In the opening match of this year's Champions League T20, the local South African outfit, Highveld Lions take on the mighty runners-up of the third edition of the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians led by Sachin Tendulkar looks to be the stronger side on paper, when compared to the side led by the South African Alviro Peterson, but like the champions of the game would say, no game is won on paper. While Mumbai sport a squad that has a great mix of youngsters and heavyweights, Highveld Lions are a young side with a lot of unknown local names, better accustomed to the South African conditions. Even contests have never been this even.
Players to watch out for : In a team that has a Sachin Tendulkar in it, it really gets tough to choose any other player from the squad to watch out for, but the big man Keiron Pollard will be expected to start clearing the ground from day 1. On the bowling front for the Mumbai Indians, the South African conditions will suit the SriLankan slinger Lasith Malinga who, on his day, can rip apart any batting line up.For the Highveld Lions, a lot rests on their captain Alviro Peterson and the reliable Neil Mckenzie. Also, the bouncy tracks of South Africa will suit their left-handed pacer, Cliff Deacon who comes in handy with the bat, as a tailender and their leading wicket taker in the previous season, Craig Alexander.
Even if the Mumbai Indians go into this game as the superior side when it comes to the names, T20 and its unpredictability will bring the scenario right back to balance before both the teams hit the field. While one is a biggie, the other is very easily one of the underdogs of this tournament. One can only expect a lot of nail biting encounters from day 1.
| Highveld Lions | Mumbai Indians |
| Alviro Peterson (Captain) | Sachin Tendulkar ( Captain) |
| Neil McKenzie | Shikhar Dhawan |
| Thami Tsolekile (Wicket Keeper) | Ambati Rayudu |
| Cliff Deacon | JP Duminy |
| Werner Coetsee | Keiron Pollard |
| Aaron Phangiso | Saurabh Tiwary |
| Zander De Bruyn | Harbhajan Singh |
| Craig Alexander | Lasith Malinga |
| Ethan O’Reilly | Ryan McLaren |
| Vaughn van Jaarsveld | Zaheer Khan |
| Shane Burger | Aditya Tare (Wicket Keeper) |
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