The Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Perth Scorchers (SCO) in the 19th match of the Karbonn Smart Champions League Twenty20 2013 (CLT20) on Wednesday. The match will be played at Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium, Delhi.
Where to Watch Live:
The game will begin at 04:00 pm IST on Wednesday and it will be telecast live in India on Star Sports, Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD channels. To live stream online, follow the official link HERE.
Overview:
The Mumbai Indians got a chance to qualify for the semi-finals after Rajasthan Royals defeated Otago Volts on Tuesday. They still need to win with a huge margin on Wednesday, as Otago Volts have better Net Run-Rate. They currently have six points on the table from three games. They conceded a 7-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals in the opening game of the league stage, while the match against Otago Volts was abandoned due to rain. They however pulled up a 7-wicket win against Highveld Lions in the previous contest.
Perth Scorchers have had a miserable outing this tournament, losing two games while their opening match against Highveld Lions was washed out. They currently have two points on the table and winning on Tuesday will not take them to the knockout stage but they will be looking forward to end the tournament on a winning note.
Team News:
Mumbai Indians: Kieron Pollard was unbeaten on 31 in the previous match after scoring 42 in their earlier game and Dwayne Smith (63) batted till the end to ensure a win against Highveld Lions. Rohit Sharma, who had earlier scored 44, is in good form too. However, the team needs the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu to contribute in the remaining games.
On the bowling front, Pragyan Ojha took two wickets in the previous match, but overall, the bowlers looked far from impressive this tournament. They need to put their acts together and restrict the opponents from scoring at will.
Perth Scorchers: They managed to score only 120 runs in the previous match against Rajasthan Royals after scoring 180 in their previous match, though on a losing cause. Batting collapse is the main worry for the team, and batsmen like Liam Davis, Ashton Agar, Adam Voges and Simon Katich will have to deliver if they are win their last match of the tournament.
Jason Behrendorff was the only wicket taker in the previous match. Their bowling looks ordinary this tournament. Brad Hogg is expected to return to the team and he have to shoulder huge responsibility of taking early wickets.
Prediction:
Mumbai Indians are the favourites to win.
Team Squads:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ambati Rayudu, Aditya Tare, Rishi Dhawan, Abu Nechim, Akshar Patel, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell
Perth Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Ashton Turner, Liam Davis, Brad Hogg, Burt Cockley, Simon Katich, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Alfonso Thomas, Tom Triffitt, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman
