2012 Champions League T20: Delhi Daredevils V Auckland Aces – Match Preview
After the two washed out affairs, Kingsmead is all set to host its third game of the ongoing Champions League T20, as Mahela Jayawardene led Delhi Daredevils gear up to take on qualifiers Auckland Aces in their second Group A fixture tonight, October 19, 2012.
Whilst the IPL side comes off after a refreshing six-day break, the unpredictable http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766 squad would be a bit demoralized after a 59-run crushing at the hands of Group A leaders, Titans, just a day before.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Beau-Casson-c47541 in the town is that, after an unusual break, Jayawardene’s men might struggle a bit to get themselves back into the groove, but the skipper does not have any complaints.
"It's been good (gap). An unusual gap for us [though]," said Jayawardene on the eve of the clash. "We just needed to make sure that we had a couple of good practice sessions, boys had a bit of free time for as them as well. For some guys it is good because, they had played a lot of cricket so it's bit of a breathing space," he added further.
The Daredevils will be once again relying heavily on their star-studded batting line-up, featuring the likes of swashbuckling Virender Sehwag, skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LRPL-Taylor-c1849. Rookie Unmukt Chand is also a welcome addition to Delhi’s formidable batting line-up, after having impressed the skipper and the team management with a gritty 40-run knock, during their 52-run win over KKR.
The IPL side boasts an equally dangerous bowling attack as well. In http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajit-Agarkar-c972, they have a pace quartet capable of ripping apart any batting line-up in any condition.
On the other side of the coin, the Aces will approach tonight’s encounter as wounded tigers, after having lost their previous game to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Titans-c856, and will be desperate to get back to winning ways.
Till Wednesday, the Gareth Hopkins led http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 team was on roll, after having won both their qualifying matches and then annihilating the Knight Riders by seven wickets. But the 59-run crushing at the hands of Titans came as a big surprise for the side, devoid of any big stars, as their batting failed to click at all.
Former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 cricketer Azhar Mahmood has been the star performer in Auckland’s CLT20 campaign so far, both with bat and ball, and the side would be hoping for the experienced all-rounder to fire again on Friday.
The weather gods are once again expected to play a huge role in determining the outcome of the crunch game, and also whether there will be an outcome at all. Assuming that the conditions remain favourable, Kingsmead fans can expect a tight contest tonight, as both the sides will be eager to script a win and enhance their chances of making the tournament semi-finals.
Probable XI:
Delhi Daredevils: 1 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sehwag-c2739, 10 Ross Taylor, 11 Umesh Yadav.
Auckland Aces: 1 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lou-Vincent-c73143.
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