Harpreet Seehra
Elite
Chennai Super Kings got the win they needed to stay alive in the Champions League Twenty20 against Cape Cobras on Wednesday. Now, they must win against Trinidad & Tobago to sustain their chance of making the semi-finals. T&T have lost one match off the last ball and one in a Super Over; both were matches which they could and should have won. Like the Super Kings, they now need to win two out of two, but they will also have to bank on other results going their way. The forecast in Chennai is for thunder showers during the day and a cloudy night. A wash-out will knock T&T out and leave the Super Kings precariously placed.
The Super Kings' win against the Cobras should boost their confidence - they chased (something they prefer to avoid) on a sluggish track and won despite scoreboard pressure. They've been in must-win situations before and seem to thrive on the extra pressure. If the visitors are to get past them they will have to shed their tardiness in the field.
T&T, so far, have seemed heavily dependent on their top three - Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo - for runs, something that the Super Kings would look to exploit. Ravi Rampaul, T&T's bowling spearhead, had a nightmarish last two overs in the game against New South Wales, but the memories of his five-for against India in the World Cup at this ground should be enough to dispel any negativity. A contest to watch out for is Dwayne Bravo taking on his State side that includes his brother Darren.
Watch out for …
Suresh Raina has never missed a match for the Super Kings. He has scored over 2000 runs for the team in 70 games, and has invariably delivered - with bat and ball - in tough situations. So far in this tournament though, he hasn't found his rhythm, with scores of 18 off 17 balls and 20 of 23. Will he manage to pull off a typical, boundary-studded innings in this crunch match?
Legspinner Samuel Badree has been miserly in T&T's four matches (qualifiers included), conceding only 4.75 runs an over - the best economy-rate among bowlers who have delivered a minimum of 15 overs in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how he fares on the Chennai pitch, which has traditionally allowed the hosts' slow bowlers to apply the squeeze on the opposition in the second-half of an innings.
Team news
Both sides have fielded the same XI in all their games in the tournament, and are unlikely to experiment.
Stats and trivia
Four of the six bowlers T&T have used in the tournament - Badree, Sunil Narine, Kevon Cooper and Rampaul - have economy rates below 6.00
Only 15 of the Super Kings' 43 wins (IPL and CLT20 combined) have come while chasing
Quotes
"I try to use some skidders, some wrong 'uns, try to get some turn off the legbreak as well … the main thing is to keep your eyes on the batsmen as long as possible, see what they are doing and try to out-think them."
Samuel Badree, on his formula for success in Twenty20s
"MS [Dhoni] really showed the way to go about it on this [Chennai] wicket, placing the ball in the gaps, and running a lot of singles and twos."
Dwayne Bravo credits his captain MS Dhoni for pointing him in the right direction against the Cobras
The Super Kings' win against the Cobras should boost their confidence - they chased (something they prefer to avoid) on a sluggish track and won despite scoreboard pressure. They've been in must-win situations before and seem to thrive on the extra pressure. If the visitors are to get past them they will have to shed their tardiness in the field.
T&T, so far, have seemed heavily dependent on their top three - Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo - for runs, something that the Super Kings would look to exploit. Ravi Rampaul, T&T's bowling spearhead, had a nightmarish last two overs in the game against New South Wales, but the memories of his five-for against India in the World Cup at this ground should be enough to dispel any negativity. A contest to watch out for is Dwayne Bravo taking on his State side that includes his brother Darren.
Watch out for …
Suresh Raina has never missed a match for the Super Kings. He has scored over 2000 runs for the team in 70 games, and has invariably delivered - with bat and ball - in tough situations. So far in this tournament though, he hasn't found his rhythm, with scores of 18 off 17 balls and 20 of 23. Will he manage to pull off a typical, boundary-studded innings in this crunch match?
Legspinner Samuel Badree has been miserly in T&T's four matches (qualifiers included), conceding only 4.75 runs an over - the best economy-rate among bowlers who have delivered a minimum of 15 overs in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how he fares on the Chennai pitch, which has traditionally allowed the hosts' slow bowlers to apply the squeeze on the opposition in the second-half of an innings.
Team news
Both sides have fielded the same XI in all their games in the tournament, and are unlikely to experiment.
Stats and trivia
Four of the six bowlers T&T have used in the tournament - Badree, Sunil Narine, Kevon Cooper and Rampaul - have economy rates below 6.00
Only 15 of the Super Kings' 43 wins (IPL and CLT20 combined) have come while chasing
Quotes
"I try to use some skidders, some wrong 'uns, try to get some turn off the legbreak as well … the main thing is to keep your eyes on the batsmen as long as possible, see what they are doing and try to out-think them."
Samuel Badree, on his formula for success in Twenty20s
"MS [Dhoni] really showed the way to go about it on this [Chennai] wicket, placing the ball in the gaps, and running a lot of singles and twos."
Dwayne Bravo credits his captain MS Dhoni for pointing him in the right direction against the Cobras
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