| Pitch:
It helps fast bowlers. It is interesting to see how Mathew
Hayden will tackle Brett Lee on this fast track. Mohali may elect
to field if it wins the toss.
Stadium: Punjab Cricket
Association (PCA) ground, Mohali.
Match timing: From 3 PM live on Set Max channel.
Must watch:
1. Bhangra dance by Punjab dance group.
2. Preity Zinta.
Strange thing:
Punjab Ranji fast bowler Manpreet Gony is playing for Chennai
IPL team.
Interesting battles:
1. Muralidharan Vs Sangakkara and Jayawardene.
2. Brett Lee Vs Mathew Hayden and Michael Hussey.
3. Mahendra Singh Dhoni Vs Yuvraj Singh
Chennai Super Kings IPL Team:
Strengths:
1. Most balanced outfit.
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni- cool captain and big hitter.
3. Jacob Oram is the most dangerous all-rounder in International
cricket.
4. Mathew Hayden is the highest scorer in the twenty20 cricket
world cup.
5. Muralidharan’s spin magic.
Weaknesses:
1. Makhaya Ntini and Morkel are not available for this match due
to domestic obligations.
2. Balaji will miss this match due to lack of fitness.
3. Absence of world class fast bowlers.
4. Absence of all-rounder Morkel is a serious blow to Chennai
chances.
Coach: Kepler Wessels.
Franchise: India Cements.
Chief selector: V.B. Chandrasekhar.
Brand Ambassadors: Vijay and Nayantara.
Team probables: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Parthiv Patel
(Wicketkeeper), Mathew Hayden, Jacob Oram, Suresh Raina, Michael
Hussey, Stephen Fleming, Muttaih Muralidharan, Joginder Sharma,
Abhinav Mukund, V. Sivaramakrishnan, Arun Karthik, Anirudha
Srikanth, R. Ashwin, P. Amaranath, S. Badrinath and M. Gony.
Punjab Kings Eleven IPL team:
Strengths:
1. Yuvraj Singh is the ideal batsman for 20-20 cricket.
2. Home ground advantage.
3. World number one fast bowler Brett Lee
4. Irfan Pathan all-round capabilities.
5. Young team and good fielding side.
6. Simon Katich’s experience in the twenty20 cricket.
Weaknesses:
1. Piyush Chawla lacks experience in the twenty20 format.
2. Absence of big hitters in the middle order.
Coach: Tom Moody.
Franchise: Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia.
Team: Yuvraj Singh (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Simon Katich,
Kumara Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Pankaj Dharmani, Irfan
Pathan, Brett Lee, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, James Hopes, VRV
Singh, Romesh Powar, Kylie Mills, Luke Pamarbach and Tanmay
Srivatsava.
Verdict: Punjab kings eleven
will start as favourite team as Chennai is missing Ntini and
Morkel on this fast track. Can Dhoni, Oram and Hayden save
Chennai? It depends on how they bat against Brett Lee.
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