Previewing the Champions League T20: Mumbai Indians
The second edition of the Champions League T20 begins from September 11, 2010 and ten cricket clubs from around the world will battle it out to gain the title of the best in the world.
How they got there:
Mumbai Indians qualified for the Champions League T20 of this year by finishing as the runner-up of the Indian Premier League in 2010. The top three teams from the IPL qualify for the Champions League T20.
Mumbai Indians were easily the best and the most consistent team of the 2010 edition of the IPL. They won almost everything that came their way and were the first side to qualify for the semi-final. In the previous editions of the IPL, they had failed to qualify for the semi-finals, but this time, Sachin Tendulkar’s aggressive but consistent batting, along with some excellent bowling ensured they were through to the semi-finals.
They beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi-final to book their place in the final and the Champions League T20. Tendulkar was injured before the finals of the tournament, and though he played in the final, he was not effective enough and the Chennai side won the tournament.
Strengths:
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820’s strength is easily their ability to perform well based on their local players, rather than relying heavily on foreign players. Mumbai Indians hold the record for winning an IPL game without taking in the allowed four foreign players – going into the game with only three of the four allowed. This was possible due to the strength of their local players. This will come in handy in a tournament like the Champions League, where all the non-IPL teams rely on eight or nine local players, while the IPL teams have many more foreigners in the squad.
Weaknesses:
It is possible that the team's over-reliance on Tendulkar is the biggest issue that they will face in the tournament. Tendulkar was the backbone on which the side’s wins were based and hence, each time Tendulkar got out early, the side struggled. This is the one big factor that the side will need to look at, to ensure that Tendulkar’s dismissal does not trigger off a collapse.
Players to watch out for:
Apart from Tendulkar himself, the one bowler that everyone will look forward to seeing will be Lasith Malinga. The fast bowler from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 had a good time in the IPL and ensured that the side qualified for the tournament final with his ability to send down the yorkers and the bouncers at will.
The other batsman who will be most watched will be Saurabh Tiwary. Tiwary has been a part of the side for three years, but it was only in the third edition that he wound up and got his side some crucial runs in the middle-order and at a fast rate.
Mumbai’s fixtures:
Mumbai will play the Lions on September 10, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Australia-c844 on September 14, Guyana on September 16, Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 19.
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