Match 20: Chennai Super Kings v Warriors

September 22, Port Elizabeth: MS Dhoni’s luck with the toss continued and the Chennai captain opted to bat first on a wicket which had proved to be on the slower side in the earlier game between Wayamba and Central Stags. Dhoni wasn’t lucky enough to have Albie Morkel in the side, though - the all-rounder is yet to recover from a side strain.
Michael Hussey and M Vijay started in similar fashion in their game against the Victorian Bushrangers. The duo held steady while putting on 37 runs in the first six overs without losing any wicket. Vijay then changed gears and hit Nicky Boje for 16 runs in the seventh over, but this proved to be a minor aberration in what was to otherwise be a very tidy bowling performance by the Warriors.
Justin Kreusch’s introduction into the attack paid immediate dividends as the medium pacer struck three crucial blows to keep Chennai in check.  Vijay, Suresh Raina and S Badrinath all fell to Kreusch and with Hussey falling to Johan Botha after a well paced half-century, the Kings were against the ropes. Dhoni’s 21-ball 31 got them to 136 but for a side battling for a place in the semi-final against two other teams (Bushrangers included), this was a most ordinary score. And with the Warriors needing to make only a 109 runs to qualify for the semi-final, irrespective of the result, the pressure was most certainly on CSK.
Yet, Chennai weren’t about to roll over. The St George’s Park wicket favoured the slower bowlers and with the addition of Shadab Jakati in their ranks, CSK must have believed at the halfway stage that they could still win this game.
Doug Bollinger came steaming in and R Ashwin bowled his unorthodox spin with the guile of a veteran. The Warriors’ openers were kept in check and Ashwell Prince was caught brilliantly at slip by Justin Kemp in trying to break free of the shackles. Davey Jacobs, the man in form for the Warriors, was in no mood to surrender the advantage. He hit a couple of boundaries to the mid-wicket fence and long-on, but got out to Jakati having made 32 off just 31 deliveries. Colin Ingram’s horrid run at CLT20 continued when he was dismissed by Suresh Raina. At 63 for 3 in 11.3 overs, Chennai had clawed their way right back into this match.
Justin Kreusch then struck a handy 44-run partnership with Mark Boucher off 35 balls and the duo were looking to not only take the Warriors past the qualifying mark, but also knock Chennai out of the competition with a victory to the home side. Dhoni then brought on Ashwin to bowl the 18th over and the spinner got rid of both batsmen - but not before Boucher had steered the Warriors past the qualifying mark of 109. And with 25 required off the last two overs, Bollinger and Muralitharan took a few wickets to keep the Warriors’ total down to 126 and hand Chennai a famous win.
After the fascinating game, Rudi Koertzen took a victory lap to mark the end of his umpiring career. It was also the end of Victorian Bushrangers’ CLT20 campaign. Over to the semis.

Brief Scores – Chennai Super Kings 136 for 6 (Michael Hussey 50, Murali Vijay 35, Justin Kreusch 3-19) beat  
Warriors 126 for 8 (Davey Jacobs 32, Justin Kreusch 25, Mark Boucher 25, R Ashwin 3-24) by 10 runs
Man-of-the-match – Mike Hussey for his knock of 50 runs on a difficult wicket and his two outstanding catches.

Match 19: Wayamba Elevens v Central Stags

September 22, Port Elizabeth: Wayamba displayed a stunning bowling master class to outclass the Stags by a whopping 74-run margin at Port Elizabeth’s St. George’s Park in the last encounter that the two sides face in the tournament.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, Wayamba looked like they were in a trance right from the outset. Opener Jeevantha Kulatunga looked out of sorts right from the word go and he was put out of his misery in the third over by Michael Mason. Wayamba’s star man Mahela Jayawardene (20) looked good during his short stint at the crease but he became seamer Mitchell McClenaghan’s first victim after holing out at mid-on. His namesake Mahela Udawatte, meanwhile, lost all sense of purpose during his painful 23 off 37 balls, and eventually was deceived by a Jamie How delivery.

The Sri Lankan side just couldn’t come to terms with the Stags slowing the pace down as often as possible. Skipper Jehan Mubarak (30) was the only man looking capable of breaking free from the Stags’ shackles. And it did look like it was Mubarak’s day after he hoiked a Kieran Noema-Barnett delivery over the long-off boundary for a six, but he too gave Mason some catching practice off the very next delivery. The paucity of runs ensured that Wayamba went for it eventually but lost both Kaushal Lokuarachchi (12) and Kushal Janith Perera (1) trying to up the ante. There was a glimmer of hope for Wayamba in the form of some big hitting from Thisara Perera (12*) and Shalika Karunanayake (15*) in the final overs which propelled their score to an honourable 144/6.

Buoyed by their good bowling performance, Kiwi openers Jamie How and Peter Ingram must have expected an easy road home. But they were in for a surprise - Ajantha Mendis set the ball rolling after trapping How right in front. And Isuru Udana took over from him in the devastating third over. Udana’s intelligence was duly rewarded with a hat-trick as he dismissed Brad Patton, Mathew Sinclair and George Worker off consecutive deliveries. Patton misread the slower one and looped a catch to the keeper; Sinclair lost his balance and got stumped off a leg side wide; and Worker was castled to reduce the Kiwis to 16/4. Opener Ingram, who saw the wreckage from the other end, couldn’t handle the pressure either as Mendis got his scalp.
Kieran Noema-Barnett tried to slog his way out of trouble but was sent packing by Rangana Herath in the sixth over, with the Stags reeling at 36/6. It just wasn’t working for the Kiwis as Herath got Diamanti caught behind to get his second wicket of the match. Waymba preserved their best for last as Mubarak then took a blinder of a catch to see the back of Bevan Griggs. The Stags were falling like 10 pins and were eventually skittled out for just 70.


Brief Scores – Wayamba Elevens 144 for 6 (Jehan Mubarak 30, Mahela Udawatte 23, Michael Mason 2-16) beat
Central Stags 70 all out (Bevan Griggs 19,Ajantha Mendis 3-14, Isuru Udana3-22) by 74 runs.

Man-of-the-match – Isuru Udana, for his fantastic hat-trick that set the ball rolling for a stunning Stags collapse.

Match 18: Highveld Lions v RCB

September 21, Johannesburg: At the inaugural edition of CLT20 played last year, Royal Challengers Bangalore failed to progress to the semi-final stage of the competition. A win tonight against Highveld Lions has propelled them to the semi-finals where the other team from their group, South Australian Redbacks, have already made their way.
There was bad news for RCB before the game started with Jacques Kallis being unavailable for selection. Dillon du Preez was brought in as a replacement. Alviro Petersen, captain of the Lions, won the toss and opted to bat first.
This was the same wicket which had seen the Redbacks post a total of 191 in the earlier game of the day and Guyana get within 15 runs of that total. But the way the RCB bowled and fielded in this game, there was no chance of the Lions emulating that performance.
Vinay Kumar struck early blows for RCB, accounting for Jonathan Vandiar and Richard Cameron off consecutive deliveries in the fourth over of the innings. Vaughn van Jaarsveld put on an exciting partnership with Petersen but was run out in the eighth over with the score at 73. Petersen was snared by Kumble for 45 and at 100 for 4 it appeared that the Lions would fall short of expectation in a crunch game.
Kumble was at his best in this game, giving away just 13 runs in his four-over spell. The Lions’ batsmen struggled to get going against him and had it not been for Neil McKenzie’s steady 39-run knock and some late blows by Robert Frylinck (22* off 9) the Lions would have not even managed the 159 runs that showed on the scoreboard at the Wanderers Stadium.
In the game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, Rahul Dravid remained unbeaten on 71, but his side failed to pull off a victory. Today Dravid, opening with Manish Pandey, played a little more aggressively. The duo put on 53 runs for the opening wicket before Dravid was bowled by Aaron Phangiso. Pandey, eager not to let the run-rate slip after Dravid’s wicket, hit a couple of boundaries but was out caught at long off. He made 44. At this stage RCB had the upper hand, requiring 75 from 51 deliveries with some big hitters still to follow.
RCB then lost a couple of quick wickets and with 43 required off 24 deliveries, the odds suddenly favoured the Lions. But Virat Kohli, whose late heroics in the match against MI went in vain, plundered Ethan O’Reilly for eighteen runs in the 17th over. After that the result was never in doubt and RCB reached the target with 6 wickets to spare and became the first IPL team to reach the semi-finals of CLT20.

Brief Scores – Royal Challengers Bangalore 160 for 4 (Virat Kohli 49*, Manish Pandey 44, Cliffie Deacon 1-21) beat  
Highveld Lions 159 for 6 (Alviro Petersen 45, Neil McKenzie 39, Vinay Kumar 2-23) by 6 wickets
Man-of-the-match – Virat Kohli for his swashbuckling 49* off 29 balls that saw RCB qualify for the semi-final stage of the competition.

Match 17: South Australian Redbacks v Guyana

September 21, Johannesburg: Ramnaresh Sarwan’s (70) heroics with the bat went in vain as the South Australian Redbacks eked out a hard fought 15-run win over a battling Guyana to guarantee themselves the top spot in Group B .
Chasing nine a over was always going to prove difficult and their task was made more arduous after CLT20 debutant Jake Haberfield trapped Travis Dowlin right in front of the wicket to get his side the early breakthrough. But fellow opener Richard Ramdeen displayed his qualities proficiently combining attack and defence to perfection.Ramnaresh Sarwan, meanwhile, was just getting his eye in hoping to make his final innings count.
Steven Jacobs came like a breath of fresh air, taking the responsibility of keeping the required rate under check. But unfortunately for Guyana Aaron O’Brien got the better of the young Jacobs but not before he plundered 32 off just 19 balls. The runs were coming in abundance and Sarwan was finding his touch. Christopher Barnwell, though, came and went without making an impression. Despite wickets falling at the other end, Sarwan kept at it with his lofted off drives clearing the boundary with ease. But even his   resistance was broken in the 18th over as he holed out at long on from a Daniel Harris delivery. And that was it as Guyana could eventually only manage 176/7.

After being asked to bat, Redbacks skipper Michael Klinger and Daniel Harris looked to continue their good opening form. But the Guyanese had other plans as Paul Wintz ensured that the deadly Aussie opening duo didn’t stay together for long. Harris was the first to go after he dragged a Wintz delivery onto his stumps. Klinger was looking good as usual, creaming three exquisite  boundaries. But his stint was ended by a clever slower ball by Christopher Barnwell. Wintz was again in the thick of things after he bowled Graham Manou with a pacy Yorker. The sudden fall of wickets kept the Redbacks’ run rate under check and it was down to Callum Ferguson (55) and Cameron Borgas (48) to get things back on track.
The middle order duo put on a brilliant 88-run partnership for the fourth wicket which gave the Aussie side a platform to accelerate at the end. Assad Fudadin broke the threatening partnership by dismissing Borgas. But Daniel Christian’s entry brought a flurry of runs for the Redbacks as the 27-year-old hammered 23 off 10 balls to start the end overs power-hitting. The 19th over saw both Ferguson and Christian perish thanks to some brave bowling from leg spinner Devendra Bishoo. However, the wickets couldn’t keep the scoring down as the Redbacks managed to post a formidable total of 191/6.

Brief Scores – South Australian Redbacks 191 for 6 (Callum Ferguson 55, Cameron Borgas 48, Devendra Bishoo 2-29) beat  
Guyana (Ramnaresh Sarwan 70, Richard Ramdeen 35,Daniel Harris 3-33) by 15 runs

Man-of-the-match – Callum Feguson for his attacking 55 off 37 balls

Match 16: Wayamba Elevens v Bushrangers

September 20, Centurion: Chasing an achievable 163 against Chennai at Port Elizabeth's St George's Park, the Bushrangers' chances of keeping their Champions League finals hopes alive looked positively robust after opener Aaron Finch ignored a debilitating virus to swat 41 from just 17 balls.
Jehan Mubarak, captain of Wayamba, won the toss and opted to bat. It must be remembered that the last time these two sides met, on the 13th of October, 2009, in the first edition of CLT20, the match was a low scoring affair. Only 221 runs were scored between the two teams, with Wayamba having posted 118 beating Victorian Bushrangers by 15 runs on a Feroz Shah Kotla wicket that was to come in for much criticism in that tournament.
The way Wayamba batted today was reminiscent of their performance in that match last year.  Opener Jeevantha Kulatunga and No.3 Mahela Udawatte were both back in the pavilion without even opening their account. Then came perhaps the most enjoyable passage of play Wayamba have had all tournament. Mahela Jayawardene and Mubarak batted with abandon to add 72 runs for the third wicket in just 52 deliveries. Jayawardene hit a couple of cheeky boundaries down to fine leg, while Mubarak swatted Hastings for a couple of big sixes on the leg side.
At 81 for 2 for two after 10 overs, Jayawardene and Mubarak appeared to have bailed their side out of trouble and were looking to consolidate when Mubarak was caught by Mike Hussey off Andrew McDonald. Wayamba’s fortunes were pretty much downhill from that moment. Eight Wayamban wickets fell in the space of 39 deliveries and though Jayawardene posted a half-century (51 off 40), Wayamba had only themselves to blame for a below par score of 106. For Victoria the bowling star was Peter Siddle, the pace ace picking up career best T20 bowling figures of 4 for 29 in his spell of four overs.

Brad Hodge was the first Victorian wicket to fall with the score at 15, the opener’s dismal run at the tournament continuing. Matthew Wade played a scratchy innings and was even dropped by Thisara Perera, but was eventually castled over by Isuru Udana. Hussey walked in to join Aaron Finch with the score at 31 and after that the result of the game was never in doubt.

Udana was smacked for 17 runs in the eighth over of the Victorian innings by Hussey and Finch then brought an early end to Wayamba’s agony by hitting Karunanayake and Herath for a couple of boundaries. Wayamba’s dismal run at CLT20 continued as the Bushrangers reached the target with 8 wickets to spare. And though Chennai Super Kings still have a game to play against the Warriors, the Bushrangers, having won comfortably and taken their points tally in Group A to 6 points, have put the pressure right back on Chennai in the race for a place in the semi-final.

Brief Scores – Victorian Bushrangers 108 for 2 (David Hussey 47*, Aaron Finch 38*, Thisara Perera 1-13) beat  
Wayamba Elevens 106 (Mahela Jayawardene 51, Jehan Mubarak 44, Peter Siddle 4-29) by 8 wickets

Man-of-the-match – Peter Siddle for his fiery spell of 4-29 that swung the game decisively in favour of the Bushrangers.

Match 15: Mumbai Indians v RCB

September 19, Durban: On the 21st of April, Mumbai found themselves advancing to their first ever IPL final after they trounced RCB by 35 runs, with a certain T&T native Kieron Pollard walking away with Man-of the-Match honours. Today, it was the turn of another T&T native Dwayne Bravo to win the Man-of-the-match award. The result, like on that IPL night, went in Mumbai’s favour. But with RCB still set to play an all important Group B game against Highveld Lions, and MI having the lowest net run rate between the three teams, a progress to the next stage is not the case this time around.
The last time these two sides squared off was in the IPL 2010 semi-finals and today’s match had an uncanny similarity to the course of events in that game.
Sachin Tendulkar, like in the IPL semi-final, won the toss and opted to bat first. However, Mumbai were put on the back foot from the very beginning. Kumble made some inspiring moves as captain, having the Kumars, Praveen and Vinay, open the bowling. The results were immediate. Tendulkar fell to Praveen and Ambati Rayudu fell to Vinay in successive overs and with only 36 runs coming in the first six overs, RCB had landed the early advantage.
Shikhar Dhawan batted steadily for a 37-ball 41 but got out just when Mumbai were beginning to pin their hopes of a resurgence on the left-hander. Dale Steyn claimed Shikhar’s wicket and looked a totally different bowler after the hiding he received at the hands of the Redbacks in the previous game. He had Pollard out caught by Ross Taylor soon after Dhawan’s wicket and at 84 for 5 in 12.3 overs, Mumbai’s score was not too dissimilar from their score in the semi-final (77 for 4 in 9.3 overs).
Then came the stand that put Mumbai right back in the game. Saurabh Tiwary and Dwayne Bravo put on 64 runs for the sixth wicket, with Anil Kumble and Jacques Kallis bearing the brunt of the duo’s stay at the crease. By the end of their allotted 20 overs, Mumbai had scored 165 with Tiwary (38 not out) and Bravo (29 off 17) being the chief architects of Mumbai’s comeback. In the IPL semi-final Tiwary had struck a 67-run partnership first with Rayudu and then a 40-run partnership for the sixth wicket to put Mumbai back in the hunt.  
RCB started well with Dravid driving and pulling Zaheer Khan to get his side off to a good start. Mumbai had made one change to their squad for this match, Abu Nachim coming in in place of Ali Murtaza. And when Sachin introduced Nachim into the attack in the sixth over, the move paid off as Nachim had Kallis trapped LBW. Bravo then had Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor out caught, the RCB batsmen trying to hit the all-rounder out of the ground leaving the innings wobbling at 72 for 3 in 10.1 overs.
Dravid, meanwhile, rolled back the years and kept the scoreboard moving. The Indian batting legend played every ball on its merit. Harbhajan was driven to the mid-on fence, while Zaheer Khan was flicked to the deep square leg boundary.  His half-century came off just 39 deliveries and RCB were well within sight of the target, with 70 required from the last seven overs.
Virat Kohli, who came in at the fall of Cameron White’s wicket, then played a blinder of an innings.  Abu Nachim was hit into the stands on the leg side, while Lasith Malinga was smashed for three consectutive boundaries in the nineteenth over.
With RCB requiring 12 runs to win from the last over and the threat of yet another Super Over looming large, Tendulkar threw the ball to Zaheer Khan. A couple of fours followed Kohli’s bat but with three required to win from the last ball, the young lad miscued a low full toss from Khan and was caught by Rayudu, the wicketkeeper taking a swirler under the Durban lights.


Brief Scores – Mumbai Indians 165 for 7 (Shikhar Dhawan 41, Saurabh Tiwary 38, Dale Steyn 3-26) beat  
Royal Challengers Bangalore 163 for 5 (Rahul Dravid 71*, Virat Kohli 47, Dwayne Bravo 2-23) by 2 runs
Man-of-the-match – Dwayne Bravo for his all-round performance of 29 runs off 17 balls and 2 for 32 in 4 overs

Match 14: Highveld Lions v Guyana

September 19, Johannesburg: The Highveld Lions took a huge step in reaching the semi-finals after beating Guyana by nine wickets in Joburg.
Chasing a docile 149 for a win, the Lions were off to a steady start. New man Richard Cameron looked in sublime touch from the word go on his way to an impressive 78* off 42 balls. On the other hand, captain Alviro Petersen (57*) kept the scoreboard ticking at the required rate.  The Guyanese bowlers never stood a chance as the Lions duo put up an amazing 133*-run partnership to win the match by nine wickets.
After being put in to bat, Guyana would have expected their openers Travis Dowlin and Sewnarine Chattergoon to get them off to a decent start. But it didn’t go according to plan as Dowlin was dismissed by Ethan O’Reilly in the second over.
That brought skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan at the crease and the 30-year-old started off with a bang. The promising start by Sarwan was an illusion as Craig Alexander dismissed the Guyanese skipper off his first delivery. Next in line was Sewnarine Chattergoon whose stint lasted just three deliveries, O’Reilly the wicket-taker.
CLT20 debutant Steven Jacobs (34) gave a glimpse of his talent with some lusty free-flowing hits to the boundary but the proceedings continued to go in the Lions’ favour with Aaron Phangiso dismissing the youngster. The last thing Guyana needed was the loss of wickets but that is exactly what they got with Christopher Barnwell (11) and Esuan Crandon (3) both getting themselves run out.
And it required some spirited batting from the lower order in the form of Royston Crandon (15), Lennox Cush (19*) and Derwin Christian (11) to get Guyana to a mediocre 148/9.

Brief Scores: Highveld Lions 149 for 1 (Richard Cameron 78*, Alviro Petersen 57*, Esuan Crandon 1-34) beat  
Guyana 148 for 9 (Steven Jacobs 34, Ramnaresh Sarwan 21, Ethan O’Reilly 4-27) by 9 wickets.
Man-of-the-Match: Ethan O’Reilly for a career best haul of 4 for 27 which curtailed Guyana to a medicore total.

Match 13: CSK v Victorian Bushrangers

September 18, Port Elizabeth: Opener Murali Vijay’s breezy 73 went in vain as Victoria Bushrangers snatched a dramatic win over Chennai Super Kings in a keenly contested Champions League Twenty20 Group A match that had to be decided via the Super Over.
With Hayden not opening, Dhoni surprised everyone by sending Michael Hussey at the top of the innings with Murali Vijay. The move didn’t exactly pay rich dividends as both openers were kept in check by a tight Victorian pace attack. Peter Siddle, Clint McKay and Dirk Nannes all sacrificed the extra yard of pace for a tight line and the ploy worked well as the Kings’ openers were unable to raise the scoring rate to beyond seven runs an over.
Hussey eventually fell to Bryce McGain while trying to force the pace and Suresh Raina was soon to follow him back into the dugout, the Indian left-hander being clean bowled by Clint McKay. At 94 for 2 in 13.1 overs, Chennai had wickets in hand but the question on everyone’s minds was - would they be able to finish with a flourish?  Vijay certainly had everyone believing Chennai could, as the opener struck a flurry of boundaries with a couple of his hits off McKay and Siddle even clearing the ropes after the fall of Hussey’s wicket.  But Chennai lost the momentum by losing wickets every over since the 17th. Vijay was the first to fall having made a vital contribution of 73 and S Anirudha, Dhoni and Badrinath were then dismissed in successive overs to leave Chennai with a respectable, but not very challenging, total of 161 on a flat Port Elizabeth wicket.
With two of the clubs having made it through to the semi-finals, Chennai fans would have been anxious about their team’s prospects at the halfway stage. And Aaron Finch further raised their anxiety levels by bludgeoning Doug Bollinger and R Ashwin for a quick fire 17-ball knock of 41 runs.  Ashwin nonetheless had the last laugh as he lured Finch into playing a false shot, a top edge from the opener’s bat finding its way back into Ashwin’s hands. Bollinger then dismissed Brad Hodge and for a brief moment, at 49 for 2 in 4.3 overs, it appeared that Chennai had weathered the initial blitz by the Bushrangers.
From here on the match saw fortunes fluctuate wildly with either side looking capable of walking away as winners. Initially, Matthew Wade and David Hussey made the most of Albie Morkel’s absence in the Chennai attack, even hitting Balaji for 17 runs in one over. Then Muralitharan brought the game back into the balance by taking two wickets off consecutive deliveries in the 12th over with the score at 104. But Quiney and Hussey slowly and steadily turned the tide once again in the Bushrangers’ favour, as only 24 were required from the last three overs.
The climax itself was right out of a celluloid thriller as Suresh Raina, bowling his innocuous off-spinners, dismissed Quiney and John Hastings in the 18th over to hand the advantage back to his side. Hussey then fell to Bollinger, but with Peter Siddle hitting a boundary of the last ball of the 19th over, 12 were required from the last over. McKay hit Raina for a six off the very first ball but Raina came right back to land McKay’s and Nannes’ wicket off consecutive deliveries. With six required from three deliveries, Siddle hit a four and then got a single from a missed run-out opportunity by Raina. With the scores tied, Dhoni held his nerve on the last ball to run McGain out and the game was headed for a Super Over.
With Victoria batting first in the Super Over, Dhoni surprisingly opted for R Ashwin to bowl for Chennai, a move that was to back-fire big time as Hussey clobbered Ashwin for three big sixes. The Bushrangers went on to post a lofty total of 23 runs. In reply, Raina and Vijay could manage a mere 13 runs in their allotted over to bring the curtains down on a classic game of T20 cricket and hand the Bushrangers a famous victory.

Brief Scores – Victorian Bushrangers 162 (David Hussey 51, Aaron Finch 41, Suresh Raina 4-26) beat  
Chennai Super Kings 162 for 6 (Murali Vijay 73, Michael Hussey 25, John Hastings 2-22) in Super Over
Man-of-the-match – Aaron Finch for his 17-ball blitz of 41 runs that laid the foundation of a successful run chase for the Bushrangers.

Match 12: Warriors v Central Stags

After leading his side to two domestic limited overs titles last season, Jacobs took the Stags by the horns yesterday in an innings that will be remembered in these parts for years to come.
Opening the batting with Ashwell Prince, Jacobs smashed 74 off only 47 balls. He hit six sixes and five fours as he and Prince shared a first-wicket Champions League record stand of 147 to take the Warriors to within 29 runs of the 176 victory target.
If there were any doubts about whether the Warriors have the credentials to win this R17-million tournament they were erased yesterday as they chased down the sizeable total. The Stags won the toss and elected to bat on a gloomy day at St George's. They recovered from the early loss of Peter Ingram to build their innings around two noteworthy partnerships and a well-struck 88 not out (12x4, 3x6) off 57 balls from opener How.
The Warriors seamers struggled to curb the flow of runs from the outset as the Kiwis raced to 63 for one in six overs.
"We probably let ourselves down in the field today. We weren't as sharp as we normally are. So we probably chased about 30 more than we wanted to," said man of the match Jacobs.
But the combined spinning effort of Johan Botha and Nicky Boje pulled matters back for the Warriors as the next six overs went for only 21 runs.
"We took some damage there in the first six overs. Nicky and Johan obviously changed the game for us. Taking the pace off at that stage worked nicely," said Jacobs.

Brief Scores – Warriors 181 for 4 (Davey Jacobs 74, Ashwell Prince 64, Kieran Noema-Barnett 2-28) beat  
Central Stags 175 for 3 (Jamie How 88*, Kieran Noema-Barnett 53*, Johan Botha 1-16) by 6 wickets.

Man-of-the-match – Davey Jacobs for his attacking batting display of 74 off 47 balls.

Match 11: RCB v South Australian Redbacks

September 17, Durban: Anil Kumble won the toss and Rahul Dravid and Manish Pandey soon found themselves opening the innings for RCB.
The Redbacks got off to a good start when Shaun Tait struck in the very first over and removed Manish Pandey, the opener falling to an ill attempted pull shot.  Robin Uthappa went next, caught brilliantly by Callum Ferguson at cover off Gary Putland’s bowling. At 7 for 2, RCB looked to be going the way of the Redbacks’ previous opponents, Mumbai Indians. But Ross Taylor, coming in at No. 4, immediately took the game by the scruff of the neck. At 134 for 6, with 18 deliveries left and Cameron White still batting, it appeared that Bangalore would cross 170, a challenging score on a fast-paced Durban track. Michael Klinger then brought on Daniel Christian for the bowler’s second spell of the evening and Christian put his side back in the driver’s seat by taking four wickets to bowl Bangalore out at 154.
The Redbacks’ openers got their side off to a brisk start in reply. Klinger was the early aggressor hitting Dale Steyn for four 4s in the fast bowler’s first couple of overs. Daniel Harris then got into the act and creamed Dillon du Preez for 12 runs in one over. At 50 for no loss after six overs, Kumble was running out of options but with both Vinay Kumar and him unable to stem the flow of runs, there was not much hope for Bangalore.
Christian and Klinger ran excellently between the wickets and found the boundary at will. The pair put on 124 for the opening wicket, a new CLT20 record for the first wicket, before Harris was run-out. Graham Manou was clean bowled by Kumble in the same over but this was not enough to stop the Redbacks from cruising to an eight-wicket victory and winning the battle of the reds.
Brief Scores – South Australian Redbacks 155 for 2 (Michael Klinger 69*, Daniel Harris 57, Anil Kumble 1-25) beat  
RCB 154 (Ross Taylor 46, Dillon du Preez 46, Daniel Christian 4-23) by 8 wickets

Man-of-the-match – Michael Klinger for his captain's knock of 69 not out that sealed a semi-fianl berth for the South Australian Redbacks.

Match 10: Mumbai Indians vs Guyana

September 16, Durban: In a must-win game for Mumbai, Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan were all business from the word go. There was a sense of urgency in their body language, running between the wickets and they were off to a flier with 33 coming in the first four overs. Yet, the shot-making left much to be desired. Tendulkar led a charmed life as the ball flew high off his bat to fall in no man’s land on more than one occasion. He was dropped too, at long off, much to the dismay of Chris Barnwell, the bowler.
Guyana had managed to pull things back a bit after the fourth over and Tendulkar ,realising the importance of putting up a big score, got stumped while trying to accelerate the pace. He made 48 and at 82 for 1 in 11 overs, Mumbai’s innings looked headed towards an in-between score of 150-160. Dhawan’s wicket followed by Saurabh Tiwary’s in the fifteenth over reaffirmed this notion. Kieron Pollard, who had been promoted to No. 3, though, had different plans.
The burly all-rounder only dealt in sixes on the evening, with the ball disappearing off his bat into the darkness of the Durban night all too frequently. His 72 came off just 30 deliveries and with the laws of the game not yet allowing for a captain to set a field beyond the boundary, there was little that Ramnaresh Sarwan could do in the face of Pollard’s towering nine sixes. Mumbai finished with an imposing total of 184.
Sarwan had not been unhappy about losing the toss earlier in the day, saying that Guyana’s strength was in its batting department. This wasn’t too apparent when the chase began. Sewnarine Chattergoon was the first to fall, caught at slip by Duminy off Lasith Malinga, in just the second over of the innings. Travis Dowlin was the next to go with the score at 45, caught at long on off Bravo’s bowling.
With 114 required from the last 10 overs, Guyana clearly needed to up the ante but MI’s bowlers kept them in check. Ali Murtaza was difficult to negotiate as were Harbhajan Singh and Dwayne Bravo. Sarwan struggled to get the big shots going and eventually fell four short of what would have been his maiden half-century at CLT20. Narsingh Deonarine, Chris Barnwell and Jonathan Foo all fell trying to take make some valiant runs. Mumbai coasted to a 31–run win and were for the first time, since the tournament began, the better side on the night.
Brief Scores – Mumbai Indians 184 for 4 (Kieron Pollard 72*, Sachin Tendulkar 48, Devendra Bishoo 3-34) beat  
Guyana 153 for 6 (Ramnaresh Sarwan 46, Dwayne Bravo 2-18, Harbhajan Singh 2-31) by 31 runs

Man-of-the-match – Kieron Pollard for his unbeaten 30-ball 72 that lit up the Kingsmead skyline on the night.

Match 9: CSK v Wayamba Elevens

September 15, Centurion: On a wicket that produced over 330 runs in the earlier game of the day, Jehan Mubarak won the toss and put Chennai in to bat.
If CSK’s first match in CLT20 against Central Stags was about their bowling strength, this match gave ample proof of just how strong their batting department is. Suresh Raina’s arrival at the crease gave little respite to the team from Sri Lanka as the left-hand, right-hand batting combination only contributed to their bowlers’ wayward line and length.
Mendis was brought on in the 17th over by a seemingly clueless Mubarak to limit the damage, but Raina’s response of - 6, 2, 6, 6, 2, 6 - was at its disdainful best. The southpaw fell for 87 in the 18th over, but not before he and Vijay had amassed 137 for the second wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket in CLT20. Vijay got out for a well made 68 and Chennai’s total of 200 for 3, at the end of 20 overs, was second only to Trinidad and Tobago’s first innings score of 213 for 4 against Diamond Eagles in last year’s tournament.
Wayamba got off to the worst possible start with Albie Morkel snaring both Jeevantha Kulatunga and Mubarak in his first two overs. Jayawardene was next to go, caught by Muralitharan on the third man boundary off Doug Bollinger’s bowling and at 18 for three, Wayamba were facing the ignominy of yet another loss in CLT20. R Ashwin then accounted for Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Thisara Perera, Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis in his four overs and when Muttiah Muralitharan had Shalika Karunanayake stumped by Dhoni, Wayamba had been bowled out for 103.
The result, a mammoth 97-run defeat, continued Wayamba’s inglorious run at this tournament, while for Chennai, the IPL champions, it was just another day in the office. 

Brief Scores – Chennai Super Kings 200 for 3 (Suresh Raina 87, Murali Vijay 68, Chanaka Welegedara 2-47) beat
Wayamba Elevens 103 (Shalika Karunanayake 25, R Ashwin 4-18, Albie Morkel 3-22) by 97  runs

Man-of-the-match – Suresh Raina for his blustery 44-ball 87, which included six 4s and an equal number of 6s.

Match 8: Victorian Bushrangers v Central Stags

September 15, Centurion: Chasing 166 for a win, The Victorian Bushrangers showed grit and determination to eventually overcome the Central Stags by 7 wickets. The Stags on the other hand seemed to be suffering from the same fielding flu that struck the Mumbai Indians yesterday. Finch was the star and along with Andrew McDonald made sure he always kept the scoreboard ticking. But with 12 runs required off the last over, Finch was a picture of confidence as he finished it off with a huge six helping the Bushrangers take home two vital points.
Earlier, the Stags’ decision to bat first seemed to have backfired after they were off to a disastrous start. Peter Ingram was out off the first ball and Tim Weston followed suit pretty soon as Peter Siddle grabbed his second wicket of the over.  A dream start for the Bushrangers and it kept on getting better. The Aussies were choking the runs and Mathew Sinclair finally gave in as John Hastings notched his first wicket of the match.
The constant fall of wickets was suffocating the run flow and a period of austerity ensued as the Stags began their rebuilding process. Progress was slow but it was progress nonetheless as captain and opener Jamie How along with George Worker (29) made slow steps to recovery. And just when it looked like the Bushrangers were going to have a smallish total to chase, How changed gears quite drastically to launch a fierce attack. First Siddle and then Hastings had to bear the brunt of How’s pent up aggression.  The Stags skipper reached his peak hitting spree in the 18th over when he smacked 28 runs off Hastings to change the whole complexion of the innings. And along with some lusty hitting from Brendon Diamanti (19) and Kieran Noema-Barnett (13*) the Stags successfully managed to set a competitive total of 165/5 thanks mainly to How’s persistent 77*.

Brief Scores- Victorian Bushrangers 166 for 3 (Aaron Finch 90, Andrew McDonald 18, Seth Rance 1-30) beat  
Central Stags 165 for 5 (Jamie How 77, George Worker 29, Peter Siddle 2-30) by 7 wickets.


Man-of-the-match – Aaron Finch for his scintillating innings of 93 off 60 balls.

Match 7: Mumbai Indians v South Australian Redbacks

September 14, Durban: Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and opted to bat first. The Mumbai innings was the story of two halves. In the first half of their innings, their batsmen, barring Tendulkar, looked thoroughly out of place. Gary Putland removed Shikhar Dhawan in just the second over of the match while Ambati Rayudu struggled to get going. Tendulkar, taking the responsibility of giving the innings the required momentum, played one shot too many and was out clean bowled by Aaron O’Brien. Duminy, never comfortable against spin, was Brien’s next victim and by the end of ten overs Mumbai looked to be going nowhere with the score at 59 for 3.
But things changed for MI from the twelfth over onwards. Rayudu finally began middling the ball and O’Brien was dispatched for a four and six in an over that cost 12 runs. And though Rayudu fell in the very next over, Kieron Pollard and Saurabh Tiwary stepped on the gas. O’Brien was at the receiving end yet again, as Tiwary pounded him for 25 runs in the sixteenth over of the innings. By the time Tiwary was out caught by Callum Ferguson off Tait, the Mumbai innings had taken flight at 137 for 5 in 16.1 overs.  Pollard was then joined by fellow T&T player Dwayne Bravo and the two continued piling on the runs. At the end of their allotted 20 overs Mumbai were 180 for 7 thanks to the Bravo (22 off 12) and Pollard (36 off 21) show, with a whopping 121 runs coming in the last ten overs of their innings.
Michael Klinger and Daniel Harris opened the innings for the Redbacks and were stopped from getting off to a flier by some good fast bowling by Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga. Yet, slowly and steadily, the Redbacks’ openers seized the momentum and were 69 for no loss at the end of ten overs. But with Harris finally falling with the score at 112 and Klinger too getting out for a well made half-century, MI must have felt that they were back in the game. And when the dangerous Callum Ferguson was caught at the point boundary off Malinga’s bowling, Mumbai had the edge with the Redbacks requiring 41 off 18 balls. But this only proved to be an illusion as Cameron Boragas (14 off 5) and Tom Cooper (19 off 5) held their nerve and smashed Bravo, Zaheer and Harbhajan to take South Australia home with five wickets and three balls to spare.

Brief Scores – South Australian Redbacks 182 for 5 (Daniel Harris 56, Michael Klinger 50, Lasith Malinga 2-22) beat  
Mumbai Indians 180 for 7 (Saurabh Tiwary 44, Ambati Rayudu 38, Kieron Pollard 36, Aaron O’Brien 2-49) by 5 wickets

Man-of-the-match – Daniel Harris for his swashbuckling 56 off 37 balls that included four 4s and three 6s.

Match 6: Warriors v Bushrangers

September 13, Port Elizabeth: Davey Jacobs of the Warriors won the toss and opted to make first use of the wicket.
At the start of the Warriors’ innings, Dirk Nannes and Shane Harwood were slammed around the park by Jacobs. Nannes was hit for 17 runs in the first over of the match by the Warriors captain and Shane Harwood’s second over, the fifth over of the match, went for an ignominious 0, 4, 4, 6, 4 and 1. Such was the frequency with which Jacobs found the boundary that Harsha Bhogle was left to wonder on commentary, “Are there any fielders on the ground or only gaps?” The Warriors first fifty runs came up in only 4.5 overs, the fastest so far in CLT20’s current edition.
Later the Warriors captain fell for 59 off just 39 deliveries. With Jacobs back in the pavilion and some tight bowling by McDonald, Clint McKay and Nannes, the Bushrangers managed to pull things back. The Warriors lost wickets at regular intervals and but for a brief 40-run partnership between Mark Boucher and Johan Botha, the Warriors may not have crossed the 150-run mark. Boucher’s 31, though, ensured that the Bushrangers were looking at a target of 159.
The Bushrangers’ reply began on a disappointing note. Both openers, Rob Quiney and Brad Hodge, were back in the pavilion within the first five overs. David Hussey then put on a brisk partnership with Andrew McDonald and though the Warriors kept things tight, as long as the two Bushrangers were at the crease, the side were in with a chance. But with both Hussey and McDonald falling off successive deliveries with the score at 94, the Austraian side’s chances of a win greatly diminished.  Wickets fell in a heap and from 94 for 3 in 13.5 overs, the Bushrangers were reduced to 105 for 9 thanks to some quality pace bowling and outstanding catching on the part of the Warriors. In the end the Bushrangers were handed a 28-run defeat.
But the night belonged to Davey Jacobs, the proud owner of the Golden Bat, who has made it two wins out of two for the Warriors.

Brief Scores – Warriors 158 for 6 (Davey Jacobs 59, Mark Boucher 31, Andrew McDonald 2-22) beat
Victorian Bushrangers 130 for 9 (David Hussey 29, Juan Theron 3-22, Makhaya Ntini 2- 33) by 28 runs

Man-of-the-match – Davey Jacobs for his breathtaking 39-ball 59 and two outstanding catches.

Match 5: Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Guyana

September 12, Centurion: Royal Challengers Bangalore had first experienced their T20 renaissance in South Africa ,finishing as runners-up of IPL 2009 held here, after a disastrous seventh place finish in IPL 2008 in India. RCB played Guyana in the second match of the day at SuperSport Park.
Guyana, were put in to bat after Ramnaresh Sarwan lost the toss. and the Guyanese batsmen looked thoroughly unprepared for the challenge.
Guyana’s total might have been even more modest than the 103 that eventually showed on the scoreboard.
If the Guyanese batsmen’s inexperience was the reason for their dismal performance, then the RCB run chase was a reflection of their wealth in the batting department. Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis, with more than 40000 runs against their names, walked out to open the innings for RCB. Their stay at the crease was a treat for the spectators and the pair reached the 50-run mark in just 40 deliveries.
The Guyanese bowlers looked resigned to their doom bowling to batsmen of such pedigree. Dravid was clean bowled by Royston Crandon for 33, but not before his partnership of 78 with Kallis had taken RCB to the cusp of victory. Robin Uthappa then gave the finishing touches to the clinical job, hitting 25 off just eight deliveries, and Bangalore stormed home with nine wickets to spare.

Brief Scores – Royal Challengers Bangalore 106 for 1 (Jacques Kallis 43*, Rahul Dravid 33, Robin Uthappa 25*) beat  
Guyana 103 (Christopher Barnwell 30, Jacques Kallis 3-16, Praveen Kumar 2-22) by 10 wickets

Man-of-the-match – Jacques Kallis for all-round performance of 3 for 16 and 43 not out.

Match 4: Lions v Redbacks

September 12, Centurion: SuperSport Park was like a sea of crimson as the two teams in red battled it out, but it was the South Australian Redbacks who came out on top.Chasing 179 for a win, the Lions fell short by 11 runs.
Though captain Alviro Petersen made a brilliant 56 , the Lions just lacked that cutting edge required to go all the way. The killer blow arrived when skipper Petersen was trapped in front by Daniel Christian in the 13th over. And despite a valiant show by Robert Frylinck (17) right at the end, the Lions couldn’t quite finish the job.
Callum Ferguson’s arrival bringing some much needed verve and energy to the Redbacks charge. Klinger, on the other hand, was class personified; his calm demeanor perfectly camouflaged his attacking mindset. But it didn’t remain hidden for long, as the 30-year-old unleashed an array of sixes on his way to making an impressive 78. The change in gear was all thanks to Ferguson (47) - the 29-year-old came in and after a few balls went on a boundary- hitting spree of his own.
There were no end-over fireworks, just a flurry of run-outs as the Redbacks reached a commanding total of 178/6.

Brief Scores – South Australian Redbacks 178 for 6 (Michael Klinger 78, Callum Ferguson 47, Aaron Phangiso 1-22) beat
Highveld Lions 167 for 8 (Alviro Petersen 56, Robert Frylinck 17, Shaun Tait 3-36) by 11 runs.

Man-of-the-match – Michael Klinger for his commanding 78 off just 48 balls.

Match 3: CSK v Central Stags

September 11, Durban: The lights were on at Kingsmead, Durban when IPL Champions Chennai Super Kings took on the domestic T20 champions from New Zealand Central Stags. MS Dhoni’s luck with the coin persisted and the Chennai skipper opted to bat saying, “We want to play to our strength and put runs up on the board.”

CSK lost Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina within the first ten deliveries of their innings. Subramaniam Badrinath then made his way out and his presence at the crease prevented a CSK collapse. He was joined by young Anirudha Srikanth and between them the duo put on 73 for the fourth wicket with Anirudha playing more of the big shots (42 off 29 balls).  At the fall of Anirudha’s wicket, Albie Morkel joined Badri and with same big-hitting late in the innings, the pair took Chennai to a respectable total of 151. Badri remained not out on 52.
Doug Bollinger kept things tight at one end and Morkel complemented him nicely. Peter Ingram was the first to fall to the sustained pressure created by CSK’s opening pace combination. Jamie How fell to L Balaji in the latter’s very first over. After that, Muralitharan and R Ashwin moved in for the kill. The spin duo had the Central Stags batsmen struggling to figure which way the ball would turn and between them gave away only 43 runs and accounted for 4 Stags wickets.
No. 8 Doug Bracewell, played bravely for his 30 runs, hitting a couple of fours and one six in his innings, but it was too much for him alone to swing things around for the Stags. Balaji was brought back into the attack and he hastened the Stags collapse by taking two wickets in the eighteenth over.  In the end, Dhoni’s words at the toss rang true, as the New Zealand club were handed a 57-run defeat at the hands of the reigning IPL champions.


Brief Scores – Chennai Super Kings 151 for 4 (S Badrinath 52*, S Anirudha 42, Doug Bracewell 2-28) 
beat Central Stags 94 (Doug Bracewell 30, L Balaji 3-20, Bollinger – 2-10) by 57 runs

Man-of-the-match – Subramaniam Badrinath for a well played, and undefeated, 52

Match 2: Warriors v Wayamba Elevens

The 2010 Pro20 Champs Warriors played against the 2009/10 Inter Provincial T20 winners Wayamba Elevens on a sunny day at St. George’s Park. A toss that Warriors captain Davey Jacobs would have been eager to win went in favour of Jehan Mubrak and the Wayamba skipper had no hesitation in opting to bat.
The Warriors began their innings without much trouble and brought up the 50-run mark in just 5.3 overs, only losing the wicket of opener Ashwell Prince in the bargain. Colin Ingram appeared to be in cruise control en route to a score of 34. When Ingram fell the Warriors must have surely felt victory was well within their reach, with 61 required off 9 overs.  However after Ingram's dismissal caused a lull in the batting, with Wayamba’s spin trio of Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath and  Kaushal Lokuarachchi threatening to stifle the Warriors chase.
But the veteran Mark Boucher finally broke free of the shackles with a couple of big sixes off Lokuarachchi and his 44-ball partnership of 63 runs with Justin Kreusch ensured that the Warriors began their CLT20 campaign with a win.
Brief Scores – Warriors 156 for 3 (Mark Boucher 40*, Justin Kreusch 37*, Rangana Herath 1-18) beat  
Wayamba Elevens153 for 9 (Jeevantha Kulatunga 59, Kushal Janith Perera 39, Juan Theron 3-23) by 7 wickets

Man-of-the-match  - Juan Theron

Match 1: Mumbai Indians Suffer Defeat From The Lions

Johannesburg, Sept 10:  The Mumbai Indians caused a major upset by being defeated in the very first match of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, the Highveld Lions captain showered lavish praise on his teammates for putting together a great performance in all the departments of the game.

Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bowl first.Tendulkar, who was dropped by Alviro Petersen in the eighth over, scored 69 and his stay at the crease was a study in the art of T20 batting. He fell to Shane Burger against the run of play and his dismissal triggered a collapse with Duminy, Kieron Pollard, Rajagopal Sathish and Harbhajan Singh unable to guide Mumbai home. In the end the Lions bowlers held their nerve and bettered the formidable Mumbai side to delight South African fans and set the tournament off to an interesting start.

Brief Scores – Highveld Lions 186 for 5 (Jonathan Vandiar 71, Neil McKenzie 56*, Lasith Malinga 3-33) beat  
Mumbai Indians 177 for 6 (Sachin Tendulkar 69, Shikhar Dhawan 32, Shane Burger 2-33) by  9 runs  

Man-of-the-match – Jonathan Vandiar


In a post-match media interaction, Petersen said that Sachin Tendulkar's wicket was the turning point of the match and his team had done their homework before coming into the match.
On the toss
Yeah, we obviously wanted to bowl first. But you know what, the toss only starts the game. We wanted to put a good total on the board which we did. We were aiming for something near to 170 and when we scored 186 we knew that it was a winning total.
On the game being a close one
Yeah, it was close. Like I said a couple of weeks before the tournament started we knew that we were not the best team on the paper so we focussed on what we have to do and what we have to achieve as a team.
On his team’s batting performance
I just feel that our strength is our batting. We feel comfortable chasing down runs. But then there are others in the team who feel that our strength is in our bowling. So I think we must give credit to them. I think they bowl nicely as a unit.
On the supporters
Well I think the Mumbai Indians have a large support [base] all across the world. In between there were some Lions supporters as well. In the end that is all we appreciate. It can be a bit intimidating for the opposition if the crowd is behind you.
On Sachin Tendulkar’s innings
Yeah, I think if he [Sachin Tendulkar] was there till the end then the game would have got very very close and [MI] could have even won the game. So that was a big wicket for us. But throughout the innings we got them under pressure - we made sure that the asking rate was always 10 an over.
On the pitch
I think the wicket was fair for both the teams. I think it is just the kind of wicket you would want if you want to be fair with both the teams. I think the dew played a massive role tonight as well. I think in the end it was a fair competition.
On a close LBW decision not going in his favour
I think it is always great if you get to run through the batting line-up of the opposition but then if a close call goes in the opposition’s favour, then I just keep it behind me and start focussing on the next ball.
On his team’s strategy while bowling
Well, obviously we knew that if we can take the game to the death period then we have our death bowlers to bowl those last overs.
On the win against Mumbai Indians
It is a great start. I thought we were the underdogs and the boys did really well. One ball at a time and that is how we play our cricket. We are always together whenever there are tough times or even good times.
On Jonathan Vandiar’s innings
Yeah, when that run-out happened. Vandiar took the initiative and stayed there. He is still a young man but he showed a lot of maturity in the middle.
On the home team facing pressure
Well, there was never pressure on us. We just wanted to go in there and enjoy the moment. I think there is still work to do. I think we need to work on our fielding. Although we were better than Mumbai Indians in the field we still need to keep working hard on our ground fielding. We have set high standards for ourselves and we want to keep up to it.

Sachin Tendulkar on the 2010 CLT20

 

We will try to put up a good show: Tendulkar

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar, in a Star Cricket programme, says his team has had its share of luck and disappointments in the last three years.

Q. How has your experience been with Mumbai Indians?

A. In the last three years we had our share of luck and there had been some disappointments. But it has been a fantastic package. We stood together through tough times and it's nice to have a good blend of youngsters and experience. From Saurabh Tiwary, [Kieron] Pollard and [Dwayne] Bravo to me, Sanath [Jayasuriya], it's been a nice blend of players from various parts of the world.

Q. Does playing for MI take you back to the roots where you started your career?

A. Playing for Mumbai Indians has always been special for me and playing for India has been extremely special. It was a dream to play for the country and I am living it and when Mumbai and India are combined together, the passion is doubled and above all I respect the game of cricket. It does not matter where I play.

Q. How much do you think the T20 format has evolved over the years?

A. Earlier we did not know what to expect from this tournament. We knew it would be fun playing in the T20 and club format, which never existed in India, but as time went on we realised that this is going to take cricket to a different level. The preparation that has gone into this tournament is immense.

Q. Any challenges batting in the fastest version of the game?

A.There are challenges as there is less time and you need to move on with the game. Even if the bowler is bowling well, you still have to take that risk and try to keep the scoreboard ticking, which is not so in Test cricket or even in one-day cricket. There you get time to settle down and can afford to hang in there for a while and let the spell get over.

Q. Is captaincy an extra challenge for you?

A.There is [an] extra challenge only because [there are a] lot of things happening around the game. Between the games there is loud music going on or when a batsman hits two-three consecutive boundaries, there is need to go and have a word with the bowler. At the time when everybody is celebrating, amidst loud music, communication is not that easy. We were fined because we were not able to complete the 20 overs in time and I feel there should be an allowance of five minutes just because the music gets too loud.

Q. What did MI do right in IPL 2010 to turn around the things?

A. The first two seasons that we played, we did not have full [a] strength team. We got so close to qualifying to the top four but the last couple of games were disappointing. Then in the second season, Zaheer [Khan] got injured and Saurabh [Tiwary] too pulled up an injury. So we lost our key players. However, in the third season we had a full strength squad and it was the only difference.

Q. You are making your debut in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20. Are you looking forward to it?
A. The tournament is going to be challenging and challenge is something we all look forward to as it helps us grow in life and makes us better people. We will try hard and put up a good show.

Courtesy: espnstar.com

CLT20 Match Schedule

Champions League T20 South Africa Fixture

Date	GMT	Match Details	Venue
Sep 10, 2010	15:30	Mumbai vs LIONS, 1st T20	Johannesburg
Sep 11, 2010	11:30	Warriors vs WAY, 2nd T20	Port Elizabeth
Sep 11, 2010	15:30	Stags vs Chennai, 3rd T20	Durban
Sep 12, 2010	11:30	LIONS vs Redbacks, 4th T20	Centurion
Sep 12, 2010	15:30	Bangalore vs TBC, 5th T20	Centurion
Sep 13, 2010	15:30	VIC vs Warriors, 6th T20	Port Elizabeth
Sep 14, 2010	15:30	Mumbai vs Redbacks, 7th T20	Durban
Sep 15, 2010	11:30	Stags vs WAY, 8th T20	Centurion
Sep 15, 2010	15:30	Chennai vs WAY, 9th T20	Centurion
Sep 16, 2010	15:30	Mumbai vs TBC, 10th T20	Durban
Sep 17, 2010	15:30	Bangalore vs Redbacks, 11th T20	Durban
Sep 18, 2010	11:30	Stags vs Warriors, 12th T20	Port Elizabeth
Sep 18, 2010	15:30	Chennai vs VIC, 13th T20	Port Elizabeth
Sep 19, 2010	11:30	LIONS vs TBC, 14th T20	Johannesburg
Sep 19, 2010	15:30	Mumbai vs Bangalore, 15th T20	Durban
Sep 20, 2010	15:3	VIC vs WAY, 16th T20	Centurion
Sep 21, 2010	11:30	Redbacks vs TBC, 17th T20	Johannesburg
Sep 21, 2010	15:30	LIONS vs Bangalore, 18th T20	Johannesburg
Sep 22, 2010	11:30	Stags vs WAY, 19th T20	Port Elizabeth
Sep 22, 2010	15:30	Chennai vs Warriors, 20th T20	Port Elizabeth
Sep 24, 2010	15:30	TBC vs TBC, 1st Semi Final T20	Durban
Sep 25, 2010	15:30	TBC vs TBC, 2nd Semi Final T20	Centurion
Sep 26, 2010	15:30	TBC vs TBC, Final T20	Johannesburg

Victorian Bushrangers

Having won four KFC Big Bash Twenty20 finals in five seasons, the Victorian Bushrangers will no doubt be one of the most feared teams in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20. The Melbourne-based team boasts some prolific players in their line-up - Brad Hodge and David Hussey are among the top two run-getters in T20 cricket, while Cameron White is among the few batsmen around the world to have scored two or more hundreds in the 20-over format. It will be the second appearance in two editions of the Airtel Champions League for this Australian state side. While they qualified for the inaugural season of the competition by virtue of being runners-up in the KFC Big Bash in 2008/09, the Bushrangers went one better and qualified for this season's competition by clinching the KFC Big Bash title. The Bushrangers were knocked out in the semi-final of the inaugural CLT20, losing out to eventual title winners and compatriots New South Wales Blues. They will be hoping to go the full distance this season.

Wayamba Elevens

They won Sri Lanka's Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament for two consecutive years, Wayamba will be making their second appearance in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 this September in South Africa. Wayamba, which represents the North Western Province in Sri Lanka, will be hoping to put up a better show in the competition this time around - they were eliminated at the end of the first round in the inaugural season. With exciting cricketers like former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Jeevantha Kulatunga (an exciting all-rounder who has turned in consistent performances for his side over several seasons), the hard-hitting Thissara Perera, Jehan Mubarak and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis in their squad, it's very likely that the team from the island nation make it to the knockout stages this season. Wayamba are currently on a 13-match unbeaten run in the Sri Lankan Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament - spread over two seasons. If they can string in similar performances in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20, they are sure to give other teams a headache or two.

Warriors

With a squad that consisted of Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Johan Botha and Nicky Boje, it wasn't really a surprise that the Warriors strung together a consistent performance in the Standard Bank Pro20 tournament. They only lost one out of their eight matches in the competition and went on to clinch the title. It's by virtue of winning the Standard Bank Pro20 that the Warriors enter the 2010 edition of Airtel Champions League Twenty20. With their international players not always available, it was left to the likes of Colin Ingram and Davey Jacobs to shoulder the run-scoring responsibility, and they did that in style; Ingram aggregated 283 runs while Jacobs scored 162 runs in eight matches. On the bowling front, the Warriors have a very mean attack - Ntini, Botha and Boje have all successfully proven their skills at the international level. They also have Juan Theron, a bowler who relishes bowling at the death and is capable of guiding his team to nail-biting victories. The Warriors have all the ingredients - players with skill, class, experience, temperament and ability to perform on the big stage. This September, the home boys will be looking to make a big impact.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore owned by Vijay Mallya make their second Airtel Champions League Twenty20 appearance by virtue of finishing third in the third season of the Indian Premier League. The Anil Kumble-led outfit figured in the inaugural CLT20 too thanks to their runners-up position in IPL 2009. From being chided as a 'Test team' in coloured clothing in the inaugural season of the IPL, it has been some transformation for the Bangalore-based franchise who have made it to two consecutive CLT20 competitions. Former South African coach Ray Jennings coaches a side with a strong South African flavour - a fact that will no doubt assist RCB in CLT20's African sojourn. With the rock solid Anil Kumble as captain and several other proven Twenty20 performers in their squad, the Royal Challengers Bangalore surely start as one of the favourites to clinch the title this season.

Mumbai Indians

Led by Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians make it to the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 2010 by virtue of finishing runners-up in the Indian Premier League 2010. The most consistent team in the IPL 2010 in the league stages, the Mumbai Indians have a great mix of experience and youth. While Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan bring in all their years of experience of playing at the international level, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rajagopal Sathish, Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary bring in the much-needed zeal and hunger for achievement on the big stage. On the bowling front, Lasith Malinga's toe-crushing yorkers are simply too hot for most batsmen to handle and he will be a major cog in the Mumbai Indians' plans, while Harbhajan and Zaheer will be hoping to draw on their experience of playing in South Africa to the advantage of their team.

South Australian Redbacks

The South Australian Redbacks make it to the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 by virtue of making it to the final of Australia's KFC Big Bash T20 for the first time. A team which is undergoing a metamorphosis of kinds, the South Australian Redbacks were the most consistent side in the KFC Big Bash last season, registering four wins in five matches, before ending up second best in the title clash against the Victorian Bushrangers. The Redbacks might not have too many superstars in their midst, but they certainly have someone who can lay claim to being the fastest bowler in the world today. Shaun Tait has set cricket fields ablaze registering spectacular bowling speeds. One could expect to see new records being set during the Champions League Twenty20 too. Tait apart, the Redbacks also have consistent performers like skipper Graham Manou and the returning Callum Ferguson. The Redbacks cruised into the final on the back of splendid performances from their overseas signing - Kieron Pollard - among others. CLT20 2010 presents another great opportunity for the home-grown players to rise to the occasion.

Highveld Lions

The Highveld Lions, with players from Gauteng and North West provinces in South Africa, qualify for the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 2010 by virtue of being runners-up in the Pro20 competition in South Africa. Among the players to look out for in the Lions' squad are captain Alviro Petersen, the ever-dependable Neil McKenzie. The Lions' Vaughn van Jaarsveld finished as the team's top run-getter (249 runs in 8 matches) - second in the list of the top run-getters in the Pro20 2009/10, while Robert Frylinck finished as the tournament's leading wicket-taker. The Lions will feature in the tournament's very first game, against the Mumbai Indians, which will be played at their home ground Wanderers. They certainly will be hoping to feature in the last game of the tournament too - the title clash - which will be played at the same ground.

Guyana

Guyana come to South Africa this September hoping to go one better than their Caribbean counterparts, Trinidad and Tobago, runners-up of the inaugural edition of CLT20 in India. Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is a state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. It has produced cricketing greats like Clive Lloyd, Basil Butcher, Colin Croft, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, Roger Harper, Carl Hooper and Alvin Kallicharran. Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan is the only big name in the current side but the presence of some talented youngsters like Devendra Bishoo and Jonathan Foo gives Guyana an opportunity to surprise their rivals with the unexpected. Guyana's passage to CLT20 wasn't the easiest of affairs. Playing in the semi-final of the Caribbean T20 2010, they beat Trinidad and Tobago, the defending champions, in a closely contested match and then snatched victory after very nearly courting defeat against Barbados in the final.

Chennai Super Kings

They were the only team to make it to the semi-finals of each of the three seasons of the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings make it to this edition of the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 by virtue of winning IPL 2010. Led by the flamboyant and charismatic MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings have some of the fiercest strikers of the cricket ball in their line-up like Matthew Hayden, Albie Morkel, Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay.
The bowling department appeared to be Chennai Super Kings' weak-link in the initial stages of the IPL 2010. However, Doug Bollinger, called in as a replacement player, together with the spin trio of Muttiah Muralitharan, Shadab Jakati and Ravichandran Ashwin, kept chipping away at opposition batsmen much to the delight of the team management. Despite their bowling department lacking the big names like some of the other competing teams, Chennai Super Kings will be keen to replicate their performances in the IPL 2010 and add the CLT20 title to their roster of merits.

Central Districts Stags

The Central Stags are New Zealand's representative in the 2010 Airtel Champions League Twenty20. The Stags - the team from Central Districts - made it to the CLT20 by beating Auckland Aces in the final of the HRV Cup - New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 competition.
It wasn't surprising that the Stags won the HRV Cup, given that they have several exciting players in their line-up. Among the batsmen, they have Peter Ingram who finished as one of the top two run-getters in the HRV Cup. They will miss the services of Ross Tayor, the other leading run-scorer, who will turn out for RCB in this tournament instead. Another casualty is Jacob Oram - one of the top two wicket-takers in the domestic competition - who is out with injury. But with players like Matthew Sinclair and Michael Mason, the Stags have an impressive unit with players who can swing the course of a match single-handedly. With their title win in the HRV Cup in the season just gone by, the Central Stags have ended a brief drought of titles; they last won a title in domestic cricket in 2005-06 when they picked up the Shell Trophy.

Bushrangers & Redbacks Beaten by the Bulls.

It wasn’t a good day for either of the Champions League T20 hopefuls from Australia, Victorian Bushrangers and South Australian Redbacks. The two teams were beaten by the Queensland Bulls on the same day in the Top End Twenty20 challenge in Darwin.

In the first match, the Bushrangers were beaten by three wickets in the last over. The Bushrangers could only manage to sum up a 109 runs from their 20 overs, and lost seven wickets in that time. Despite all the Bushrangers’ efforts, the Bulls eventually won the match with three balls to spare.

In the second match of the day, the Bulls continued to be the in-form team beating the Redbacks by four wickets. The Redbacks runners up started well with Michael Klinger’s second half- century in as many days. But despite Klinger’s efforts, the Redbacks finished with 7-129. And the Graham Manou-led side couldn’t stop the Bulls’ charge as the Queensland side reached 6-133 from 18.1 overs to complete a comfortable victory.

Both the Bushrangers and the Redbacks will be looking to lift their performances before the start of Champions League Twenty20 on September 10. And they’ll have a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday when the Redbacks take on the Bushrangers and Bulls on a Super Sunday in Darwin.