Momentum will be the key word when the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Otago Volts lock horns in their final CLT20 qualifier in Mohali on Friday night.
Both sides have romped to the main draw of the competition with two consecutive wins and the final match between the two in-form teams will be all about maintaining that run.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have been brilliant with the bat in the CLT20 qualifiers, easing to victories against Kandurata Maroons and the Faisalabad Wolves.
While the bowlers failed to come to the party in the first match against Kandurata, it felt more like a Sunrisers team in the second with both the pacers and the spinners impressing.
One player who was given only one over in the first match, but finished with impressive figures of one for 13 in the second - Amit Mishra - is relishing the opportunity to play in another big tournament.
"We played so well in the IPL and at least made it to the CLT20 Qualifiers," the leg-spinner told the CLT20's official website. "Now that we have entered the Group Stage with a game to spare, all of us are really happy and it's apparent on everyone's faces too.
"The biggest plus that I see in our performance in this tournament so far is our batting. In the IPL our batting couldn't click too often but now Shikhar (Dhawan) is in such good form, Parthiv (Patel) is in good nick and the following batsmen are also scoring runs.
"Our bowling and fielding have always been good, so having these runs on board is a huge boost for us."
One batsman that Mishra will have to be wary of is Ryan Ten Doeschate, who played a destructive innings in Otago Volts' win over Kandurata. The all-rounder is looking forward to making a mark in the main draw after easing past their opponents in the qualifiers.
"I love coming to India and I have been looking forward to this competition," Ten Doeschate, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, said. "It was only at the last moment that I was told I wasn't required at Essex and that I could come here and join the Otago Volts, which was great news.
"Hopefully, we can win the main draw of the competition but this (qualifying in the Group stage) in itself is a wonderful achievement for the guys. New Zealand is one of the smaller cricket nations in the world, and a place in the main draw is very well admired and deserved."
Where to watch
The match is scheduled for a 8 p.m. (IST) start with it being telecast Live on Star Cricket (Hindi), Star HD and Star Sports. You can catch the official LiveStreaming link HERE.
Squads: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Parthiv Patel, Cameron White, JP Duminy, Dale Steyn, Biplab Samantray, Thisara Perera, Karan Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Ashish Reddy, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Darren Sammy, Anand Rajan, Clint McKay.
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.
Prediction: Sunrisers carry on that good form with the ball and bat for a narrow win over Otago.
