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Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Hobart Hurricanes CLT20 2014 Match 2 Preview: Both teams look to make solid start

KXIP and Hurricanes reached finals of their respective domestic T20 leagues, but fell short in the finals.

Kings XI Punjab © IANS
Kings XI Punjab will look to play the brand of attacking cricket © IANS

By Sameer Jha

Sep 17, 2014

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will face Hobart Hurricanes in the second match of Champions League Twenty 20 (CLT20) 2014. Both teams have two things in common – they both reached the finals of their respective domestic T20 championships, but fell short at the final hurdle, and interestingly, both teams were led by the ever-smiling George Bailey.

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will look to play the brand of attacking cricket that earned them several fans and admirers during this season’s IPL. Three of their four foreign players who are likely to play the game are Australians (George Bailey, Mitchell Johnson and Glenn Maxwell) and they’ll have a good understanding of Hobart Hurricanes as a team. Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller have the potential to demolish any bowling attack, giving youngsters like Wriddhiman Saha and Manan Vohra a sense of security to play their shots.

Maxwell’s magic in this year’s IPL lifted the whole team, and he’ll definitely be a key player for them. KXIP’s bowling doesn’t have the same firepower, and no one except Mitchell Johnson (who isn’t so great at T20 cricket) can instil fear in the minds of the batsman. However, youngsters like Sandeep Sharma, Karanveer Singh and Rishi Dhawan bowled with a lot of heart and their determination made up for the lack of big names in their line-up.

Hobart Hurricanes will certainly miss the calming presence of George Bailey, but still have plenty of firepower in their side. Aiden Blizzard, Ben Dunk and Shoaib Malik will form the crux of their batting attack, while Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus and Xavier Doherty will aim to inflict damage with the ball. Tim Paine will lead the side in Bailey’s absence, and it’ll be interesting to see how their team reacts to their new leader. Southern Express, who were without their usual captain Lasith Malinga, failed to register a single win in the qualifiers.

It may not be a knockout match, but both teams will look to start with a win so that they can carry the momentum in the remaining games. A winning team is a happier team, and questions start popping up in the minds of players’ and management when their team loses two to three matches in a row.

Squads:

Kings XI Punjab: George Bailey (c) , Virender Sehwag, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell , Akshar Patel, Mitchell Johnson, Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Karanveer Singh, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Thisara Perera, Rishi Dhawan, Anureet Singh, Parvinder Awana.

Hobart Hurricanes: Tim Paine (c&wk), Jon Wells, Evan Gulbis, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hifenhaus, Dom Michael, Sam Rainbird, Travis Birt, Doug Bollinger, Aiden Blizzard, Cameron Boyce, Joe Mennie, Ben Laughlin, Ben Dunk, Shoaib Malik.

Time: 20.00 IST I 14.30 GMT

Catch the complete coverage of Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014 here

(Sameer Jha is a reporter at CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter at @SameerJha_)

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