CLT20 semis about to go bang

Twelve teams entered the Oppo Champions League Twenty20. Only four remain.

The 2014 edition of the lucrative tournament has produced some spectacular fielding, outrageous stroke play, unplayable deliveries and unbelievable finishes.

Two of those thrilling conclusions belong to boom Perth Scorchers allrounder Mitchell Marsh who hit a brace of sixes to twice seal victory for the KFC T20 Big Bash League champions, but for the third straight year, it wasn’t enough to see the Scorchers advance to the semi-finals.

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Instead, the sole non-IPL outfit in the final four falls to BBL|03 runners-up Hobart Hurricanes, who lost only once on their way to a semi-final showdown with Indian heavyweights Kolkata Knight Riders.

The other semi-final is an all-IPL affair, with George Bailey’s unbeaten Kings XI Punjab squaring off against 2010 CLT20 champions Chennai Super Kings.

With a final spot up for grabs and the minimum US$1.3m payday that comes with it, let’s put the two matches under the microscope and find the CLT20 finalists.

Semi-final 1 – Kolkata Knight Riders v Hobart Hurricanes Thursday, October 2, 8.30pm AEST

Overview

Kolkata come into this match on the back of a 13-match unbeaten run. In their four matches of CLT20 2014, KKR have chased thrice with three tight finishes and a walloping of South African outfit the Dolphins. Opening batsman Robin Uthappa has continued his outstanding T20 form to sit third on the Golden Bat ladder for the competition’s highest run-scorer. Coach Trevor Bayliss also posses the deadliest bowler in the tournament’s history, Sunil Narine, but the mystery spinner has been placed on the CLT20 warning list for bowling with a suspect action.

Hobart began their maiden CLT20 campaign with a loss, ironically against George Bailey’s Kings XI Punjab. The five-wicket defeat was the only blip on the radar during the group stage as the Cane Train marched through their remaining three fixtures with relative ease. Captain Tim Paine has a lethal new ball attack at his disposal in Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus, with the pair duly complemented by the change of pace of Ben Laughlin and the wily left-arm spin of Xavier Doherty. If Hobart’s batting was to be their weakness this tournament they haven’t shown it, with slashing top-order batsman Aiden Blizzard edging out Uthappa to sit second on the leading run-scorers list.

Best win

Chasing 152 to beat Perth Scorchers, KKR were in dire straits at 5-87 in the 15th over before a whirlwind knock of 43 from 19 balls from Suryakumar Yadav dragged the IPL champs over the line in the final over.

In an all-round display of total domination, Hobart obliterated New Zealand side Northern Knights by 86 runs. After amassing 3-178 thanks to Paine, Blizzard and overseas recruit Shoaib Malik, Hilfenhaus ripped through the Knights top order before Bollinger capped off the match with the final three wickets in one over.

Key match-up

Narine v Hurricanes top order

The West Indian ace spinner is a master of his craft, but how much will his confidence be affected following the citing of his action in KKR’s last group match? Narine claimed 3-33 with all three wickets falling to his quicker ball, which was deemed suspect by the match officials. If Hobart are to progress they’ll need to blunt Narine’s impact and target his supporting attack.

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Final XI

Knight Riders (possible): Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Jacque Kallis, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan. Ryan ten Doeschate, Suryakumar Yadav, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine

Hurricanes (possible): Ben Dunk, Tim Paine, Aiden Blizzard, Shoaib Malik, Travis Birt, Jonathan Wells, Evan Gulbis, Xavier Doherty, Ben Laughlin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger

Prediction

All good things must come to an end. Hobart have the momentum and the bowling strike power to knock over KKR’s powerful batting group. Expect a tight finish, with Hilfenhaus and Gulbis to lift for the BBL outfit. Winner: Hobart Hurricanes

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Semi-final 2 – Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings Friday, October 3, 12.30am AEST

Overview

Just like IPL 7, Kings XI have dominated the group stage of the tournament, stampeding to top spot in Group A without dropping a game. George Bailey might have stepped away from the Australia T20 captaincy, but he’s shown he hasn’t lost his touch, leading Punjab with aplomb despite not having the services of his intimidating fast bowler Mitchell Johnson. In a team full of superstars, no single player has dominated the competition, rather relying on a compete team effort from 1-11.

Chennai enter their clash with Kings XI knowing what it takes to go all the way. Champions of the IPL twice and CLT20 once, CSK have proven big match players throughout their star-studded XI. An early stutter against KKR was forgotten by the poleaxing of the Dolphins before a rearguard win over the Scorchers secured them a semi-final spot. Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra has been the potent new ball exponent captain MS Dhoni would have hoped for, and has been aptly supported by a troop of spinners and allrounders. Suresh Raina has few peers when it comes to scoring runs in the shortest format of the game and will no doubt play a vital role in the semi-final.

Best win

Following the drubbing from the Hurricanes three days earlier, Northern Knights then received a T20 lesson by Kings XI to the tune of 120 runs. Batting first, Punjab piled on 5-215 from 20 overs thanks to half-centuries from opening duo Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra and a rapid unbeaten 40 from 18 balls by Protea David Miller. A mountain that steep was always going to be hard to climb, and the ascent never really began as Akshar Patel and Karanveer Singh claimed six wickets between them to roll the Knights for 95.

Flexing their T20 batting muscles, CSK plundered an astonishing 6-242 from 20 overs against the Dolphins. Raina treated the shell-shocked attack with complete disdain, scorching 90 from 43 balls to help set the imposing total. Dolphins opener Cameron Delport made a fist of the chase, rocketing to 34 from only nine deliveries but couldn’t sustain the electric rate of scoring. Mohit Sharma confiscated four wickets and Dwayne Bravo 2-17 from four overs to complete a 54-run win.

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Key match-up

Jadeja v Maxwell

Two of the T20 cricket’s most dynamic allrounders, Jadeja and Maxwell each have the ability to change the course of a match with the bat, ball or in the field. The Australian is the reigning IPL MVP and lives for the big stage, while Jadeja has been reduced to cameo performances in the A-list CSK cast. Whoever has the better game could be the difference a finals spot and US$800,000 for his team.

Final XI

Kings XI (possible): Virender Sehwag, Manan Vohra, Wriddhiman Saha, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey, Thisara Perera, Akshar Patel, Karanveer Singh, Anureet Singh, Parvinder Awana

Super Kings (possible): Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Ishwar Pandey, Ashish Pandey, Mohit Sharma

Prediction

It’s difficult to separate two powerhouses of Indian and T20 cricket, but in big matches there is no substitute for experience. Looking at the Super Kings batting line-up it’s hard to go past them. If Mitchell Johnson was playing it might be a different story. Winner: Chennai Super Kings