MATCH: Mumbai Indians V New South Wales Blues
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 2011
TIME: 1600 hours IST (1030 hours GMT)
VENUE: M Chidamabaram in Chennai
With rains hitting Bangalore and abandoning their previous game, Mumbai Indians will need a win off their last league game against the New South Wales Blues on Sunday at Chennai.
Past Record:
Mumbai Indians have yet to lose a game in the tournament. They had a stunning win over Chennai in their opening game, before edging out Trinidad and Tobago in a thriller. Against the Cobras, they seemed to have batted well enough for the first time ever this season and got to 176. Then it rained and the match was abandoned.
The New South Wales Blues began their campaign with a loss to the Cobras before coming back well with a win over Trinidad and Tobago in a game that went into the Super Over.
Side-effect:
The equation is interesting in Group A. If Mumbai Indians (10/11 at
BetFred) win this game, they will be through to the semi-finals but a loss here will send the calculators buzzing. Net run-rate could come into the equation in that case and with Mumbai Indians having struggled through to their wins in the last over of the two games, it may become difficult for them.
The New South Wales Blues (11/12 at
Bwin) know that they have to win the remaining two games to qualify; a loss here will almost end their chances to make it to the semi-finals of the competition that they had won in 2009.
Team News:
Mumbai Indians had come into the previous game with a lot more purpose to their batting, which allowed them to get to the potentially match-winning score. Punjab batsman Sarul Kanwar (11/2 at
Stan James) led the way on his Champions League T20 debut with a blistering 45 and Kieron Pollard took up the gauntlet with a 37-ball 58. The team would be heaving a sigh of relief with the performance of the duo.
The bowling still looks decent but it was a surprise to see Trinidad and Tobago capitulate to 98 – neither is the Mumbai Indians bowling threatening nor was the pitch that bad. Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga will have a lot riding on their shoulders.
The Blues’ opening batsman Shane Watson (3/1 at
BetFred) has said that he may look to bat down the order in Test matches. But for this tournament, he will be the side’s key at the top of the innings but needs to start getting some runs. It is also a surprise that Watson hasn’t bowled at all in the tournament and unless he is suffering from a niggle, it makes no sense.
Dave Warner will know that he is one of the few in the NSW Blues who can tonk the ball a huge way and while Moises Henriques’ matured knock under pressure against TT would augur well, Warner will hold the key.
Who is hot?
Henriques did to Trinidad and Tobago what they had done to the Blues two seasons ago. And what the Lasith Malinga had done to the Super Kings in Mumbai Indians’ opening game against Chennai – snatching a win from the jaws of defeat. Mumbai Indians would be relieved to see Andrew Symonds get some runs and will hope for some more support in the middle
Prediction:
Tough to call this one but the Blues have a better side than their opponents.
