A look at the four qualifying teams of the Champions League T20 2014
Alagappan Muthu12-Sep-20145:19
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Mumbai IndiansOne of four teams who have claimed both their domestic Twenty20 and Champions Trophy titles, Mumbai Indians have been forced to earn their place in the main draw after a dismal IPL 2014. Their bid to remedy that has already taken a jolt with Rohit Sharma’s injuries. In addition to losing their captain, Rohit’s absence has left only seven batsmen to choose from. Among them only Kieron Pollard and to a lesser extent Corey Anderson have the strike rates to make the opposition fret. Pollard has been promoted to captain the side, and perhaps might be tempted to bat up the order. But Mumbai would rely as heavily on Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga, who had been the other contenders in that race.How they qualified: By adding to IPL’s penchant for unbelievable finishes. Their season began with five losses in the UAE, before a return to India rejuvenated them. Despite six victories in eight matches, Mumbai were left with a must-win game at their Wankhede fortress. They needed 190 in 87 balls and Anderson finally lived up to his high-profile billing as his 95 off 44 balls fuelled a thunderous batting performance. Rajasthan Royals scrambled to keep the scores level at the 87th delivery. But conditions allowed for one more ball. Aditya Tare, the new batsman, had to send it flying out of the ground and so he did to spark manic scenes.Strengths: Experience. Harbhajan could be trusted to be miserly, as he was with the sixth-best economy rate of 6.47 in 2013. Malinga’s threat was diminished when he faced Pakistan in August. His fitness kept the twitter abuzz and he wasn’t able to stun them into silence with those toe-crushers. Pollard is the other pillar the side stands on.Kieron Pollard, the new captain of the Mumbai Indians, will hope to add the Champions League title to his CPL trophy this season•LatinContent/Getty Images
Weaknesses: Batting, especially the top order. Michael Hussey was a liability as opener at the start of the IPL. Tare might take his place and Ambati Rayudu would shoulder greater responsibility after two tours with the Indian ODI side. Anderson was suspect against spin, especially when met with it early.Watch out for: Lendl Simmons was brought in midway through the IPL as a quick-fix to their opening problems but his performances have tipped him as a long-term option. He finished as the top-scorer for Mumbai and those credentials have been bolstered by four fifties during the Caribbean Premier League, including a 60-ball 97 against St. Lucia Zouks. Mumbai’s batting would gain considerable security should he reprise his form.Northern DistrictsThey beat Otago, last year’s representatives from New Zealand, to make their first Champions League appearance. To acclimatise to Indian conditions, the squad had trained in Bangalore since the start of September. Inputs from the likes of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Kane Williamson would also come in handy. They were slow to embrace T20s, as five wins in their first three seasons suggest and were mostly stuck in mid-table tussles until their maiden HRV cup triumph in 2014.”We’ve got two quality swing bowers ranked in the top ten Test ratings, so we’re looking for that experience to make some inroads at the top of the innings,” said Daniel Flynn, their captain. “We’ve got a lot of experience in the batting as well with some international players who are accustomed to the conditions, so I think we’re a well rounded squad – we’ll certainly put up a good fight.” They might, however, miss Corey Anderson’s all-round abilities, having lost him to Mumbai Indians.How they qualified: By batting the opposition out. Six of their eight wins came about with the help of totals above 174, including a 40-run mauling of three-time champions Auckland. They had a rickety time chasing though, which had almost been exploited in the final. Though the target was 144, Northern Districts were 24 for 3 before Daryl Mitchell and Watling resurrected the chase.Strengths: Flynn, Mitchell and Daniel Harris were among the top-five run-getters and were key to the side’s average run rate being 8.14. Boult and Southee shoulder the responsibility of early wickets and curtailing late runs to add to the side’s balance.Weaknesses: Ish Sodhi is the only specialist spinner of note from the squad after Daniel Vettori had to pull out. In his stead comes uncapped 22-year old left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. Anton Devcich provides additional assistance, as does Trent’s brother Jono Boult. In conditions where slower bowlers tend to fare better, Northern Districts will want all their spinners performing at their best levels.Watch out for: Daryl Mitchell enjoyed a strike rate of 143.61 while ticking off 270 runs in 10 matches. He began the season with a face-saving 88 against Central Districts to turned 19 for 3 to 200 for 4. He provides the impetus in the middle order and will need to assist in his side bettering their record in chases.Southern ExpressSri Lankan teams have not fared well at the Champions League to date, perhaps partly because they are chosen in brief tournaments that are more cobbled together than organised. This year’s Super Fours tournament was shoehorned into one rain-hit July week, in between two international tours. Sri Lanka may be World T20 champions and the top-ranked T20 side, but Sri Lanka Cricket’s primary motive for sending a team to the Champions League appears to be to bank the $500,000 sum paid to participating sides.However, a four-team tournament does condense the talent in the country. They may not have much experience playing together as a side, but on paper Southern Express have the potential to be competitive. They are ably led by Jehan Mubarak, who has had an extraordinary year in domestic cricket, and the 15-man squad features seven international cricketers, and several youngsters who will likely be considered for Sri Lanka duty in coming years. Not much is expected of Express, but there is no reason they cannot spring a few surprises and earn a place in the tournament proper.How they qualified: Express’ route to the Champions League says plenty about how seriously SLC treat domestic T20 cricket. Express were scheduled to play three round-robin matches. They lost the first game, but managed to get a spot in the knockout stages when their next two matches were rained out. They then won the eliminator comfortably, and narrowly defeated a good Udarata Rulers side to earn the trip to India.Northern Districts won their first HRV trophy to qualify for the Champions League•Getty Images
Strengths: Express’ strongest asset in their quest for qualification is their top-order, which will feature Kusal Perera, Test wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella, and domestic performers like Mubarak and Angelo Perera. The squad also features good slow-bowling options in Seekkuge Prasanna, Dilruwan Perera and Sachith Pathirana. Tillakaratne Dilshan was expected to add further muscle to the side, but he had to pull out of the tournament due to family commitments.Weakness: With Lasith Malinga choosing to play for Mumbai Indians, Express will rely heavily on Maharoof to provide reliable overs towards the death. There are two other promising quicks in the squad, but they are light on experience.Watch out for: Niroshan Dickwella has so far only played Tests, but limited-overs cricket has been his stronger suit in domestic cricket. He was this year’s top-scorer in the List A tournament, and possesses an array of attacking shots, as well as the gall with which to pull them off.Lahore LionsLahore Lions have have won three titles and were runner-up in 2009, making them the second-most successful T20 team in Pakistan. They have a good blend of domestic performers along with the six international cricketers, with Mohammad Hafeez, the No.1-ranked allrounder, leading the side. Their participation had been uncertain over visa concerns, which were sorted out just days before the tournament began.How they qualified: Abbottabad Falcons were the only team to upset them in their final match of the group stage, but Lions lifted themselves in the knock-outs. They handed a 79-run drubbing to Islamabad Leopards in the semi-final and their batsmen clung on for a last-ball victory in the final. The early wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq dented Faisalabad Wolves and limited them to 130 but the equation reached a dicey 11 from 6 which Saad Nasim was able to manage.Strength: Four flamboyant players make up the nucleus of their batting – Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Nasir Jamshed and Umar Akmal. The pace battery is centred on the experience of Aizaz Cheema – who was the top wicket-taker in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup and Wahab Riaz, who had managed to tip over the 140-kph mark and showed good form in Sri Lanka.Weakness: The middle order lacks international experience, which could prove the difference.Watch out for: Adnan Rasool, the 33-year old offspinner, has spent 12 years on the domestic circuit and would hope to use the global impact of the Champions League and make a case for being one of the replacements for Saeed Ajmal.