CLT20 first-timers look for impressive start

Thursday, September 18, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

The Champions League T20 may still be struggling to find a place as a marquee T20 competition but one debate the tournament regularly throws up centres on the preference overseas players give to their IPL franchise over their domestic team that also qualifies. That debate could be taken up once again when George Bailey leads Kings XI Punjab on to the field against his Big Bash League team, Hobart Hurricanes.

In the last two seasons of the BBL, Bailey has played 10 games for Hurricanes. In 2013-14, their best season in the BBL, Bailey played three games, including the final, when he captained, but for most of the tournament, Hurricanes were led by Tim Paine, who has also been given captaincy duties for the side's first Champions League appearance. What the numbers don't portray is how thin the Hurricanes middle order looks in Bailey's absence, and especially against a powerful batting side like Kings XI Punjab at home. Without Bailey, the lower-profile players in the middle order will have to step up and support Paine and Ben Dunk at the top.

Like Hurricanes, Kings XI are also playing their first Champions League and they come into the tournament with the same firepower that, in 2014, made them the best batting side of the IPL across seasons. Their bowling, however, is on a weaker footing compared to Hurricanes, with the absence of Sandeep Sharma and Mitchell Johnson. The Australia fast bowler will miss the first few games due to a rib problem and his participation isn't guaranteed even later in the tournament. Their pace options are L Balaji, Parvinder Awana, Anureet Singh and Thisara Perera.

Hobart Hurricanes LWWLL (most recent first, completed matches only)
Kings XI Punjab LWLWW

With 342 partnership runs in seven games during BBL 2013-14, Tim Paine and Ben Dunk established themselves as a successful opening pair for Hurricanes. With the middle order looking a little shaky, the pair now have the responsibility of providing big starts to the side.

Kings XI picked Thisara Perera for Rs 16 million (about US$262,000) during the 2014 auction but the allrounder couldn't play the tournament due to international commitments. His recent form, however, could just make the Sri Lanka allrounder a good investment for the franchise. In the recent ODIs against Pakistan, Perera hammered a brutal 65 off 36 balls and finished the series with nine wickets, including a match-winning 4 for 34 in the final ODI.

"It is our first time here as a club and as a team, to be on the world stage and championship like this is wonderful for everybody."
Hobart Hurricanes coach Damien Wright on his team's first appearance at the Champions League T20