Red-hot Central Districts Face Captain Cool

Durban: Mahendra Singh Dhoni ought to have fond memories of South Africa. It was here, in the Rainbow  nation, that he transported Indian cricket from despair to glory. Given the reins of Indian cricket, Dhoni led the team to a sensational triumph in the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 in 2007. Since then he has grown in stature-both as a cricketer and captain.

Now, as he leads the IPL 3 champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a clash of titans in their Champions League debut, his entire team would look up to him to lead by example. Of course, having won their maiden IPL title this season, Chennai won't be short of confidence or self-belief.

One witnessed those attributes in the crunch games during the IPL. They seemed dead and buried in the do-or-die game against Kings XI Punjab at Dharamshala. Then came Dhoni and brought with him a sublime six-hitting form to steer the team home. After that great escape, Chennai lifted their game by several notches in the semifinals and finals where they set aside the challenge of Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians respectively.

Doug Bollinger made light work of Deccan's batting with his aggressive bowling while Suresh Raina expressed himself with authority against Mumbai as Dhoni's men stole the thunder in the big games. The good thing about CSK is the fact that it is a close, well-knit unit and has the right mix of youth and experience. Add to that the understated, yet immense, contribution of their shrewd coach Stephen Fleming and you have a team ready to take on any opponent. And yes, Dhoni's team has the fire power too to succeed in the alien conditions of South Africa.

Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey have a proven track record in South Africa. Along with Suresh Raina and Dhoni, they will form the nucleus of the Chennai batting. Murali Vijay Albie Morkel, Srikkanth Anirudh and S Badrinath will also be keen to prove a point.

In the bowling department, Bollinger and Albie Morkel form a potent strike force among pacers. They would be complemented in the slow bowling section by R Ashwin, who had an excellent IPL 3, and Shadab Jakati, who impressed with his left-arm spin in IPL 2 played in South Africa. Veteran Muttiah Muralitharan's experience and guile will also be handy.

Indeed, if their mindset and talent combine, MS Dhoni's well-populated trophy cabinet will need to make space for another one.

Not that their opponent Central Districts are riding a wave of confidence. Inclement weather hampered their preparations back home. They just have managed a week of proper practice, according to their new coach Alan Hunt. The injuries to Jacob Oram and Graham Napier, and the loss of Ross Taylor to Bangalore Royal Challengers have been huge setbacks.

Team from

Central Districts: Jamie How (C), Brendon Diamanti, Peter Ingram, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Mathew Sinclair, Doug Bracewell, Bevan Griggs (WK), Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Brad Patton, Seth Rance, Tim Weston, George Worker

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (C & WK), Muttiah Muralitharan, Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden, Doug Bollinger, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Shadab Jakati, Lakshmipathy Balaji, S Badrinath, Ravichandran Ashwin, Srikkanth Anirudha, Albie Morkel, Joginder Sharma, Justin Kemp

Pitch and conditions
The pitches in the practice games have done quite a bit. The ball has swung and seamed around. Fleming called it "tricky". The locals reckon 150 should be a good score. It has been drizzling in the late evenings for the past few days though the sun came out strongly today to revive batsmen's hopes.

Stats and trivia

• Matthew Hayden didn't shine in the last IPL. Despite a score of 93 in one game, he only averaged 21. Six other Chennai players had better averages than him. That innings of 93, though, came in just 43 balls with seven sixes and nine fours.

Match facts
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Start time 17:30 local (15:30 GMT)