Group B
Eagles v New South Wales, Delhi
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Start time:
October 9, 10.30 GMT
October 9, 10.30 GMT
In the day's first game, one of the tournament's little-known teams take on one of the favourites. Eagles have no players with a central contract, but that hasn't stopped them from being consistently successful in the South African domestic circuit. New South Wales, on the other hand, have plenty of familiar faces despite not having Brad Haddin and Nathan Bracken for the tournament. They have a top-class bowling line-up, spearheaded by Brett Lee and backed up by the accurate Stuart Clark, Australia's No. 1 spinner Nathan Hauritz and swing bowler Doug Bollinger. Add to that the exciting openers, David Warner and Phillip Hughes, and Eagles are left with a daunting task.
Watch out for:
Cornelius de Villiers against David Warner: Quick bowler de Villiers was Eagles' best bowler during the Pro20. He'll need to be in top form to stop big-hitting opener Warner, who announced himself with an explosive 89 off 43 balls on Twenty20 debut. A strike-rate of 140 after 30 matches underlines his dangerousness.
Brett Lee's opening burst: After missing the Ashes due to injury, Lee has hit top gear in the one-dayers against England and the ICC Champions Trophy. Consistently hitting the late 140s, Lee was at his most destructive in the match at Lord's, where England were clueless against his pinpoint yorkers. A rigorous test awaits Eagles' batsmen.
Group D
Delhi Daredevils v Victoria, Delhi
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Start time:
October 9, 14.30 GMT
October 9, 14.30 GMT
Delhi Daredevils and Victoria are teams packed with power-hitters and their encounter on Friday promises to be a high-scoring one. Delhi, after an impressive IPL in South Africa, will start favourties; 10 of their 17 players are current internationals with considerable success at the level. Indian fans, though, will be familiar with Victoria's David Hussey and Brad Hodge - the two leading run-getters in Twenty20 cricket. Backed up by the ferocity of Cameron White in the middle order, the pace of Peter Siddle and the spin of Bryce McGain, Victoria remain strong contenders.
Watch out for:
The Delhi top order: The exploits of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag for India at the top are well known, but Tillakaratne Dilshan has stolen the limelight this year in the Twenty20 format. An enterprising batsman, his promotion to the opening slot has worked wonders for Sri Lanka and Delhi might just go with him and Gambhir to deliver to a racy start.
Aiden Blizzard boasts a strike rate of 161.88 and will be keen to live up to his reputation as a big-hitting batsman. Shane Harwood, the fast bowler, has been excellent with the ball in this format, taking 29 wickets at 22.24 with a strike rate of 17.4. His economy rate of 7.63 is better than most.
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