NSW seek big win against confident Mumbai (Preview)

Having handicapped by the myriad of injuries to their star players, Mumbai Indians, however, haven’t disappointed their fans thus far putting some spirited performance. The IPL side sit pretty on the top of the Group A table with five points from three games after pocketing two nail biting finishes into their favour.

Mumbai had to split points with Cape Cobras courtesy rain intervention after former had finished its batting effort forcing a washout. They were in a drivers set having posted a huge score 176 in their allotted 20 overs before rain played the spoilsport.

Having a net run rate of -0.516 and one win from two games, New South Wales Blues are lurking in the bottom half of the table. For the Big-Bash t-20 runner-ups, a sound victory against confident Mumbai should keep them in the hunt for the semi-final spot.

The curtailed game had a couple of much needed positives as far as Mumbai’s batting show was concerned. It was the bowlers and tail-enders that helped Mumbai overcome batting failures to fashion out two victories. To the team management’s satisfaction, Mumbai batsmen had a good outing against Cobras strong bowling unit.

The worries at the top seem to have been alleviated as of now. Young Sarul Kumar exhibited his big hitting credentials slamming five sixes and three fours in his 21-ball whirlwind knock. Kieran Pollard, the batsman, finally came to the party hitting a half-century in his own avatar. After failing miserably in the first two games, Andrew Symonds showed signs of finding his touch at the fag end of the innings.

This bodes all well for the side that has surmounted injury challenge admirably to occupy top slot in the group standings. Bowling department has been doing well for the Harbhajan Singh led side with skipper and Lasith Malinga leading the way.

The NSW side was deep in the dumps against Trinidad and Tobago before all-rounder Moises Henriques’ special forced a one over eliminator. In the Super Over, Henriques turned the heat on to script a confidence boosting win for his side and keep them in the hunt for having a dash at semis lineup.

On paper, the Blues are a side to beat. The Australian side has a fearsome opening pair in Shane Watson and David Warner and strong middle order capable of tearing part any bowling attack. There is a strong case for Phillip Hughes to be part of the playing eleven that can add more muscle to the setup.

A riveting battle between Malinga and Warner-Watson pair can lit up the Chepauk. The surface at Chepauk, though, is more suited for spinners. The Simon Katich captained side has plenty of spin options to benefit from the slow and turning track.

With Mumbai within a striking distance of becoming first team to enter into semis, Harbhajan and team management would be seeking another winning performance from the boys. The Blues, however, will back their star studded lineup to overpower depleted yet self-assured Mumbai.

Mumbai: Abu Nechim, Aiden Blizzard, Ambati Rayudu (wk), Andrew Symonds, Dilhara Fernando, Harbhajan Singh (c), James Franklin, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Rajagopal Sathish, Sarul Kanwar, Tirumalsetti Suman, Yuzvendra Chahal.

New South Wales: Stuart Clark, Patrick Cummins, Nathan Hauritz, Josh Hazelwood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Daniel Smith, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson