Meanwhile Dhoni and his boys are sitting pretty at the second spot on the points table with 13 points, but their game isn’t set either. If they lose against Mumbai Indians today, they will have to win their next two matches to make it to the semis.

Chennai had lost to Mumbai in their first encounter, but they look much stronger and calmer this time, what with Hayden spearheading their batting attack. And with Suresh Raina, Dhoni and Jacob Oram, they have very little left to worry about. Their bowling department too is studded with the likes of Muralitharan, L Balaji and rookie Shadab Jakati who has been a real asset for the team. Although they need just one win from 3 matches to make it to the semis, there is no way that Chennai will take this encounter lightly. Dhoni wrote in the TOI, “Last year we were in a similar situation. We needed to win one from three matches and we could only accomplish that in the last match. I really hope this time we are not back to the same situation.”

“They are a good team and they have to win the match to survive in the tournament. After their heartbreaking loss to Jaipur I am sure they will give us a good fight. We had lost our previous match and we also have to win, so for us also it’s do or die. I do not want to keep it for the last minute to win a semifinal berth.”

As for the Mumbai team, they are not only struggling with form, but also with differences within the team. After the batting order was changed for Thursday’s game against Jaipur, Shaun Pollock, the Mentor made it clear that it was entirely Sachin’s idea: ‘‘Sachin gave us some thoughts as to how to combat the conditions. It was his decision, and probably it’s not ideal to alter the batting-order so much for such a big game.’’  The evident discomfort of the batsmen in their positions let to Mumbai losing that crucial match.

Pollock believes that as a mentor, it is his duty to keep the team morale up, and encourage the boys. But evidently even he is aware of the tough completion that lies ahead: ‘‘Chennai and Delhi are both extremely tough games. We’ve to win both and then hope for the best.’’

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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