Highveld Lions v/s South Australian Redbacks - Preview

After a successful outing on day one, the Highveld Lions take on the South Australian Redbacks in game four of the tournment.

The Lions are brimming with confidence after beating a team like Mumbai Indians in their very first game and are sure to carry this confidence forward into today's match. The Redbacks begin their campaign today and will be wary of their local opponent.

The Lions will bank on their in-form young opener Vandiar to take charge of the innings upfront. They would also want to keep up their agility and discipline on the field in order to win their second game in a row.

On the other hand, Redbacks must've done their homework and devised their strategies after watching the Friday's game that the Lions won.

The Redbacks will look to unleash Tait and his raw pace with the intention to rattle the top order which did seem a little shaky apart from Vandiar. In the batting department, the team will look up to their captain, Michael Klinger and the consistent Cameron Borgas.

With both teams being strong in their bowling department, expect a lot of wickets to fall. High scoring or not, the game still promises to be an entertaining one.

Probable XI

South Australian Redbacks	Highveld Lions
Michael Klinger (Captain)	J.Vandiar
Cameron Borgas	A.Peterson (Captain)
Shaun Tait	R.Cameron
Aaron O’Brien	V.Vans Jaarsveld
Callum Ferguson	N.McKenzie
Daniel Harris	R.Frylinck
Cullen Bailey	Z. De Bruyn
Graham Manou	L.Tsolekile
Peter George	S.Burger
Gary Putland	E.O’Reilly
Jake Huberfield	M. Phangiso

Mumbai Indians V/s Highveld Lions- Preview

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.

Probable XI:

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)