CLT20 2014: Breaking Down Every Qualifying Team's Squad for the Tournament
The structure and framework of the Champions League is inherently unbalanced. The financial importance off the field and clout on the field of the Indian Premier League teams create a landscape littered and dominated by the Indian league. If the Mumbai Indians make it through the qualifying group, 40 percent of competing teams in the tournament will be from the IPL and 50 percent of IPL teams will be present.
Interestingly, if indeed the Mumbai Indians do qualify for the CLT20 proper, there will be five “Champions” competing in the 10-team Champions League.
All eight players who were forced to choose between representing their IPL teams and alternatives around the world (Corey Anderson, George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Jacques Kallis, Lasith Malinga, David Miller, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith) opted for the cash-rich Indians. The IPL teams are permitted four overseas players per starting XI—more than any other team from any other country, and the entire tournament will be played on Indian pitches, in front of Indian crowds.
Qualifying Group
1 of 5
In the Qualifier Group, all teams will play each other once, with the top two advancing to the Group Stage.
Teams
Lahore Lions
Mumbai Indians
Northern Knights
Southern Express
The Lahore Lions or Northern Knights will enter Group A if either of them makes it to the Group Stage. Mumbai Indians or Southern Express will enter Group B if either of them makes it to the Group Stage.
If Lahore Lions and Northern Knights both make it to the Group Stage, then Lahore Lions will enter Group A and Northern Knights will enter Group B.
If Mumbai Indians and Southern Express both make it to the Group Stage, then Mumbai Indians will enter Group B and Southern Express will enter Group A.
While the CTL20 Governing Council have not given an official reason for this qualification structure, one can assume it is primarily to guarantee that it is impossible for Mumbai Indians to qualify into Group A because there will then be three IPL sides in one group. Also, it ensures the Lahore Lions cannot qualify for Group B where the Pakistani team will have to play matches in the more unstable northern region of the Punjab.
All six qualifying matches will be played at the Chhattisgarh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur. The weather has been really poor of late and there is a strong possibility some of the qualifying matches will be rain affected. There hasn’t been a competitive match played at the ground since 2013 when the Delhi Daredevils played twice during IPL 6.
Lahore Lions (Pakistan)
2 of 5
Qualified Via: Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2013/14 Champions
Background
The Lahore Lions will be looking to become the first Pakistani team ever to qualify for the Champions League T20 with both the Sialkot Stallions and the Faisalabad Wolves having failed at the qualifying stage since the introduction of Pakistani teams in 2012.
The Lions won a thrilling, low-scoring final of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup against last season's Champions, the Faisalabad Wolves, to secure qualification for the CLT20. They did only qualify from their group of four in second place, however, having been defeated by the Abbottabad Falcons, but were convincing in the knock-out stage—particularly in their semi-final when they crushed the Islamabad Leopards by 79 runs.
The Lions' buildup to the Champions League has been predictably unstable with heavy rain in Lahore preventing much practice, while, more alarmingly, the team’s visas took considerable time to be processed and for some time whether they would even be granted permission to visit at all was unclear, but they were eventually issued on Monday.
Preparations were complicated further this week when fast bowler Wahab Riaz’s daughter fell unwell days before the team’s departure and his availability was thrown into doubt. He has, however, made the trip and the Lions landed in India on Tuesday.
Tactical Preview
Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Siddique Khan, Mohammad Umar Akmal, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Salman Ali, Asif Raza, Mohammad Mustafa Iqbal, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Ali, Saad Naseem, Adnan Rasool, Mohammad Saeed, Ali Manzoor.
The Lahore Lions’ squad boasts six players with considerable international experience (Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema) and if they haven’t been distracted by their tumultuous buildup they have a strong chance of progressing through the Qualifying Group.
Their batting strategy will be moulded by their international-four, with Jamshed and Shehzad providing a powerful explosive start, Hafeez anchoring the innings before Akmal—with Saad Nasim and Siddique Khan alongside—offers an injection of pace.
How the Lions construct their middle and lower batting order will be interesting. There’s always a temptation to spread talent and experience throughout the order, but most of the time it makes more sense to simply allow your best players to face the most balls, which would suggest Akmal should bat at four.
However, if the Lions get off to a poor start, especially in a run-chase, shifting Akmal lower than four, separating the less experienced Nasim and Siddique, could be a wise move.
Nasim is a player to keep an eye out for. He played an excellent innings under pressure in the Faysal Bank T20 Final to see the Lahore Lions to victory and his role in alleviating the pressure from Akmal at the back-end of the innings could be pivotal. Siddique has an impressive T20 record but has only played six matches so far.
The Lions bowling is lined with fewer star names but could prove to be incisive and frugal. Riaz is a mercurial attack leader but he has plenty of experience behind him; Aizaz Cheema, Adnan Rasool and Imran Ali are all over 30 years of age, while Hafeez remains remarkably successful as an off-spinner.
The top six and bottom four pick themselves, but who slots in at seven is anyone’s guess. The management reportedly requested for Abdul Razzaq to be added to the squad, but the Pakistan Cricket Board declined, according to the Press Trust of India (h/t Cricket Country).
Predicting anything related to Pakistani cricket is never easy, and the Lahore Lions are no exception. They've hardly played any cricket recently, have struggled to train and were only recently permitted with Indian visas. They're also a poor fielding side without a fielding or batting coach in India. Yet they do, however, possess wonderful natural talent and great experience. Whatever happens, they’ll be fascinating to watch.
Wilde’s Starting XI:
1) Nasir Jamshed 2) Ajmal Shehzad 3) Mohammad Hafeez 4) Saad Nasim/Umar Akmal/Siddique Khan 5) Umar Akmal/Saad Nasim/Siddique Khan 6) Siddique Khan/Umar Akmal/Saad Nasim 7) Asif Raza 8) Wahab Riaz 9) Adnan Rasool 10) Aizaz Chema 11) Imran Ali
Follow Lahore Lions on Twitter @Lahore_Lions and support them using the hashtag #LL.
Mumbai Indians (India)
3 of 5
Qualified Via: Pepsi Indian Premier League Eliminator Losers
Background
In contrast to Mumbai Indians' serene progress to last season's Champions League via victory in the Indian Premier League, their path this year could not have been more tumultuous or spectacular.
They lost their first five matches of the IPL season, and needed to win almost all of their remaining fixtures and hope results went their way to qualify for the play-off stage. Amazingly they did so, chasing 189 in 14.4 overs in their last league-stage match against the Rajasthan Royals in what was arguably the greatest T20 of all time.
Mumbai went on to lose their eliminator versus the Chennai Super Kings, but their heist against the Royals guaranteed they would return to defend their Champions League crown, a tournament in which they boast the best record of any team with two titles and 10 match wins in three appearances.
Squad: Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Aditya Tare, Jalaj Saxena, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Michael Hussey, Corey Anderson, Lasith Malinga, Marchant de Lange, Lendl Simmons, Sushant Marathe.
Tactical Preview
The Mumbai Indians possess one of the most impressive rosters of players in global domestic cricket, yet in this season’s IPL they struggled to find the right starting XI balance and lacked a cohesive and consistent strategy.
Despite the serious setback of a fractured finger to captain and crucial batsman Rohit Sharma that rules him out of the entire tournament, the Mumbai Indians will remain confident of making it through to the Group Stage.
How well Mumbai cope with Rohit’s absence will be determined by the sagacity of the management in shuffling a superb squad around to settle on a successful strategy—they have the players; do they have the brains?
With a near-perfect bowling attack (the experience of the injured Zaheer Khan may be missed) capable of defending almost any total, Mumbai’s “Key Success-Factor” is formulating a strategy to maximise the potential of Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard in the middle order, arguably the two most destructive T20 power-hitters in the sport today.
For Mumbai, that strategy is all about setting a platform. Anderson and Pollard are not traditional, proactive innings-builders, but they undeniably need time to have a look before they can accelerate and eviscerate; if they're forced into unfamiliar roles their potential impact is quickly diluted.
Rohit’s loss will be felt in this area, but in Lendl Simmons—one of they keys to Mumbai’s IPL 6 turnaround and a man in superb T20 form—they have a more than adequate alternative, while Aditya Tare and Ambati Rayudu are both versatile and aggressive Indian batsmen.
Who directly replaces Rohit in the team (Mike Hussey takes up an overseas slot; Jalaj Saxena and Sushant Marathe are top order players but have never played a match for the Mumbai Indians; Shreyas Gopal is more of a bowler) is not clear, nor easy, but with an abundance of versatile talent already in the existing top five, Rohit’s injury shouldn’t be allowed to derail their campaign.
Pollard, who has just led Barbados Tridents to the Caribbean Premier League title, will captain in Rohit’s absence. Pollard, a long-term Mumbai Indians player, will prove an efficient stop-gap.
Wilde’s Starting XI:
1) Lendl Simmons 2) Aditya Tare 3) Ambati Rayudu/Corey Anderson 4) Corey Anderson/Ambati Rayudu 5) Kieron Pollard 6) Jalaj Saxena/Shreyas Gopal 7) Harbhajan Singh 8) Jaspreet Bumrah 9) Praveen Kumar 10) Lasith Malinga 11) Pragyan Ojha
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Northern Knights (New Zealand)
4 of 5
Qualified Via: HRV T20 Cup 2013/14 Champions
Background
The Northern Knights, otherwise known as Northern Districts, are the fourth Kiwi team to appear in the Champions League T20 after the Central District Stags (2010), Auckland Aces (2012) and Otago Volts (2009 and 2013)—none, however, have made it further than the Group Stage.
The Knights qualified for the Champions League with their first-ever HRV T20 Cup victory following a five-wicket victory over the Otago Volts in the final in January. The Knights finished second in the group to the Volts in the round-robin phase of the season, beating three-time champions Auckland Aces by 40 runs along the way.
Although they haven’t played a single competitive match since the final of the HRV Cup almost nine months ago, they have been in India since September 1 and have held three training camps throughout late July and August as preparation for the Champions League.
Daniel Vettori, unavailable for "personal reasons," was replaced in the squad by Mitchell Santner.
Tactical Preview
Squad: Ish Sodhi, Jono Boult, Brad Wilson, Kane Williamson, Daniel Flynn, BJ Watling, Graeme Aldridge, Anton Devcich, Tim Southee, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Daniel Harris, Scott Styris, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner.
The Northern Knights are the predatory hunters of the qualifying group. Not obviously talented, nor particularly frightening, but a drilled, professional and very well-trained side who are unlikely to buckle under pressure.
In Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson, Daniel Flynn, BJ Watling, Scott Syris, Anton Devcich, Tim Southee and Trent Boult, the Knights have a very strong core of New Zealand internationals (Corey Anderson opted to play for Mumbai Indians instead of the Northern Knights), and Sodhi, Watling, Devcich and Scott Kuggeleijn have come to India straight from a New Zealand A tour.
Crucial to the Knights’ strategy may be the little contrasting middle-order pairing of the classical Kane Williamson and powerful Daryl Mitchell and/or Brad Wilson. It is they who will have to provide the balustrade between Devcich and Flynn at the top of the order and Styris in the bottom-half.
Williamson’s technical proficiency and supple wristwork should enable him to manipulate the field and rotate the strike to assist Mitchell and/or Wilson—it’s a strategy that could work well.
Watling, who will probably bat in the lower-middle order, is one player the Knights should remain wary of. He’s technically strong and could play a capable role in a rebuild, however with a T20 strike-rate of just 105, he could waste balls as the innings reaches a vertex.
The bowling is strong and versatile. Southee and Boult are a superb pairing, and given the recent rain in Raipur, they could extract some movement off the pitch and in the air. Southee’s value as a pinch-hitter should not be forgotten either.
The loss of Daniel Vettori is a big blow to the spin bowling department, however. Sodhi, who has become New Zealand’s frontline spin bowler in Test cricket, is a decent alternative, but at 21 years of age, him alongside Mitchell Santner, 22, who has never played a professional T20 match in his career, is a very youthful pairing to be bowling in T20 cricket with short Indian boundaries. Although the economical Jono Boult and Anton Devcich can chip in too.
Styris’ experience and medium pace will also surely be called upon, while his explosive batting could be the difference between victory and defeat for this strong, but unspectacular team.
The Knights are a really impressive outfit—they’re well balanced, experienced and versatile. They could certainly surprise a few and sneak through the Qualifying Group.
Wilde’s Starting XI
1) Daniel Flynn 2) Anton Devcich 3) Kane Williamson 4) Daryl Mitchell 5) Brad Wilson 6) Scott Styris 7) BJ Watling 8) Tim Southee 9) Jono Boult/Mitchell Santner 10) Ish Sodhi 11) Trent Boult
Follow Northern Knights on Twitter @ndcaknights and support them using the hashtag #NK.
Southern Express (Sri Lanka)
5 of 5
Qualified Via: UltraTech Cement Super 4s Champions
Background
Amazingly, Southern Express have played just three matches together as a team, with two of their five scheduled fixtures in the inaugural season of the hastily arranged UltraTech Super 4s abandoned.
The six-day season, that gave new meaning to the idea of a pop-up tournament, was quickly thrown together with four makeshift teams by the Sri Lankan board when the Sri Lankan Premier League was cancelled for the second consecutive season after it failed to attract meaningful commercial interest.
Southern Express defeated the Udarata Rulers in a tight final in July but bizarrely didn't win a single Group Stage match, qualifying for the final via an eliminator thanks to two points gathered from no results.
Yet despite their serendipity in qualifying and their remarkable inexperience as a competitive team, because there are just four teams in the UltaTech Super 4s there's an impressive density of talent—albeit inexperienced talent—spread between the teams, and with that Southern Express could prove to be formidable, but unpredictable, opponents in the CLT20.
Tactical Preview
Squad: Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunatilake, Angelo Perera, Jehan Mubarak, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Seekuge Prasanna, Ishan Jayaratne, Farvez Maharoof, Kasun Madushanka, Yasoda Lanka, Charith Jayampathi, Sachith Pathirana, Sandaken Lakshen, Tillakaratne Sampath.
No injury or absence will likely affect a team as much as Tillakaratne Dilshan’s will Southern Express. Already deprived of the services of Lasith Malinga, Express are now missing their two most experienced Sri Lankan internationals and must rely on rawer, less refined talent. Perhaps Southern Express’s most valuable asset is that no one knows much about them. Dilshan has been replaced in the squad with his brother, Tillakaratne Sampath.
Niroshan Dickwella, just 21 years old, is a hugely exciting wicket keeper batsman who made his Test debut for Sri Lanka in July. He’ll open the batting, most likely with Kusal Perera, another young, vivacious talent on the fringes of the Sri Lankan side.
Batting is Southern Express’s strong suit, and Dickwella and Kusal Perera are backed up in the middle order by captain and classy left hander Jehan Mubarak, who has been in superb form this season. Floating around him will be Angelo Perera— who has played a handful of games at international level.
Meanwhile, Farveez Marahoof who made his name as a bowler in international cricket a few years back, has transformed himself into a capable batsman and will also bat in the middle order. He'll most likely be joined by Danushka Gunatilake and Yasoda Lanka—both of whom have represented Sri Lanka at age-group level. Dilshan's 32-year old brother Sampath could offer know-how, but he wasn't even selected for the original squad.
Southern Express' batting is vastly inexperienced, and they'll be relying on natural talent to make them more than the sum of their parts.
Express' spin bowling stocks are, understandably for a Sri Lankan side, strong. Seekkuge Prasanna, Dilruwan Perera, Sachith Pathirana and Sandaken Lakshen will pose problems if the pitch at Raipur dries out. Their biggest weakness is their seam bowling; in the absence of Malinga, they will struggle at the death. Ishan Jayaratne is a useful seam bowler who has represented Sri Lanka A—he'll compete for a bowling slot with Kasun Madushanka and Charith Jayampathi.
Frankly speaking, predicting how this team will fare is mightily difficult on such scant evidence, but they’re a youthful set of cricketers, and if they get a lucky break here and there, the gulf in class and experience between them and the other three qualifiers could quickly narrow. But in a tough Qualifying Group, expectations are low for Southern Express.
Wilde’s Starting XI
1) Niroshan Dickwella 2) Kusal Perera 3) Jehan Mubarak 4) Danushka Gunatilake 5) Farveez Maharoof 6) Yasoda Lanka 7) Angelo Perera 8) Dilruwan Perera 9) Seekkuge Prasanna 10) Sachith Pathirana 11) Ishan Jayaratne
Follow Southern Express on Twitter @ExpressSouthern and support them using the hashtag #SE.
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