Hayden Sees Title Triumph

“Our prospects are very good and I am very optimistic about winning the title. In the last IPL events, we were in top four. Missed the title narrowly in the first year. This year we are going to push towards the top spot,” he said.

Hayden said the shortest format of the game was quite unpredictable citing the example of defending champions Deccan Chargers, who had finished last in the inaugural edition.

“Therefore, the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket also puts us on the edge of the seat,” he said after launching Britain made ‘Mongoose Cricket Bat’, a non-traditional one, as its brand ambassador.

“Prospects are very good. Yesterday in a practice match MS Dhoni made over 50 runs off a handful of balls. There was nice bounce from the wicket,” he added.

The former Australian batsman also praised Dhoni’s leadership qualities.

“We enjoy very good team spirit built around a good and young skipper. He has achieved individually and also has got an exceptional captaincy record which is growing.”

Hayden said when IPL was launched three years ago Twenty20 was seen as a danger for One-day and Test formats but for the expansion of the game, the slam-bang format of the game was a good option. “We love the game as much the crowds. Globalization of this game is very important. CSK is part of my cricket now. I guarantee this IPL will be full of fun and excitement.” —