Mumbai look to hunt the Lions i clt20 first match
Fan favourites and boasting of a star studded line-up, Mumbai Indians are the team to back in the opening game of the Champions League T20 when they take on local lads Highveld Lions at the Wanderers Stadium here on Friday.
The Mumbai Indians finished runners-up in the third edition of the Indian Premier League and with skipper Sachin Tendulkar in red-hot form, the team is sure to get over its practice game loss to Victoria Bushrangers and show just who is the boss on the field.
The Lions, who have better knowledge of local conditions, could still end up being the hunted with the likes of Keiron Pollard, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh all capable of putting up match-winning performances.
The Mumbai batting too is a fine unit. Tendulkar was the top run-getter in the IPL and the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary all have it in them to dispatch the ball many a mile.
Rayudi and Dwayne Bravo, in fact, have the great ability to pace their innings, while Pollard and Tiwary can launch the fireworks at will.
Zaheer Khan and Malinga are among the most potent opening pacers in the tournament and their ability to swing the ball both ways on South African pitches will surely serve them well. Harbhajan will be difficult to read and with Pollard and Bravo always there to chip in with the wickets, the Mumbai Indians have a team all set to rock CL T20.
This bowling will surely test the Highveld Lions, who boast of a bunch of players with solid domestic experience. The Alviro Petersen-led team is full of all-rounders and seem ideal for the T20 format, but have no big names and the lack of big match experience may cost them.
Zander de Bryun is one of the finest players the Lions possess. The 35-year old all-rounder has excelled with both bat and ball and has been in superb form in domestic cricket.
In the bowling department, the Lions will rely heavily on Craig Alexander and Ethan O'Rielly. O'Rielly is more experienced of the pair. Though he is not known for restricting the run-scoring, he has the happy knack of picking up important wickets for the team.
And even though skipper Petersen believes they could pull off some surprises, Mumbai are the favourites to start off the tournament with a win.
The Mumbai Indians finished runners-up in the third edition of the Indian Premier League and with skipper Sachin Tendulkar in red-hot form, the team is sure to get over its practice game loss to Victoria Bushrangers and show just who is the boss on the field.
The Lions, who have better knowledge of local conditions, could still end up being the hunted with the likes of Keiron Pollard, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh all capable of putting up match-winning performances.
The Mumbai batting too is a fine unit. Tendulkar was the top run-getter in the IPL and the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary all have it in them to dispatch the ball many a mile.
Rayudi and Dwayne Bravo, in fact, have the great ability to pace their innings, while Pollard and Tiwary can launch the fireworks at will.
Zaheer Khan and Malinga are among the most potent opening pacers in the tournament and their ability to swing the ball both ways on South African pitches will surely serve them well. Harbhajan will be difficult to read and with Pollard and Bravo always there to chip in with the wickets, the Mumbai Indians have a team all set to rock CL T20.
This bowling will surely test the Highveld Lions, who boast of a bunch of players with solid domestic experience. The Alviro Petersen-led team is full of all-rounders and seem ideal for the T20 format, but have no big names and the lack of big match experience may cost them.
Zander de Bryun is one of the finest players the Lions possess. The 35-year old all-rounder has excelled with both bat and ball and has been in superb form in domestic cricket.
In the bowling department, the Lions will rely heavily on Craig Alexander and Ethan O'Rielly. O'Rielly is more experienced of the pair. Though he is not known for restricting the run-scoring, he has the happy knack of picking up important wickets for the team.
And even though skipper Petersen believes they could pull off some surprises, Mumbai are the favourites to start off the tournament with a win.
1 comments:
Opening Ceremoney of Champion Leauge T20 was celebreated at Johansburg.On this occasion Hollywood Singer Enrique Iglasias performed at his best.Mumbai Indians which was full of star players, beaten by the most successful domestic team of South Africa by 9 Runs.Find Out updates on Champions League T20 Schedule
September 11, 2010 at 2:43 AMPost a Comment