The Lahore
Lions held their nerve to qualify for the group stages, but faltered at their
very first go in the t20
fantasy league group
stages against the spirited Kolkata Knight Riders. Now, with the Knight Riders
already sealing a spot in the semis, things are only going to get tougher for
the club from across the border.
The Lions will
have to win all their remaining three games to have a decent shot at the semis.
The road up there is certainly not going to be a cake-walk for the Lions as
they will lock horns against the formidable Chennai Super Kings, tonight in
Bangalore.
Meanwhile, the
men in Yellow too have been erratic. However, their huge win against the
Dolphins has certainly boosted their confidence and run-rate. MS Dhoni’s men
will know another slip-up tonight could make things really tricky.
The Super Kings
have explosive hitters in their camp, but their inability to defend totals will
be a huge matter of concern for Dhoni. The Lions on the other hand have a
potent bowling line-up in both pace and spin department. That said, a wobbly
Lions’ middle order is something that the men in Yellow could target.
On the fielding
front, the Super Kings have some wonderful fielders who can cover serious
ground and also take some spectacular catches. For the Lions though, fielding
has been a bit of an issue and they will have to raise their standard to
prevent the runs from leaking.
Chennai will
surely start as the hit favorites, but if the Lions can stick to their guns and
produce some clinical display of cricket, then we could very well have an
intriguing contest on our hands.
Expect nothing
but the batsmen to come to the party given the honest and placid track in
Bangalore. With short boundaries and high altitude, expect some big blows from
the batsmen.
The captain
winning the toss might be tempted to chase, considering the fact that defending
a total at the Chinnaswamy has never been an easy task.
Key players
Brendon McCullum- He is getting starts, but hasn’t yet
converted into something substantial. He loves playing in Bangalore and who
would have forgotten the massacre of 158? Tonight, could very well be his
night!
Mohammad Hafeez- The skipper is the most
experienced player in the Lahore camp. He will have to do something dramatic
with both bat and ball to stop the Kings from nudging ahead.