It certainly isnt easy being Anirudha Srikkanth. The 23-year-old openers selection in any team is more often than not accompanied by murmurs and it is always just a matter of time before links to his lineage start surfacing. And there was the customary raising of eyebrows when Anirudha who had played only two games for Chennai Super Kings in IPL II popped up in the team-list for the semi-final against defending champions Deccan Chargers. His team werent in a comfortable position either when Anirudha who happens to be the son of the chairman of the national selection committee and the ambassador for Chennai Super Kings,Kris Srikkanth walked out to bat at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday night. Chennai had just lost the big-hitting Albie Morkel and were tottering at 96/5 with less than five overs to go. But,in a format where momentum is said to be everything,it was Anirudhas 15-ball 24 that really changed the tide for the Super Kings. Though 142/7 may not have seemed a safe total against the might of the Deccan batting; Doug Bollinger ensured that it was more than enough with a devastating spell of 4/13,as Chennai cruised into the final with a 38-run victory. The defending champions looked uncomfortable from the very start of their chase on a wicket that kept the bowlers interested throughout the night. Only 19 runs were scored in the first five overs,despite skipper Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs opening the batting,with Bollinger even managing to start off with a maiden. Bollinger gave the sparse crowd,which was dominated by yellow flags,a lot to cheer as he got rid off Gilchrist in the first ball of his third over and setting in the rot for the Chargers. Bollinger accounted for the in-form Tirumalsetti Suman in the same over,as Deccan began stumbling rather rapidly towards a dismal defeat. Three spinners in a T20 team may seem a luxury,but Muttiah Muralitharan,Ravichandran Ashwin and Shadab Jakati proved their worth by picking up important wickets in the middle. Though Bodapatti Sumanth and Ryan Harris who had starred with the ball earlier did provide some hope for the defending champions,Bollinger returned to seal the deal for good,seeing off both batsmen in his fourth over and putting an end to the Chargerss defense of their title. Poor start to the chase The game,though,didnt start off in a positive fashion for the Super Kings,with Matthew Hayden looking almost desperate to get out. And though the burly opener did fail on the first two attempts to throw his wicket away with the Deccan fielders dropping a couple of simple catches he succeeded eventually,being caught off Harris. And while Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Subramanian Badrinath did revive the innings with a rather patient 52-run stand,it was Anirudhas cameo that propelled the Chennai innings in the end. That is before Bollinger enhanced his popularity further with a dream spell,and led Chennai into an IPL final for the second time. Lata Mangeshkar for the finale Mumbai: Despite all the controversies,the BCCI is in no mood to compromise on grandeur. The IPL closing ceremony will see music maestro AR Rahman perform with legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and Jai Ho girl Tanvi Shah. Rahman and Shah,based in Chennai,will fly down to Mumbai on Saturday for the rehearsals with Mangeshkar. The trio is likely to perform before Sundays final,with their playlist including numbers like Chale Chalo from the film Lagaan and Slumdog Millionaire s Grammy Award-winning track Jai Ho and will conclude with Vande Mataram. Tendulkar still uncertain Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar,who hurt his finger while attempting a low catch during the semi-final against Royal Challengers Bangalore,visited the Lilavati Hospital on Thursday to get an X-ray done. Earlier,speaking to The Indian Express,Tendulkar sounded optimistic. It will be too early to say anything. We still have two days to go. Im hoping that everything will be fine, he said.
