Mumbai Indians vs. Lahore Lions: CLT20 Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Date: Saturday, Sept 13

Start time: 3:30 p.m. BST/8:00 p.m. local

Live on: ITV4 in the UK and Star Sports in India.

Weather: The Weather Channel predicts a cloudy evening with scattered thunderstorms and a 40 per cent chance of rain, with a low of 23°C and 90 per cent humidity.

Overview

Mumbai Indians will step out at Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium with an aim to defend their Champions League Twenty20 title, after a failed attempt in preserving their Indian Premier League trophy in the summer.

Mumbai had begun their IPL 2014 season horribly, before sparking a remarkable turnaround in the second half to make it through to the playoffs, including a spectacular win over Rajasthan Royals in the last match of the league phase which involved a last-ball six at the Wankhede Stadium.

Unfortunately for Mumbai, they could not go any further as they lost their eliminator match, but now have another shot at silverware with the CLT20.

Mumbai will be without their skipper Rohit Sharma, who got himself injured during India’s tour of England, and have named Kieron Pollard as captain.

The decision comes as a surprise since Mumbai also have with them Harbhajan Singh, who led the team to their maiden CLT20 title in 2011.

However, Pollard did lead the Barbados Tridents to the 2014 Caribbean Premier League title recently and that must have been the reason behind him getting the nod over Harbhajan.

Kieron Pollard told the CLT20 official site:

"

I truly understand that it is a huge honor and a privilege to captain the vibrant Mumbai Indians side, and thank the team management for bestowing their faith in me. I am aware of the great expectations ahead of us. However, I am confident that together, we will face the challenges, and work towards retaining the glory and the stature of the Mumbai Indians team.

"

Since Mumbai finished fourth in the IPL, they have to play three qualifying matches and finish among the top two teams of four to guarantee a spot in the main tournament.

Up against Mumbai in their first qualifier are a side whose participation in the tournament was uncertain a week ago. Pakistani franchise Lahore Lions were issued their Indian visa just this week, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo, bringing an end to the speculation.

Lahore will be coming with a strong squad, except for bowler Wahab Riaz, whose new-born daughter is unwell and thus his participation isn’t certain. However, the squad still has enough quality and international players to mount a strong challenge.

Captain Mohammad Hafeez told ESPN Cricinfo:

"

We are departing with confidence. We all know how important the first stage is so we are focusing on qualifying for the next round. We, as a team, have been playing some exciting cricket in the last two years and the squad has gutsy players from our domestic circuit so we have an ability to fight at the top level.

"

Squads

Mumbai Indians

Kieron Pollard (captain), 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.

Lahore Lions

Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Siddique, Umar Akmal, Nasir Jamshed, Salman Ali, Asif Raza, Mustafa Iqbal, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Ali, Saad Naseem, Adnan Rasool, Muhammad Saeed, Ali Manzoor.

Players to watch out for

With Rohit Sharma missing from the mix, all eyes will be on Kieron Pollard to provide the ballistics in the batting department for Mumbai.

The tournament will also be a test for other high-profile foreign players such as Michael Hussey and Corey Anderson, who had a mediocre run in the IPL.

Getty Images/Getty Images

Among the Indians, it will be interesting to see if batsman Sushant Marathe, who was named Rohit’s replacement in the squad, gets a game.

As for the Lions, their batting line-up, boasting the likes of Ahmed Shehzad, Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed, will be key in determining their fortunes.

Shehzad has been at the centre of controversy in recent times due to the religious advice he offered to Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan and will be looking to put it all behind him.

Prediction

Lahore Lions are playing in their first CLT20 tournament, will want to do well and have the talent to be successful.

Mumbai, on the other hand, will be looking to right their wrongs from the IPL and start with a bang. In home conditions, albeit not on their home ground, Mumbai hold the advantage and are expected to sail through the qualifiers.

But don’t be surprised if this Lahore team give the superstars of the IPL a run for their money.