The much-awaited Champions League T20 2013 (CLT20) tournament is all set to begin with the qualifier matches as Pakistani team Faisalabad Wolves take on New Zealand team Otago Volts in the opening fixture at PCA Stadium, Mohali on Tuesday.
The match will begin at 04:00 pm IST on Tuesday and it will be telecast live on Star Sports, Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD channels.
Overview:
Faisalabad Wolves got the spot for the qualifiers after winning Pakistan's domestic T20 tournament Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup this year. It is their debut in CLT20 and the second Pakistani team after Sialkot Stallions to compete in the tournament.
Otago Volts come into the contest after winning New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 tournament HRV Cup 2012-13 earlier this year. They had played in the CLT20 in 2009.
Team News:
Faisalabad Wolves: They will be looking forward to skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Saeed Ajmal to lead from the front. Having scored a century and 19 half centuries in the last 54 innings (all formats of the game), the team will expect him to continue the form in the tournament and lead them to the main draws. They are a bunch of youngsters who have the capability to turn matches around.
On the bowling front, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal will be their key player. He is one of the top-ranked bowlers in the world and his performance will determine the fate of the team to a great extent.
Otago Volts: They have Ryan ten Doeschate, Neil Broom and Hamish Rutherford who performed well in the HRV Cup. They will be expected to deliver a similar spell in the CLT20 qualifiers and take the team to the main draw.
On the bowling front, they will be relying on the spinner duo - Nathan McCullum and Nick Beard.
Prediction:
Faisalabad Wolves are the favourites to win the opening fixture.
Squads:
Faisalabad Wolves: Misbah-ul-Haq, Asif Ali, Ali Waqas, Khuram Shahzad, Mohammad Salman, Waqas Maqsood, Samiullah Khan, Asad Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Ehsan Adil, Hasan Mahmood, Jahandad Khan, Farrukh Shehzad, Imran Khalid, Ammar Mahmood
Otago Volts: Nick Beard, Michael Bracewell, Ian Butler, Mark Craig, Derek de Boorder, Jacob Duffy, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, James McMillan, Jimmy Neesham, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Ryan ten Doeschate, Neil Wagner, Neil Broom
