Warriors hope to keep home interest alive
Match facts
Wednesday, September 22Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)
Big Picture
First up the basics: Chennai Super Kings need to win to have any chance of progressing to the semi-finals, while Warriors can make it even if they lose by a small margin. For example, if they are chasing 160, they can afford to lose by no more than 27 runs, while if Warriors score 160 batting first, they'll have to ensure Chennai take at least 16.4 overs to reach their target.The presence of two weak teams - Wayamba and Central Districts - in Group A means there's a chance that a side can get knocked out from the Champions League for losing only one game in the tournament. Warriors have won all their matches so far, but a big defeat against Chennai Super Kings will mean there will be no home teams in the semi-finals. Similarly, Victoria have swept all before them after flopping in their opening game, but still have to nervously watch the Warriors-Chennai match to know their fate.
The superb form of Warriors' captain and opener, Davey Jacobs, is one reason why they are best-placed to progress but the top-order's effectiveness has hidden a potential weakness - a shallow middle order. Johan Botha looks to be playing a position too high at No. 6 but Jacobs wasn't too concerned by it. "We have Nicky Boje, who comes after Botha, and has scored couple of ODI hundreds," Jacobs said. "So I am very confident about my team's batting. We have done everything we could to get here. We shall continue to do those basics."
For Chennai, the department to worry about is probably the bowling. While they have two world-class performers in Doug Bollinger and Muttiah Muralitharan, their local bowlers, medium-pacer L Balaji and offspinner R Ashwin, need to bounce back from the pasting they received in the previous match.
Team news
One decision Chennai will have to make is regarding which Australian batsman to pick: Matthew Hayden was out of touch in his two outings in the tournament, while Michael Hussey scored at less than run-a-ball against Victoria. Albie Morkel's fitness is also a source of worry.Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Matthew Hayden / Michael Hussey, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 6 S Anirudha, 7 Albie Morkel / Justin Kemp, 8 Doug Bollinger, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 L Balaji.
Justin Kreusch has had little to do with bat or ball in the previous two matches but his ability to bat should win him a place in a team with a longish tail. Warriors may also toy with the idea of playing Garnett Kruger in place of one of the three frontline quicks.
Warriors (probable): 1 Davey Jacobs (capt), 2 Ashwell Prince, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 Craig Thyssen, 5 Mark Boucher (wk), 6 Johan Botha, 7 Justin Kreusch, 8 Nicky Boje, 9 Rusty Theron, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Watch out for ...
Colin Ingram will be celebrating his maiden call-up to the South African team, a reward for topping the run-charts in the Pro20 to lead the Warriors to the title. He has been off-colour in the Champions League, and Wednesday's crunch match could be the one where he shows off his talent to a wider audience.As the leading run-getter after three seasons of the IPL, Suresh Raina's importance to Chennai as a batsman is well-known. Against Victoria on Saturday, he showcased his talents as a spinner, taking four wickets and was even entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the tense final over of a tight game.
Key contests
Jacobs v Bollinger: Jacobs' big-hitting has been pivotal to Warriors' three consecutive wins, and he has also boldly spoken of how important he can be to South Africa in the Twenty20 format. He has been overlooked for South Africa's Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan. A confident performance against Bollinger, an in-form quick bowler in a high-pressure match, will give the selectors another reminder of his ability.Makhaya Ntini v Chennai: From being one of the world's leading bowlers, Ntini has regressed so much that not only does he not get a much of a look-in for South Africa these days, even his IPL team hasn't given him an opportunity in two seasons. Wednesday's match will be a chance for him to show Chennai what they are missing.
Stats and trivia
- The match features the two most economical bowlers (minimum five overs) of the tournament: Johan Botha (4.83) and Muttiah Muralitharan (5.38)
- Albie Morkel is mostly known in Twenty20s for his big-hitting lower down the order. With 104 wickets, he is also the second-highest wicket-taker in the format, behind Dirk Nannes
Siddarth Ravindran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo