CSK vs KXIP: Key battles that could decide IPL 7 Qualifier 2

Chennai Super Kings lock horns with Kings XI Punjab in Qualifier 2 of IPL 7. KXIP finished at the top of the table in the group stages but were comprehensively outclassed in Qualifier 1 by KKR while CSK eased past Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne stadium in the Eliminator. KXIP have had an upper hand over CSK in IPL 7 so far as they have won both the outings against them in the group stages. But CSK is an altogether different team in the knock-out stages. Here are some key battles to watch out for in Qualifier 2. Dwayne Smith vs Mitchell Johnson: A lot of credit should go to CSK’s team management for pouncing on the opportunity and buying Dwayne Smith at the auctions. The West Indian had a very good outing for the Mumbai Indians last season and has undergone massive improvement. He is currently the second-highest run-getter in IPL 7 with 559 runs from 15 innings at 37.26 with five fifty plus scores. [caption id=“attachment_1549123” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of Glenn Maxwell. BCCI[/caption] He can be brutal once he gets settled. In the Eliminator against MI, he looked scratchy but still, he stayed put and added 60 runs from six overs with Faf du Plessis for the first wicket. In their first meeting in the tournament, Smith blasted 66 off 43 balls, adding 123 for the first wicket with Brendon McCullum. In the second match he managed just four runs. Smith delivers in crunch situations. He played a crucial role in helping MI clinch the CLT20 title last year. In the semi-final, he hit 59 off 38 balls (Man of the Match) and in the final he scored 44 off 39 balls. Last season too, in Qualifier 2 of IPL against RR, he hit 62 off 44 balls to help MI chase down 166. This is where the experience of Mitchell Johnson will come into picture. Coming into the tournament, the Australian pacer was in breathtaking form and after a very good season for MI last year, much was expected of him. He hasn’t lived up to the expectations so far. He has 14 wickets from 12 matches but has gone at 7.89 runs per over. With Johnson, there is always an expectation of a magical spell. We are yet to see one from him, he showed glimpses of his brilliance in the Qualifier match against KKR where he swung the ball prodigiously and was unlucky with the umpiring decisions. Smith will be his main target and KXIP would be hoping that Johnson has saved his best for the crucial stage of the season. Suresh Raina vs Akshar Patel: Suresh Raina has played each and every match for CSK and has scored 400 plus runs in every single edition of IPL. He has been an epitome of consistency. After a roller-coaster ride, he finally struck form at the right moment with a calm and composed innings of 54 off 33 balls to help CSK chase down 174 easily against MI in the Eliminator. This can be ominous for Kings XI Punjab. If Raina gets going then he can turn the match around single-handedly and that’s what was witnessed in the Eliminator match. KXIP will be looking to unleash young Akshar Patel against the CSK man. The left-arm spinner has impressed big time in his debut season for KXIP. He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for KXIP with 16 wickets from 15 matches and possesses the best economy rate among the KIXP bowlers - 6.22. He has bowled frugal spells in the middle and picked up wickets at crucial junctures. Against KKR in Qualifier 1, when every other bowler was being taken apart and Uthappa was going all guns blazing, Akshar was the shining light in KXIP’s arsenal. His figures read 4-1-11-2. It included a double-wicket maiden in which he scalped the wickets of Uthappa and Manish Pandey. His IPL heroics have earned him his first national call-up as he’s been selected for the tour to Bangladesh. This might have done his confidence a whole lot of good. With Raina fancying the left-arm spinner, we can expect an intriguing contest. Glenn Maxwell vs Ravichandran Ashwin: After the Steyn-de Villiers rivalry, the Maxwell-Ashwin rivalry is the one to look forward to. Maxwell has demolished Ashwin in the previous two encounters in this edition . He has plundered him for 64 runs from 24 balls with 7 fours and four sixes off Ashwin at 16 runs per over while the CSK spinner hasn’t dismissed him even once. But the off-spinner has spiced up the battle after the MI vs CSK Eliminator where in the post-match conference he interjected the interviewer and challenged Maxwell. “Maxwell can expect me to bowl more over the wicket in the next game,” he said. Maxwell has been going through a rough patch after a blistering start and has scored just 104 runs in his last seven innings at 14.85. With Ashwin publicly challenging the Australian and Maxwell looking to get back to form, we can expect a fascinating contest. Virender Sehwag vs Ashish Nehra: We haven’t witnessed a typical Sehwag swashbuckling innings in the tournament. He’s had a mediocre tournament so far with 326 run from 15 innings at 21.73 and SR of 131.98. The Nawab of Najafgarh has been getting starts, we have seen glimpses of old Sehwag but not on consistent basis. That one special innings is lurking just around the corner. This is where Ashish Nehra’s role will come into picture. Dhoni hasn’t shown much confidence on Nehra throughout the tournament and the left-arm pacer has played just three games. Dhoni brought him back for the last couple of games and Nehra has done decently with figures of 3/33 against RCB and 0/27 against MI. Nehra had the better of Sehwag is the group stage match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi where he sent Sehwag’s leg stump rolling after the latter had hit him for consecutive fours. The flamboyant opener would be itching for a revenge and if he gets going then it might just turn out to be a one-sided affair. Mohit Sharma vs David Miller: Rather than Maxwell, Miller has been KXIP’s ture hero in the tournament. The South African has been consistently performing for KXIP. He’s come in to bat at crucial junctures and powered them past the finish line. His ability to pace his innings to perfection and upping the ante with monstrous blows make him one of the best finishers in the game. He has the best average among the KXIP batsmen (45.22) and a healthy strike rate of 145.87. He is currently their second-highest run-getter with 407 runs from 14 innings. He has been instrumental in both KIXP’s wins over CSK in the group stages. In the first match in Abu Dhabi, he made sure he stayed till the end after Maxwell’s blitz and scored 54* off 37 balls to help KXIP chase down a mammoth 206. In the second match in Cuttack he hit 47 off 32 balls as KXIP posted 231. He can kill the opposition bowlers at the death and this is where Mohit Sharma’s role will come into picture. The Haryana pacer was one of the best death bowlers in the early stages but at the business end of the group stages he went for a plenty. But Dhoni showed faith in him and he repaid the faith with a crucial spell at the death against MI in the Eliminator. He bowled two overs in the last five and conceded just 17 runs picking up three wickets. He’s the purple cap holder with 22 wickets from 15 matches and will be Dhoni’s go-to man in the death overs. But he must remember one thing - ‘If it’s in the arc, it will be out of the park!’