Bengaluru: The sultry weather in Bengaluru may have well reminded Chennai Super Kings’ of their home base. But going into their Champions League T20 crunch match against Perth Scorchers at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium here on Saturday, if they are profusely sweating, the weather is only a minor reason.After rain played spoilsport to their chance of sealing a semis berth on Thursday night, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men will each have to stand up for the count to further their case.
With six points to their credit from three matches, the Super Kings will have to win their last league outing against the Perth side to move to the second spot on the points table.
On the other hand, the Scorchers, in the event of a loss, will have to pack their bags and their last outing against Lahore Lions on Tuesday will become inconsequential. With Kolkata Knight Riders already through to the semifinals from Group A, the race for the other spot has heated up. While the teams get down to strategies and number crunching it would do them well if they pray for the weather to hold up.
The already soggy outfield got rain-water treatment with another downpour on Friday evening. Given the prevailing conditions, the signs are far from encouraging for a 20 overs-aside contest. In the context of the game, the big hitters will make all the difference to either sides, especially considering net run-rates will have a huge role to play.
That said, weather permitting, Super Kings who made light work of Lahore Lions earlier this week, will have to work harder for a win against the team from Down Under.
While the Lions were largely a bunch of players lacking in exposure especially in the sub continent, the same cannot be said about the Scorchers, who have depth and experience in both batting and bowling.
Although the Scorchers lost their previous encounter against the dominant Knight Riders, they took it down to the last ball.They bat deep with Craig Simmons, Sam Whiteman, Mitchell Marsh and Adam Voges in decent form. On the bowling front, pacers Coulter-Nile and Yasir Arafat are their main weapons.
Although the duo has accounted for a good number of wickets, their economy rate, which is on the higher side will be a cause of concern for skipper Voges, more so because Chennai are packed with game changers right from openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
