Preview:1st match,IPL 2009:Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings:

  

Ground Reality and Pitch:

The home ground of the Cape Cobras, the Newlands will host the first match of IPL 2009. Nestled in the backdrop of the Table Mountains, the Newlands forms a picturesque setting for TV viewers as well as the 25000 spectators it can accommodate. 

The pitch has been known to favour spinners more than most other South African grounds. The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup saw Newlands play host to nine matches, with 7 of the 9 games being won by the side batting second. 

Team News:

Mumbai Indians: Last time around, the captain Tendulkar was absent for a major portion of the IPL. This time, he looks set to be there throughout the tournament, and what's more he's batting with the fluency of old, of the Tendulkar of the 90s. The bowling attack looks potent, with Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh in prime form, backed by Dhawal Kulkarni and Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Kyle Mills and Dwayne Bravo to choose from among the foreign recruits. The batting top order - Tendulkar, Jayasuriya, JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan - are all capable of turning in single-handed match winning performances. 

Chennai Super Kings: Led by the inspirational Dhoni, they came agonizingly close to winning the event last year. This team believes in performances counting for more than headlines and braggadocio, and have quietly and efficiently gone about their preparations. Their level-headed approach is reflected in their choice of players - a strong core of Indian batsman backed by carefully selected foreign imports. Badrinath, Raina and Dhoni form what is probably the best middle order in the IPL - keeping in mind the limit of only 4 foreign players allowed in the eleven. Add Mathew Hayden, Andrew Flintoff and Albie Morkel to the mix and you have an almost ideal batting line-up. Now if only they could find a reliable opening partner for Hayden. 

Players to Watch:

JP Duminy: The new boy-wonder of world cricket, he'll be out to justify his $950K price tag. He hasn't quite climbed the heights that he seemed to reach so effortlessly when South Africa toured Australia, but he hasn't slipped by much. Served a timely reminder of his clean hitting capacity in the fourth ODI against Australia, where his delightful 40 (off 25 balls) made the difference between a very good total and a formidable one. 

Ryan Mclaren: The dark horse in the Mumbai Indians lineup - he's an allrounder of immense potential. In all likelihood, he would have been representing South Africa in international cricket by now if his Kolpak issues could have been sorted out. On what looks like the only international platform he'll have for some time to come, expect him to come out with intent. 

Andrew Flintoff: With a joint highest $ 1.55 Million price tag, Freddie will be under pressure to deliver. However, the pressure should work positively for the all-rounder especially in this format, where his quick 20s and 30s would be of great value to the team. His bowling remains top class, and he should be amongst the more difficult bowlers to score off. 

Numbers game:

32 - The number of international centuries that separate Sachin Tendulkar and the combined total of the rest of the Mumbai Indians. There are several players who would be happy to score that many hundreds, Tendulkar has that many more than his entire team. 

31 - The number of sixes hit by Jayasuriya (the maximum by any player) in IPL '08. This works out to 2.2 sixes in every match. 

Sound Bites:

Every player becomes explosive in Twenty20 and I am no less. Watch out for my explosive batting - Harbhajan said when asked who were the most intimidating batsmen on the IPL roster according to him. 

I think we have the strongest side in the competition and I really believe that we can win this time - Matthew Hayden. 

Trivia:

Even though the Chennai Super Kings reached the finals in the last edition, their win-loss record was only slightly above average with 9 wins and 7 losses.