CSK has edge

Weather likely to be a factor

Hyderabad: The harrowing adventure in England will be out of every Indian cricket fan’s mind when Mahender Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir go out for toss at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium (RGICS) here on Wednesday night.

High-voltage fireworks and sparks of individual brilliance that will illuminate the nights over the next three weeks will make everyone forget the English tour, once and for all.

The Group A showdown between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) can give an absorbing start to the Oppo Champions League T20.

However, everything depends on the climatic and ground conditions following Tuesday’s heavy downpour and the overcast skies. It implies that the toss will be a crucial factor in the CLT20 opener.

Reigning IPL champion, KKR is raring to go because as Gambhir said here a couple of days back, ‘our task is cut out. Having had nothing substantial to show in the CLT20, we are now more than determined now.’

KKR may have been much more formidable if the ranks had boasted of the three original choices- Chris Lynn, Morne Morkel and Shakib Al Hasan, a point that was driven home by Gambhir himself. Even otherwise the team has match-winners in its ranks, particularly Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis (who stroked well in the friendly match against HCA XI on Monday) and Sunil Narine.

CSK, on the other hand, looks a more complete squad, which has been further bolstered by the return of the flamboyant West Indian Dwayne Bravo, whose cavalier Caribbean-inspired singlehanded heroics can turnaround the fortunes of the match.Given the wet conditions, Narine and Jadeja could be the individual trump cards for their respective teams, although Chennai Super Kings go into the match with a distinct edge.

Apart from Bravo, Chennai can depend on Brendon McCullum and to some extent Ravinder Jadeja and Dhoni, who approach that suits the T20 structure to the tee.