Chennai look to oust defending Champions
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – OCTOBER 14: Moises Henriques of the Sixers bats during the Champions League Twenty20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Sydney Sixers at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on October 14, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The fate of the Chennai Super Kings depends on the game that takes place before theirs, where the Lions and Yorkshire go head to head. The Lions will sneak through to the semi-finals if they manage to win against Yorkshire. But if Yorkshire post their first victory this Champions League, then the winner of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians match will be alive in the competition.
CSK’s strength has been their batting, but yet they are to post a challenging total for the opposition. Their star players are yet to produce a magical innings and their most reliable batsman in Mike Hussey has to play ahead of Faf du Plessis because he has the ability to bat for 20 overs. CSK desperately need him in such a crucial match as Hussey can take the game away from the Mumbai Indians once he settles down. Also, Hussey and Vijay have a mutual understanding as these two opened for CSK in the last two IPL seasons.
If the openers can get CSK off to a good start, then they have the middle order batsmen who can exploit this start and they also have Morkel, who can finish the job for them. Since this is a decisive match, Dhoni has to take responsibility and bat up the order. If he promotes himself to No.4, then that gives him a bit of time to settle down before taking the attack to the opposition. He is also good player square of the wicket, which has been the opposition’s strength as Mumbai have spinners who can turn the ball square. As a skipper, like in last match against the Lions, he needs to be aggressive and should play Hussey ahead of du Plessis.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – OCTOBER 14: Sachin Tendulkar of Mumbai drives straight during the Karbonn Smart CLT20 match between bizhub Highveld Lions and Mumbai Indians at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on October 14, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In contrast, Mumbai Indians have got back the rhythm in their batting as their opener Dwayne Smith looks to be in sublime form. Rohit Sharma, though he played some delightful shots, is struggling for momentum. Pollard is the only key player for Mumbai Indians lower down the order and if CSK manages to exploit that weakness, Mumbai would find relatively difficult.
However, the weather isn’t looking good at Johannesburg. The weather office has predicted a possibility of showers later in the night. The toss, therefore, will play a crucial role in this contest. Fast bowlers will play a significant role for both sides.
Players to watch out for:
Mike Hussey – Dhoni has to play him ahead of Faf du Plessis. Mike Hussey will certainly hold the key for the men in yellow. Although he scored a mere 16 runs in his first game, he has the capacity to come up with a magical innings for his side. If he settles down, then Mumbai Indians will find it rather difficult to get him out.
Dwayne Smith - This man just found his form against Yorkshire. Besides Tendulkar, he certainly holds the key for the Mumbai Indians, who will want him to continue the good work. Until he’s there, they will certainly believe they can chase down any target.
Stats and trivia
Suresh Raina is the only batsman in the two teams to score a half-century in the tournament. He made 57 against the Sydney Sixers
Mumbai have won seven of their 12 matches against the Super Kings. In their only meeting in the Champions League, they beat Chennai by three wickets. (Courtesy ESPN Cricinfo)
Prediction – Whoever wins the toss and exploits the conditions will come out as winners. Both teams are evenly matched, but Chennai have the slight edge over Mumbai. Having been in pressure situations, they will know how to play in this kind of scenario.
Chennai should therefore send the Mumbai Indians out of the competition along with the Kolkata Knight Riders.