men.

Even though one is tempted to call it a fluke considering the contrasting performance of the two teams, Adam Gilchrist’s men will justifiably feel that it was one match that showed what the Chargers are capable of if they play to potential.

Gilchrist has started to talk about the next edition of the IPL but a victory in the last match would be good for even future plans.

The bitter feeling of losing again and again can at least be diffused by the memory of a win in the last match.For their part, the Super Kings are not short of motivation.

They know a semifinal berth is within reach and a big win over the Chargers will take care of points, net run rate et al. While the strength of the Chennai side is beyond any doubt, their ability to handle pressure is not yet proved.

As their last match against Bangalore Royal Challengers showed, a slight wobble sends a shiver down the Super Kings’ spine.

Spectators enjoyed the spectacle of their collapse, but the skipper was not amused. He made it clear after the match, blasting the batsmen for their indiscretion.

The dressing down can also backfire as the Super Kings are under real pressure to win here. If they do manage, they would be on 16 points and in third place on the table, if they lose and Mumbai Indians win one of their two remaining matches, both will be on 14 points and Sachin Tendulkar’s men are well ahead in net run rate at the moment.

The Super Kings have failed to handle on-field nerves so far. It remains to be seen how they handle this off-field pressure.