Kings XI vs. Hobart Hurricanes: CLT20 Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Kings XI Punjab start their 2014 Champions League campaign on home soil against Hobart Hurricanes on Thursday.

It will be a battle of the nearly men in Mohali with the second-place finishers in the Indian Premier League taking on the runners-up from the Big Bash League.

The IPL giants are favourites to start the competition with a win but an experienced Hobart bowling attack may cause some problems.

Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

Date: Thursday 18 September 2014

Start time: 8 p.m. IST, 3.30 p.m. BST

Live on: Eurosport in the UK, Star Sports in South Asia. Full global coverage details are available here.

Weather: It will be dry and warm in Mohali on Thursday, according to Accuweather, with temperatures of around 28 degrees C.

Preview

Boasting a squad packed full of international stars, Kings XI Punjab will be firm favourites heading into the contest.

Scoring quick runs certainly shouldn't be a problem for George Bailey's side. Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera, Aussie Glenn Maxwell and South Africa's David Miller are among the biggest hitters in world cricket. And we've not even mentioned Virender Sehwag, who managed the biggest individual innings in the 2014 IPL.

The bowling doesn't have quite the same firepower. Coach Sanjay Bangar got the best out of an inexperienced attack in the IPL and will be looking for more improvement in the Champions League. Much will rest on left-arm spinner Akshar Patel, who was the second most economical bowler in the 2014 IPL. However, the team will be shorn of Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson for at least the first game with a rib injury, as highlighted by ESPN Cricinfo.

Hobart enter the Champions League as one of the competition's outsiders. The Hurricanes squad may lack star power but contains a number of canny operators with plenty of international experience.

Bowling appears to be the strong suit for Hobart. Joining old pros Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger will be Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik. Another spinner to keep an eye on is leggie Cameron Boyce who has been a fixture in the Australia A team this year.

The Tasmanians have plenty of talent with the bat but lack the depth of other squads in the competition. Much will rely on the form of Ben Dunk, who was the leading scorer in the 2013/14 Big Bash.

Shoaib looked in great touch in the Hurricanes' recent warm-up against Hong Kong. The Pakistani smashed five sixes in an over while blasting 46 from 19 balls.

Travis Birt got plenty of starts in the Big Bash this season but only managed a top score of 33. He remains a dangerous performer if he gets going, though. As does wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who will also lead the side.

Key Players

Kings XI Punjab: Nobody hit mores sixes in the 2014 IPL than Glenn Maxwell, who cleared the rope 36 times. On his day, the Australian is arguably the biggest hitter in the game. A good performance from him will go a long away toward a home win.

If Maxwell fails, look out for David Miller or wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha to pick up the pieces.

Hobart Hurricanes: Trying to keep the high-powered Kings XI batting line-up in check will be a big ask for the Hurricanes. Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger will be crucial in trying to stem the flow of runs.

Shoaib Malik adds an extra dimension to the side with bat and ball and could be the key man for Hobart.

Squads

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

Hobart Hurricanes: (from) Tim Paine (C) (W), Jonathan Wells, Evan Gulbis, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Dominic Michael, Sam Rainbird, Travis Birt, Doug Bollinger, Aiden Blizzard, Cameron Boyce, Joe Mennie, Ben Laughlin, Ben Dunk, Shoaib Malik