The T20 fever is back and this time it will be the clubs who will be vying for supremacy. With the main draw of Champions League T20 getting underway on Saturday, India will be particularly interested in tournament as four teams from the Indian Premier League will be taking part in it.
The teams from India which will feature in the tournament include defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), 2012 IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Daredevils (DD).
And to start off the Indian challenge, it will be country rivals KKR and DD locking horns against each other in the second match of day.
The teams had played brilliant cricket in this season of IPL and they will know each other's strength very well. They have a very good mixture of Indian and foreign players but then few of their main players have not been in the best of forms. Both the teams will want their big guns to fire as that would not only hold the key in today’s match but for the whole tournament.
Here are few of the players to watch out for…
Delhi Daredevils:
David Warner: David Warner had a rather disappointing T20 World campaign by his standards and except for the match against India where he scored a brilliant half century, nothing worked out his way. He will want to compensate for that and deliver for the Daredevils upfront opening the innings. He is a very explosive batsman and can decimate any bowling attack. He will fancy the South African conditions where the ball will come on to the bat. KKR bowlers will have to devise a plan for him because if he gets going things will get very difficult for them in the match.
Kevin Pietersen: Kevin Pietersen who was missing from the England T20 Squad in the World Cup even due to his fall-out with the England Cricket Board. His absence was surely felt by the defending champions in the tournament and now he will have a point to prove. Reconciliation with ECB is on the cards for him and what can be better for him to join back the side with some good performances that he can boast of.
Morne Morkel: One of the main players who took Daredevils so close to title triumph in this season is this lanky pacer from South Africa . Morkel will be the man to watch out and his knowledge about the conditions will make him a huge threat.
Umesh Yadav: He is likely to share the new ball with Morkel. He has the capability of getting early breakthroughs and also bowl miserly in the slog overs. Yadav will be looking forward to make his presence count in a big way.
Gautam Gambhir: The KKR captain has been in woeful form and has faced severe criticism. He will look to make amends and everyone knows that he is a knock away from getting to back to the groove again. Gambhir can take the attack to the opposition and can dominate the bowlers. He will play a vital role in the KKR batting and will look to play for the complete quota of 20 overs. Gambhir can increase the rate of scoring with ease at any point of the game.
Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf Pathan is going into the tournament as one of the best striker of cricket ball. Every eye will be on this Baroda batsman as he sure can pack a punch. Pathan can change the course of the innings in the matter of few overs and will be raring to go.
Brett Lee: Brett Lee has retired from international cricket but will raring to have to a go on the Souh African pitches. Lee is very much capable of picking early wickets and the KKR team will be banking on him to make some early inroads.
Sunil Narine: One of the main architects for KKR’s success in 2012 IPL. And also played an instrumental role in helping West Indies win the recently concluded T20 World Cup. His skipper will want him to continue his good run and help KKR win the tournament.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News Network
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