As IPL-II progresses towards the finishing stage, Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckons that from now on individual performances would have more influence on the outcome of the matches.
Chennai joined Delhi Daredevils in the semifinals of the second edition of the T20 event after edging past Kings XI Punjab by 24 runs on Wednesday night.
"From now it will be more of a lottery system. If one batsman has a good day then he can take the team through. One can say that till now one had to play as a team consistently but now onwards it will be about three hours.
"Somebody like Hayden or a Raina has a good day or a bowler like Muralitharan can see our team through. I think all the four teams who qualify for the semis will be all strong teams," Dhoni was quoted as saying by the IPL website.
The Indian captain also said that they do not bother about their opponent in the last-four stage as Chennai was strong enough to take on any challenge.
"It is not about worrying. It is about whoever you face in the semis. It is not about being over confident - having fear of the opponent because having said and done if we played to our potential- we can be a tough side to beat," said Dhoni.
However he warned his teammates of repeating mistakes saying, "Till now we have had made some mistakes, but from now onwards 15 minutes of madness and we can lose the match. From now on it will be tricky."
Dhoni singled out Suresh Raina for special praise, eulogising the match-winning all-round abilities of the diminutive southpaw.
"Having Suresh Raina is a great asset for us. Whatever opportunity he has got, he has grabbed it with both hands. Raina has bowled line and length in the pressure games where the ball was not turning.
"I think Raina gives you another option if I am playing with four fast bowlers and two spinners then I know that I have Raina who can bowl full quota of four overs," he said.
Dhoni said the kind of entertainment IPL-II has produced via thrilling matches, the Twenty20 tournament has really lived up to its reputation.
"We saw really close games and those teams who failed to qualify were also good but were unfortunate to bow out. The best part of the tournament was the way points table shuffled and kept everyone guessing. If the last league matches are interesting, one cannot ask for anything more," he said.
On Warne's remarks that Super Kings are the favourites to win the title this year, he said, "It feels good when somebody reckons you as the favourites in the tournament."
