Chance for seniors get their eye in

Match facts

Tuesday September 8
Start time 14.30 (9.00 GMT)

Questions were raised about the need for this corporate tournament before it began but, on the eve of the final, it seems to have allowed India's leading players to ease into form ahead of a typically heavy season. The positives include MS Dhoni's whirlwind hundred which, even though it obviously didn't come against an international attack, would provide some confidence for someone unable to hit the high notes of late. Amit Mishra, who replaced Pragyan Ojha in the Indian ODI team, bowled well through the tournament and Ishant Sharma put in a couple of good spells with a standout performance against Air India Red, where he troubled Yuvraj Singh - and Suresh Raina to a lesser extent - with bouncers. Raina did hit a sparkling 92 in one of the games but whether he is any better now against the bouncers remains to be seen.

So, after seven days of cricket, spread across four venues, the final sees the two Air India teams pitted against each other. Air India Red hold the advantage with their power-packed batting line-up. Yuvraj, Raina, Naman Ojha, Robin Uthappa, the in-form Sushant Marathe and the experienced Hrishikesh Kanitkar form a potent batting force on a flat track. The bowling doesn't look too flash, though, with the absence of a quality spinner and an inexperienced seam attack in Dhawal Kulkarni and the rookie Saurabh Netravalkar. However, Yuvraj seems to hold the view that his team can chase down any total, for he has chosen to field first in all the games. It will be interesting to see how they approach their batting if they are forced to bat first in the final.

Air India Blue have Dhoni and the experienced Mohammad Kaif but the rest of the batting line-up wouldn't give sleepless nights to any opposition. However, Chandan Madan, who hit a sparkling ton in the semi-final, and Manvinder Bisla have stood up to be counted though it has to be seen how they handle the pressure of a final. RP Singh and Pankaj Singh have bowled well with the new ball, and Air India Blue are better in the spin department with the presence of Harbhajan Singh. The pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium has been slow, favouring spin, and Harbhajan could play a vital role tomorrow.

Yuvraj Singh v Harbhajan Singh: Barring the IPL games, they don't face off against each other too often so this should make compelling viewing. On a turning track, Harbhajan would fancy his chances against Yuvraj, who, for his part, would be looking to unfurl his big sweep shots.

Suresh Raina v RP Singh: Among the intriguing sights of this tournament has been watching Raina trying to cope with bouncers from seamers. This is the first big tournament after his World Twenty20 debacle, and nearly every seamer, irrespective of his pace, has bowled bouncers against him. Raina hasn't looked too convincing, though he hasn't lost his wicket to one yet. Facing RP, therefore, will throw up an interesting contest. RP isn't known for his bouncers but may have a couple up his sleeve if he gets a chance to bowl against Raina.

Robin Uthappa v himself: He's had a topsy-turvy few months ever since he was dropped from the national side. A very good domestic season was followed by an indifferent IPL. In this tournament, he has failed in one game and hit a forty-plus in the other before being done in by the guile of Mishra. He's been doing the hard yards at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) but whether he can translate it into big scores when it matters is a different matter altogether.

There should be no changes, with the teams likely to retain their winning combinations.

Air India Red: (probable) 1 Naman Ojha, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 5 Sushant Marathe, 6 Hrishikesh Kanitkar, 7 Ankit Chavan, 8 Saurabh Netravalkar, 9 Dhawal Kulkarni, 10 Mundeep Mangela, 11 Ajit Chandila.

Air India Blue: (probable) 1 Manvinder Bisla, 2 Chandan Madan (wk), 3 Mohammad Kaif, 4 MS Dhoni , 5 Shafiq Khan, 6 Sachin Rana, 7 RS Sodhi, 8 Harbhajan Singh (capt),, 9 Sonu Sharma, 10 Pankaj Singh, 11 RP Singh.

There was a sharp shower the evening before the game and the conditions are expected to be cloudy on match day with the threat of rain.