MATCH: Chennai v Trinidad and Tobago
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 2011
TIME: 2000 hours IST (1430 hours GMT)
VENUE: M Chidamabaram in Chennai
Chennai Super Kings will play Trinidad and Tobago in a Group A encounter on Sunday at home.
Past Record:
The Super Kings were on the road to a win against the Mumbai Indians but were pulled down by the pair of Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh. Then, against the Cobras, they looked like going down before Dwayne Bravo starred with the bat to guide the Super Kings through to a win. They have one win from two games.
Trinidad and Tobago have lost two, as-close-as-close-can-be games. In the first match, Mumbai Indians strolled to the two runs required to win the match off the last delivery while in the next, the New South Wales Blues won the match in the Super Over after the regular time had produced a tie.
Side-effect:
A loss for the Trinidad and Tobago (15/8 at
Blue Square) will be their third in a row and spell curtains for the side in the tournament. On the other hand, a win will prolong their chances to make it to the semi-finals. Chennai (5/11 at
Bwin) will know that with the rain giving a point apiece to both, Mumbai and Cobras, they will need to win both their games to seal their berth in the semi-finals. A loss could knock them out as well.
Team News:
Among all the teams in the competition, Chennai’s batting depth is one of the strongest. And with the presence of Bravo and Albie Morkel, it isn’t too much of a surprise why. Murali Vijay (4/1 at
bet365) will need to start scoring runs at the top and support Michael Hussey, who is in the form of his life currently.
The bowling should have been good, what with Doug Bollinger and R Ashwin around but the flatter nature of the tracks and a bit of rustiness from the Aussie has made it a tad difficult for the Super Kings. Trust Dhoni to persist with Bollinger, after he announced himself with a two-wicket haul as a one-change bowler against Cobras.
Trinidad and Tobago’s batting is dependent on their top three and they cannot afford to lose quick wickets upfront. Somehow, if Lendl Simmons (3/1 at
Coral), Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo can use the tactic that their opponents use so often – bat through the first half without losing too many before exploding – things could get interesting.
Ravi Rampaul will be raring to go after a shoddy couple of overs last game.
Who is hot?
Suresh Raina is another of the under-rated all-rounders in the team, who can bat well in this format and can get his share of wickets as well. With his fielding one of the best in the team, he will be a player to look out for as he looks to get a big one. Trinidad and Tobago need a strong push in the middle order and a lot could depend on how Daren Ganga bats.
Prediction:
Chennai will be favourites to topple away the 2009 edition runner-ups from the tournament.
