Thursday, April 18, 2013

Scripting for an unexpected Result


19th Match: CSK vs PWI at Chennai on 15/4/13

Chennai are the hot favourites to win at odds of 1.55 before the match starts. On paper they are a much stronger team, and PWI haven't been doing well so far in the tournament. PW win the toss and elect to bat. They post their best opening partnership of all IPL's before losing first wicket at 96 in the 13th over. They end up posting a modest total of 159, the odds falling back to 1.59 in f/o Chennai from 1.95 at one stage at the end of the 10th over. Could probably not be justified even in view of strong and deep batting line-up of CSK and the way they had won their last match chasing 165, and scoring required 16 runs in the last over, with a ball to spare.

The commentators kept on harping on CSK's strong and deep batting that was not to come good this time and didn't come good. The first wicket fell at 0 and CSK were 40-3 in 6.4 overs with Pune becoming favourites as per odds. CSK again came into contention with a steady 4th wicket partnership between Jadeja and Badrinath and a lot of effective batting including Dhoni yet to come. But thereafter no worthwhile partnership matured and the big guns that followed one after another didn't try to hit the required runs and perished meekly for CSK to lose by substantial 24 runs.

A result and match against popular expectation, and a no contest in the end, for the benefit of the fixers.

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