Defending champions face stiff test

Match facts

Chennai Super Kings vs Cape Cobras
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

The Indian and South African champions clash in a fixture where one of them needs to bounce back and the other can ill-afford a slip in what has been dubbed the group of death.

Chennai are still smarting after their defeat to Mumbai Indians and Cape Cobras may be bracing themselves for a backlash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in front of a partisan home crowd. One defeat is allowed at the group stage, but if a team hopes to progress to the knockout stages, falling behind will leave it precariously placed. That is the situation the defending champions find themselves in. They would have felt they had scored enough against Mumbai - although they will expect meatier contributions from the middle order - but their bowling let them down. Albie Morkel and Doug Bollinger will be feeling the pressure to improve quickly.

Cobras began the tournament on a high and after conceding heavily in the first five overs against New South Wales, pulled themselves back into the game and dominated it. The bowlers adjusted quickly to the conditions and the batsmen were untroubled in the chase. The area which could use some work was the fielding and Cobras' assistant coach, Faiek Davids, said that they have been working extensively on it and will not make similar fluffs.

Watch out for …

There's no better motivation than to pit a man against old foes and that's what Albie Morkel will be facing. In South Africa, the match between Morkel's home franchise, the Titans, and the Cobras is a massive north-south derby, particularly in rugby and Morkel will no doubt be looking forward to resuming the rivalry, albeit in different fashion. Morkel did not stand out with bat or ball in Chennai's first match but has plenty to prove, especially as he looks to stake a claim for a national recall.

After playing a significant part in the Cobras capturing the South African title, Owais Shah faces big expectations in this tournament. He did not impress against New South Wales, scoring just three, dropping a catch and not being given a bowl. He may well be tossed the ball this time, but will have more important contributions to make with the bat, against a strong Chennai attack.

Team news

Chennai fielded a strong side in their opener against Mumbai and will look to build some continuity with the XI they used. Nuwan Kulasekera and Srikkanth Anirudha could both be pushing for a place but both may have to wait a while longer for their opportunity.

The Cobras operated well as a unit to win their opening match against New South Wales and will likely not tamper with a winning XI. Johann Louw and Rory Kleinveldt are waiting in the wings should they feel they need to tinker with the bowling, but Vernon Philander, Charl Langeveldt and Dale Steyn all performed well in Hyderbad and Robin Peterson, Justin Ontong and Owais Shah should be retained in the spin department.

Stats and trivia

• Michael Hussey appears to be reaching his T20 prime. He played in nine matches last year and averaged 57.57

Quotes

"It's important to bowl well in the last leg. That's when the new ball comes on well to the bat and if we can restrict them in the Powerplay overs, it would be tough to get our bowlers away after that."
Subramanian Badrinath believes the Chennai need to concentrate on bowling well at the death

"Give my boys a stage, and they will play to the stage. With Chennai losing their first game, it is not only a big game for us, but for the home side too."
Cobras coach Richard Pybus says his team will not be overawed by the vocal Chennai crowd