Steady Chennai Super Kings face professional Lions

The competition should be between Faf and Hussey. Either one should play and that paves way for Morkel.

Match Facts

Venue – Cape Town

Channel – Star Cricket

Star time – 17. 30 and (15.30 GMT)

Big Picture

It was not the ideal start the former champions Chennai Super Kings were looking for, as they lost their opener narrowly by 14 runs. On the other hand, the Lions played extremely professional cricket and thrashed the Mumbai Indians convincingly by 8 wickets in Sunday’s double-header. For Chennai Super Kings, M.S. Dhoni made a huge blunder by dropping Morkel, instead playing two Aussie seamers. Morkel is a game-changer, and he could have been a very handy customer, especially in those circumstances. In contrast, Highveld Lions outclassed Mumbai Indians in all departments of the game, and a player like Neil McKenzie set an example to the young batsmen of Lions.

However, the venue for this match is at Cape Town, and both teams would have assessed the conditions. The weather at Cape Town is still cold and windy, which means the toss could play a vital role in this match. Both teams have quality seamers, and bowlers like Bollinger and Hilfenhaus would be very handy for the Chennai Super Kings with the new ball, as they get it to deviate both ways. Therefore, Chennai Super Kings must play these two and the competition should be between Hussey and du Plessis. Faf du Plessis is an aggressive player, but does not show patience, which is very important for a settled batsman, while Albie Morkel could be a very handy customer for Chennai lower down the order; it won’t be a bad idea to drop du Plessis and bring Morkel into the squad.

The Lions have looked pretty comfortable with their resounding win against the Mumbai Indians. Both captains may have had an eye on the Auckland-Kolkata Knight Riders match, where pace bowlers dominated the match. Consequently, Sohail Tanvir will certainly hold the key for the Lions to remove CSK’s formidable batting line-up. He can get the ball to nip through sideways also, which will definitely test Chennai Super Kings’ openers. So, both skippers would want to bowl first if the conditions at Cape Town remain the same. The toss could play crucial role for today’s match.

Watch out for:

Bollinger – Bollinger has been Chennai’s strike bowler. His lack of form cost the Chennai Super Kings in their opener against Sydney. However, the conditions at Cape Town would ideally suit him, and if he can get the new ball to swing, then certainly the Lions batsman would be in trouble.

Sohail Tanvir - Pakistani pacer Sohail Tanvir had bowled well for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL – 1. He is the guy who gets the yorkers spot on, and he could be very dangerous in the death overs. CSK’s batting will be tested if he strikes initially with the new ball.

Prediction - Whoever wins the toss and exploits the conditions initially would come out as winners. But Chennai Super Kings have depth in their batting, and they won’t give up under any circumstances. Since Chennai know how to handle pressure situations, they should not find it difficult against the Lions.