Will the ‘inspirational’ captain break the title jinx for MI?

Sachin Tendulkar has been hailed as the ‘inspirational’ captain by the entire team of Mumbai Indians. In April this year, he missed out on maiden title triumph for Mumbai Indians when the team lost the IPL final to Chennai Super Kings. The CL T20 is now his best chance to break the jinx but the little master will have to fight against the odds as Mumbai Indians do not start as bookies’ favourites.



When Mumbai Indians set out in the CL T20, one 'champion of cricket' will be itching to reach the summit. It is an irony that in 20 years of cricket, Sachin has not been very successful as a captain but for a few big moments like the Titan Cup although he has been in that role for a short period considering his stature as a cricketer.

His two tenures as India captain in 1997 and then in 1999 proved uninspiring. He was offered national duty again in 2007 but the little master declined the offer and rather recommended Dhoni for the top position.

But, the master blaster has been a revelation as a captain for Mumbai Indians. During the IPL this year, Mumbai Indians dominated every game on their way to the final before tripping at the last hurdle against Chennai Super Kings. For the little master, the CL T20 is a golden chance to break that jinx but the team will have to fight against the odds.



Ironically, the red-hot Sachin's Mumbai Indians are not the favourites with bookmakers to pull it off in the CL T20. Leading UK bookmaker Betfair.com has put the odds at 5.0 even for Victoria Bushrangers, making the Australian side the favourites to win the title. They are followed by Royal Challengers of Bangalore at 5.6, Chennai Super Kings at 5.7 and then come Mumbai Indians at 6 even. Veterans William Hill have more or less put same odds but have attached the favourites tag to RCB.

Bookies order of favourites for CL T20

1. Victoria Bushrangers
2. RCB
3. Chennai Super Kings
4. Mumbai Indians
5. Warriors
6. Highveld Lions
7. South Australia
8. Guyana
9. Wayamba
10. Central districts

'Champions of cricket' ready for blast



'Champions of cricket' ready for blast

Johannesburg: Under the watchful eyes of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), the glitzy Champions League Twenty20 starts with the shadow of the spot-fixing scandal, that has shaken the core of the game, looming large.

Featuring the top three IPL teams apart from squads from Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the West Indies, the two-week event will open with IPL runners-up Mumbai Indians taking on Highveld Lions (South Africa).

Organisers say the tournament will have strict anti-corruption measures in place to ensure that the menace of spot-fixing, which has led to the suspension of three Pakistani cricketers, does not find a mention in the event.

Apart from Mumbai, the other Indian teams in fray are IPL champions Chennai Super Kings and third-place finishers Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Australia will be represented by South Australian Redbacks and Victorian Bushrangers, while South Africa will have the Warriors and Highveld Lions in fray.




Central Stags (New Zealand), Wayamba Elevens (Sri Lanka) and Guyana (West Indies) are the other three teams in the field.

None of the IPL teams who competed last year could make an impression and the three teams playing this year would seek to make amends for the previous edition's flop-show.

Leading the pack would be Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai, which has a formidable line-up of big-hitters such as Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel and Justin Kemp.

Their bowling line-up features leading Test off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and they will be favourites to advance to the semifinals from Group A, which also features the Warriors, Victoria, Wayamba and Central Stags.

Bangalore, who were there in the field even the last time around, have a stronger batting line-up to boast of with the ever-reliable Rahul Dravid, explosive New Zealander Ross Taylor and the versatile South African Jacques Kallis.



The bowling has inspirational skipper Anil Kumble leading the spin department with Dale Steyn adding zing to the pace attack.

Kallis normally plays for the Warriors, while Taylor pads up for the Central Stags but both the players were bought by the IPL franchise after paying a USD 200,000 compensation to their respective state teams.

"The biggest challenge is how quickly you acclimatize to the conditions and the need to start well in the tournament," said Kumble.

Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai, on the other hand, also have a formidable look with their batting having the firepower of South African big-hitter JP Duminy and West Indian sensation Kieron Pollard.




The bowling features Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh with Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga proving the support.

"We have champions from all cricketing nations, so it's as tough as it can get. It is competitive ... and we have world-class players participating," said Tendulkar.

Mumbai grouped with Bangalore, the Highveld Lions, South Australia and Guyana.

The team they face in the tournament-opener on Friday, Highveld Lions, can be tagged as the underdogs. Banking on local support and some fireworks from batsmen such as Alviro Petersen and Neil McKenzie to match up to Mumbai's might.

The tournament would be played out in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth, with the final on September 26.

Source: India Syndicate / PTI