 Chennai Super Kings in do-or-die battle against Deccan Chargers
26th May 2008 15:01 IST
Agencies
Chennai Super Kings face a do-or-die battle for a semi-final berth in the Indian Premier League as they take on out-of-contention Deccan Chargers, who are yet to post a win on home turf, at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
A loss on Tuesday would all but end Super Kings' chances of making the semifinals after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men narrowly lost the match against the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.
The Chennai team has 14 points from seven wins and six defeats in the tournament so far. The visitors start favourites against the Adam Gilchrist-led hosts, who are no longer in the race for the title after losing 11 of their 13 matches and finishing last.
The hosts, however, will play for pride as they aim to post their maiden win at home.
However, for the Super Kings, it is a battle to stay alive in the tournament that they dominated in the initial stages before losing steam.
However, the batting line-up still looks formidable with the presence of the redoubtable Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath and Albie Morkel. Parthiv Patel and Stephen Fleming have shown that they can also strike upfront when it matters.
The Chennai bowlers like Manpreet Gony, Makhaya Ntini, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Muttiah Muralitharan have done an effective job on several occasions.
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