The ACLT20 promises to be a cricketing carnival and if the IPL teams play to strength, then we are headed for a sensation alright.

By Rajarshi Gupta

With less than a week to go for the Airtel Champions League Twenty20, ESPNSTAR.COM takes a look at the three IPL teams that will represent India at one of the most coveted cricket tournaments in the world.

Here you go!

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Not for nothing have the Royal Challengers sneaked into the ACLT20 for the second year running. After finishing up as the runners up in IPL II last year in South Africa, Anil Kumble’s men will be geared up to improve their record in the coveted ACLT20. By look of things, Vijay Mallya will have more reasons to smile this winter in Africa.

Strengths: From what seemed like an odd assortment of Test cricketers in the first edition of the IPL, the Royal Challengers turned the table on their detractors and critics with a sensational run in 2009. The men suddenly found the groove and moved alright. Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Anil Kumble shed their classical shoes and decided to rock and roll with Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey. Much the same happened this year too. The team’s strength lies in a unique blend of youth and battle-hardened seniors- a potent combination in T20 cricket. The bowling attack led by Dale Steyn and powered by Praveen Kumar and the wily Kumble is unlikely to go too wrong.

Weaknesses: At times, it does appear that the team goes completely out of sync with a centralised plan. Call it a generation gap between the likes of Dravid, Kallis, Kumble and Uthappa, Pandey or even Ross Taylor. For instance, the Royal Challengers’ cluelessness was all too apparent in IPL III when after looking in control for most of the tournament; they lost their way at some crucial stages including the semi-final. Only a lacklustre performance from defending IPL champions, Deccan Chargers allowed the Reds bragging rights for the ACLT20.

Key Players

Jacques Kallis: Not known for pyrotechnics on the field, Kallis spat fire with the bat this year in the IPL. His consistency at the top of the order meant the team was always breathing easy at important junctures. When Kallis gets going, there is nothing to stop him. He gets his runs quickly without even giving the bowlers much of a chance. If you can do that as consistently as Kallis does in a T20 game, that is half the battle won.

Robin Uthappa: If his explosive batting is anything to go by, there will be nine captains scratching their heads already in South Africa. Uthappa was on fire in the third edition, helping the Royal Challengers cross the line from seemingly impossible situations. Uthappa’s brutal assault on Bret Lee this year in the IPL was a sight to behold. The Aussie pacer later struggled to recollect if he had been treated with such disdain before. Beware bowlers. Robin Uthappa is out with a mission, what with the World Cup fast approaching. Of course, his role as a wicketkeeper only adds to his utility.

Dale Steyn: The fastest bowler in the world will easily be Kumble’s trump card in South Africa, where conditions will side with the seamers at this time of the year. Steyn, with his pace and movement off the deck will be menacing under lights. The chill in the air will not make life any more pleasant against for the batsmen facing up to Steyn’s thunderbolts.

Anil Kumble: And finally the skipper. It may have been two years since Kumble retired from international cricket but the leg-spinner is still razor sharp. His astute leadership and tight spells have kept the opposition on their toes. Kumble will enjoy the surfaces in South Africa this September. Jumbo does not mind a bit of bounce to his flippers, does he?

Chennai Super Kings: They are back. With a bang too. Chennai Super Kings were unlucky to miss out after the inaugural ACLT20 had to be called off on the back of a terror attack in Mumbai in 2008 but they put that disappointment behind them in style. MS Dhoni led his team to lift the trophy in the third edition of the IPL and sealed an ACLT20 spot.

Strengths: Clearly the batting. Look at the openers. Matthew Hayden and Murali Vijay. Vijay packed a punch in IPL III that saw him blast a hundred against the Rajasthan Royals. His aggressive cameos made up for a rather sedate Hayden, whose experiments with the Mongoose bat did not bear fruit. The middle order led by an able Suresh Raina is a treat to watch when in full throttle. Dhoni, Albie Morkel, S Badrinath- they just keep coming at you. CSK are a good fielding unit too. Sharp and agile, the likes of Raina, Badrinath and Vijay will prowl around like panthers.

Weaknesses: Apparently the bowling but only marginally. They ARE the IPL champions so what possible weaknesses could we be looking at? The spinners did the job for Dhoni in India this year but he will need his pacers to come to the party in South Africa. CSK do have the resources but the likes of Balaji, Manpreet Gony and Albie Morkel have to be more disciplined on bouncier tracks.

Key Players

Matthew Hayden: Despite an indifferent IPL this year, Hayden will be CSK’s assault man. The burly southpaw has T20 game pretty sorted out and will be eager to let loose his Mongoose to good effect after sharing the bulk of the load for Chennai in the first two editions. The seamers are talking up their chances on friendly tracks but so what! Has Hayden ever looked like he loses sleep over trivialities like pitches and bounce? Expect the former Australian opener to kick up a storm in the field with his violent hitting.

MS Dhoni: Not that the skipper has been exceptional thus far but Dhoni has been known to rise to big occasions. As captain of the IPL champs, his confidence will be sky high. Besides, South Africa holds good memories for the India skipper. Three years back it was in the African nation that Dhoni led the Men in Blue to glory in the ICC World Twenty20. His leadership has been spot on and his marshalling of resources astute. Dhoni can adapt to any situation with consummate ease and his blistering fifty against the Kings’ XI Punjab earlier this year was a lesson in leading from the front.

Suresh Raina: The only Indian batsman to have scored a hundred in all three formats of the game at the international level, Raina is perhaps the most effective batsman in the IPL. His contribution to the Chennai Super Kings has been more than the sheer weight of runs he has scored. The southpaw from Uttar Pradesh sets the tone for the power-packed Chennai lower order to launch further assaults. Of course, there can never be enough praise for his fielding and throw in a couple of overs of his off-spinners and Chennai have a compact T20 player ready to rock and roll.

Murali Vijay: He may not have carried on from where he left in the IPL but Vijay will certainly be a threat once he gets back in his Chennai yellows. The ACLT20 will be a huge occasion, another chance to impress the national team management after a rather poor few months in the middle. Vijay is technically gifted and can accelerate with ease, like he showed not long back. The right-hander plays with a straight bat and that will hold him in good stead against some genuine seam bowling.

Mumbai Indians: Any team that has Sachin Tendulkar is bound to be viewed with respect, fear and a lot of affection. The fear factor will of course play for the bowlers every time Tendulkar walks out into the middle. Despite finishing second best in the IPL, the Mumbai Indians were arguably the most complete side of the tournament.

Strengths: Tendulkar. Enough said. Coming back to the rest of the team, the Indians have a solid batting line-up with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, JP Duminy, Kieron Pollard and Saurabh Tiwary. Dangerous and destructive. The reason why Mumbai Indians present such an all-round enigma is because they have some extremely potent bowlers stacked up in their ranks. Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh with Dwayne Bravo will be an envious attack to have in South Africa. Mumbai will of course keep their fingers crossed for Zaheer Khan to be fit in time.

Weaknesses: Yes, they failed to win the IPL final but that still leaves very little room for any weaknesses in the ranks. If it is anything the Mumbai Indians need to be wary of, it is the inner demons. Such a star-studded team can get carried away with the burden of expectations. If the side does click and plays true to its potential, then there can be another team in blue outfit lifting the ACLT20 Trophy in less than three weeks’ time.

Key Players 

Sachin Tendulkar: The Maestro seems to be getting with time. After finishing as the highest run-getter in the IPL this year, Tendulkar has just carried on with the same tenacity. Don’t forget earlier this year, the Master Blaster became the first male batsman to score a double hundred in ODI’s. So yes, Tendulkar has been in top form and despite being out of action since the Test series against Sri Lanka, the Mumbai Indians skipper will be the biggest threat from his side.

Kieron Pollard: Trinidad and Tobago may not have qualified for the ACLT20 after finishing runners-up last year but Kieron Pollard will have another shot at glory after stumbling in the final against the New South Wale Blues in Hyderabad. Pollard does come in pretty low down the order but his power play leaves bowlers with little to fall back on. The biggest advantage with having a player like Pollard in the side is that he hardly takes any time to settle down and can explode at any position. His bowling will be effective in South Africa and his fielding is as precise and sensational as it can get.

Lasith Malinga: His slinging action gives batsmen little time to read what’s coming and once it does land, Lasith Malinga usually hits bull’s eye. The Sri Lankan pace ace has been a huge success for the Mumbai Indians and his role in South Africa will be very crucial. With so much talk of seamers likely to enjoy conditions, Malinga will have to use all his experience to make sure he exploits the pitches to the fullest. The fact that the Indians will be based mostly in Durban would not have displeased Malinga one bit.

Harbhajan Singh: One wonders how Harbhajan Singh is looking at the ACLT20. The India off-spinner has not been in the best of form lately but he will have to put the recent past behind him as he prepares to turn things Mumbai’s way. Harbhajan is a fighter and he will be keen to deliver at a massive stage for his skipper and idol Sachin Tendulkar. If Bhajji does strike early form, the Ambanis will be smiling for pretty much the rest of the tournament.

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