Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CLT20 2nd Semifinal Preview: Punjab eye maiden finals berth against Super Kings in Champions League T20 2014

CSK may not have been that impressive so far, but who knows they have reserved their best for the last, while KXIP who eye their maiden finals berth have once again emerged as the team to beat this year.

Updated: October 2, 2014 12:08 AM IST

By Aamir Salati

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CLT20 2nd Semifinal Preview: Punjab eye maiden finals berth against Super Kings in Champions League T20 2014

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Former Champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had to wait till the last game of group A to enter the semis and eventually they finished second, but for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) it was a smooth ride as they are undefeated so far in what is their first Champions League T20 (CLT20) campaign.

Runners up in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) KXIP have performed consistently in CLT20 and courtesy that they won couple of their league matches with big margins. A powerfully packed batting order and then shrewd bowling attack makes KXIP a force to reckon with. Virender Sehwag, Manan Vohra, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha and skipper George Bailey all stack up as the imposing batting line-up.

Not only batting KXIP have a formidable bowling line up as well. Slow left-arm orthodox Akshar Patel has been a revelation for them right from the IPL and he continues to be economical and wicket-taker as well. Leg break bowler Karanveer Singh has been another performer for KXIP with Anureet Singh the latest to join the bandwagon. Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera after warming bench in IPL has found place in the playing XI and has contributed both with bat and ball.

On the other hand CSK squad houses some proven match-winners, like openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, batting main-stay Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis in the middle and then MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja as finishers.

A look at CSK’s bowling department and Ashish Nehra’s name impresses one the most. He has been bowling superbly and very much better than before. Nehra has been the highest wicket-taker for CSK so far and has been on target in crunch situations. Spinner Ravi Ashwin is CSK’s seasonal campaigner with the ball and much depends on him to stop the likes of Maxwell and Miller. All-rounders Bravo and Jadeja does bring in the variety, with former’s slower ball being mighty effective.

CSK may not have been that impressive so far, but who knows they have reserved their best for the last, while KXIP who eye their maiden finals berth have once again emerged as the team to beat this year.

Chennai Super Kings: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Mithun Manhas, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(c & w), John Hastings, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Pawan Negi, Faf du Plessis, Samuel Badree

Kings XI Punjab:  Virender Sehwag, Manan Vohra, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey(c), Thisara Perera, Akshar Patel, Anureet Singh, Parvinder Awana, Karanveer Singh, L Balaji, Mandeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan

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