Chennai Super Kings Vs Lahore Lions Live Cricket Score - T20 Match 11 Group A - Summary

COMMENTARY

Chennai Super Kings Vs Lahore Lions T20 Match 11 Group A

It's time for us to shut the shop, hoping that the weather is brighter at your end. But, do join us back for the double-header tomorrow.
However, Chennai will still be ousted if Lahore win their remaining two games against the Dolphins and Perth. With 3 wins in as many encounters, Kolkata have already stormed to the semi-finals. Oh yes, the race to the semi-finals has heated up.
Oopsy, Rain has the final say. Game 11 of the World T20 League has been called off without even the flip of the coin. Points have been split, but the scenario has left Chennai's semi-final hopes in jeopardy. As it stands, Chennai will have to win their final match against Perth at all costs to push ahead for the knockouts.
The rain is refusing to relent. The chances are looking bleak. Fingers crossed.
Latest pictures show that it is absolutely bucketing down and the outfield is flooded. The downpour is accompanied by thunder and lightning. If there is no play by 10:45 PM local time, the match will be abandoned.
Unfortunately, the rain has got heavier and players have gone off the field. No word on the toss. Looks like we will have a delayed start.
It has started drizzling slightly at the ground and covers are coming back on.
Mohandas Menon has tweeted: Good news...the covers are coming off at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. Hope to have a start on time
Hello and welcome to Match number 11 of the World T20 League being played at Bengaluru. It has been raining for quite some time in the city but luckily not at the ground. However, covers are firmly in place. We will keep you posted with the weather and toss updates. Stay tuned...
On the other hand, Lahore's World T20 campaign so far has been a topsy-turvy affair. They won 2 out of 3 games in the qualifiers and then they lost their opening encounter against Kolkata in the main draw. They started out confidently while batting against the Indian T20 League champs but soon succumbed to Sunil Narine's brilliance. Their bowlers tried hard to defend a middling total of 151, but dreadful fielding saw them falter. If they hope to upstage a team like Chennai, they will have to put in a lot of effort on the field and ensure they hold onto the catches.
The two matches that Chennai have played in the World T20 League so far couldn't be more contrasting. After losing the opening encounter against Kolkata, they came back terrifically to sink the Dolphins. They scored a magnificent 242/6, equalling the highest World T20 League total on the back of a 43-ball 90 by Suresh Raina. Other batsmen chipped in after Raina's departure to ensure that Chennai were always in the lead. However, their bowling is a different story altogether. The bowlers have been inconsistent in both the games and have leaked runs at crucial junctures. Although strong, Chennai will end up relying quite heavily on the batting line-up if the bowlers do not find their rhythm soon.
Preview by Deivarayan Muthu
After losing their opening fixture against Kolkata, the Chennai stormed back to sink Sunfoil Dolphins in a run-fest. The former champions will seek to build on the momentum and gather more steam in the race to the semi-finals when they clash with Pakistan T20 champions - Lahore Lions - who are smarting from their defeat at the hands of Kolkata.

However, considering the shorter boundaries at the M.Chinnaswamy stadium and the batting firepower in either side, another run-fest is in the offing.
Chennai:

The batsmen, led by Suresh Raina, took the Dolphins' bowlers apart with clinical ruthlessness only a game of Cricket '97 powered with cheat codes could have matched. Brendon McCullum's gravity-defying fielding lit up the M.Chinnawamy stadium as much as his fast hands did with the bat. Ravindra Jadeja and Faf du Plessis starred in blazing cameos as the Chennai charged to post 242 - the joint highest total in the history of the CLT20.

The bowling continues to be an unchecked box for the Chennai, despite Ashish Nehra finding a second wind. Ravi Ashwin and Jadeja have not hit their rhythm, as evidenced by their mediocre combined output of 11-0-116-3. Dhoni can't always rely on Dwayne Bravo's assortment of slower cutters and Nehra's experience. Mohit Sharma has showcased his increasing mastery over the back-of-the-hand slower ball, but he is also prone to leaking runs. While Ishwar Pandey bowled his full quota of overs against Kolkata, he was absent from the bowling attack against the Dolphins.

Keeping in view Chennai's bowling profligacy, Dhoni will be banking on the extra 20-run cushion from his batsmen.
Lahore Lions:

Every Pakistan team has two distinct personalities and Lahore Lions are no exception. Their CLT20 campaign has been a start-stop affair with their recent form reading: Loss, Win, Loss, Win. They have suffered another jolt with Adnan Rasool being reported for suspect action. The off-spinner has been placed on a warning list, but can continue to bowl, until he receives another report (while on the warning list)

Ahmed Shehzad, who scored a breezy 59 against KOL, will be their stick of dynamite at the top of the order. Their batting can assume dangerous proportions if the likes of Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal convert flashes of brilliance into streaks of consistency. The onus is also on Nasir Jamshed to step up and deliver. The 24-year old has eked out only 61 runs in his last 8 T20 innings.

On the bowling front, Aziaz Cheema and Wahab Riaz have looked potent, whether making early inroads or hitting the block hole at the death. Meanwhile, Asif Raza and Hafeez have assisted the duo with useful contributions. However, Lahore's bowling strength has been dragged down by kindergarten fielding.
Stats and Trivia:

Suresh Raina has smashed 199 T20 sixes, the most by an Indian batsman.

Dwayne Bravo stands eighth on the list of most T20 wickets. The Caribbean all-rounder has 203 T20 scalps, 22 ahead of Sunil Narine

Aziaz Cheema has been the bowler of the tournament thus far, collecting 10 wickets in 4 games at an average cost of 11.40. It may be recalled that he was on the brink of a hat-trick in each of his three qualifying matches.
Quotes:

MS Dhoni delves into CHN's bowling woes

'We batted really well, the wicket remained quite the same, credit to Raina and McCullum for a great start, it was important to utilize all our resources so we went really hard. With our bowling struggling slightly it was important to get those 15-20 extra runs, even if we go down trying to get those runs. I am sure that our batsmen won't score 240 every time'.

Mohammad Hafeez on Lahore's fielding lapses

'The domestic players in our team, outside of the six international cricketers, they need a clear picture of what is needed, an improvement with regard to fielding. I think CLT20 is providing them with that platform and the more they will play, the more they will learn. The team is playing very well as a unit, but we've to put in more efforts into fielding.'
Teams:
Lahore Lions (From): Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez(c), Saad Nasim, Umar Akmal(w), Umar Siddiq, Asif Raza, Wahab Riaz, Mustafa Iqbal, Adnan Rasool, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Ali, Mohammad Saeed, Ali Manzoor, Agha Salman
Chennai (From): Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Pawan Negi, John Hastings, Samuel Badree, Mithun Manhas

Updated at: 2014-09-26 02:41:29

कमाल, बवाल, सवाल और अब बेमिसाल, हार्दिक पंड्या के करियर में आए कई पड़ाव

LIVE: IPL मीडिया अधिकार ई-ऑक्शन लाइव, जानें ताजा अपडेट

WI vs ENG, 3rd Test: 6 बल्लेबाज नहीं छू सके दहाई का आंकड़ा, इंग्लैंड महज 204 रन पर ऑलआउट

WWC 2022, ENGW vs PAKW: Danielle Wyatt की विस्फोटक पारी, इंग्लैंड ने पाकिस्तान को 9 विकेट से रौंदा

Women's ODI Player Rankings: Mithali Raj को बड़ा झटका, महिला वनडे रैंकिंग में Smriti Mandhana - Yastika Bhatia को फायदा