Champions League T20 has entered the business end of the tournament. The big shocker is that last years winners, Mumbai Indians were knocked out in the qualification stages. The likes of Malinga, Pollard will not entertain the tournament this time around. But make no mistake there is no lack of glamour in the tournament with superstars like Raina and Andre Russel coming up with game changing heroics early on. As the tournament reaches the business part of the tournament Cricmatez.com picks up top 4 teams of the tournament. These are the teams for which one can safely put their money on Betfair Cricket Odds in my high opinion :
KINGS XI PUNJAB
Kings XI Punjab, the 2014 IPL runner -ups have been in red hot form all through the tournament. Their batting order is one of the strongest in T20 cricket at the moment. Kings XI Punjab brags about the likes of hard hitters like Glenn Maxwell, David Miller and their quintessential captain George Bailey. Some local talents like Saha, Manan Vohra and Aksar Patel also add flavour and variety to their batting. Bowling looks a weakpoint for Kings XI, having missed Mitchell Johnson due to an injury. Thisara Perera spearheads the attack in his absence.
2. KOLKATA KNIGHTRIDERS
Kolkata Knightriders, the 2014 Ipl champs have won 2 in 2 games and have beaten Chennai Superkings to show that they mean business. Knightriders are a side that is filled with some great utility players like Andre Russell and Robin Uthappa. Russel made a mockery of the CSK bowling attack in the opener to hand them a win and edge them closer to the semis. The main strength is their openers, Uthappa and captain Gambhir. Gambhir has lead his side very well right from the word go. Bowling could be an area of concern for Kolkata, having missed Morne Morkel and Shakib Al Hasan.
3. HOBART HURRICANES
Hobart Hurricanes led by former Australian wicket-keeper Tim Paine has amazed many a critics and their batsmen have earned them more fans in India. In the last match against Northern Knights they showed how good a team they are and why they deserve to be among the top teams. Last match saw a powerful blitz from Aiden Blizzard and Ben Dunk. Their batting line-up looks pretty strong with likes os some of the power hitters in Australian cricket. Their bowling line-up also looks strong, with the likes of Hilfenhaus, Bollinger and the spin supply of Doherty. It looks a well-balanced team and it would be no surprise if they go all the way to win.
4. PERTH SCORCHERS
Perth Scorchers is one of the most consistent teams from the Big Bash. Mostly they make it to the CLT20 but fail to make it count. Last match saw Mitchell Marsh hit a last ball six to clinch them a superb win. But their batting order is not much scary like the Hurricanes or Kings XI Punjab but they gel well as a team. Individual stars are lesser compared to other teams. The Scorchers are led by one of the veterans, former Australian batsman Adam Vogues. They have got quite a good lot of all-rounders like Mitchell Marsh and Coulter Nile. Their batting is a little bit on the receiving end or rather it is not as strong as the others.
STATS FLASH :
BATTING :
Most Sixes : Suresh Raina (CSK) – 8
Highest Individual Score : Kane Williamson (NK) – 101*
Best Batting Strike Rate : Kane Williamson (NK) – 182.45
BOWLING :
Most Wickets : Jimmy Hilfenhaus ( HOB) – 6
Best Bowling Figures : Ashish Nehra (CSK) – 4/21
Best Bowling Average : Sunil Narine (KKR) – 4.50
Best Economy : Sunil Narine (KKR) – 2.25
