Chandigarh need a win, and a lot of luck

Match facts

Nov 9, 2008
Start time 2pm (0830 GMT)

The Big Picture

How much will Chandigarh Lions rue not hitting the stumps in that bowl-out against Delhi Giants? Two vital points were lost, and their chances of a reaching the semi-finals have almost become nil. Their net run-rate compared to Lahore Badshahs and Dhaka Warriors, the other contenders for the fourth semi-final spot, is significantly lower, and they need to get a huge win against Ahmedabad Rockets to have the slightest of chances. What is not in their favour is that Lahore Badshahs too play their final game - Dhaka have completed their eight - on Sunday, right after Chandigarh's. If Chandigarh win, they get equal on points with Lahore and Dhaka, but Lahore can opt to play cautiously to avoid a big defeat, and a considerable deduction in their net run-rate.

The shifting of the final-leg matches from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad means the home side has the chance to bow out of the tournament on a high. Their only two wins in seven games so far came at home, against Mumbai Champs and Royal Bengal Tigers, and they will hope for some buoyant support in the final match of the tournament at the Sardar Patel Stadium.

Where they rank

With four points from seven games, Ahmedabad have no chance of making it to the semi-finals. Chandigarh squandered a great start. They had six points from four games, and failed to add to that tally since then in three games. All of those were home games, and the failure to use the advantage has proved costly.

Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

Ahmedabad Rockets - LLWLW
Chandigarh Lions - LLLWL

Stats

• Chandigarh's TP Singh is just 15 runs behind Ian Harvey, the leading run-getter in Twenty20 matches in the ICL involving international players. With 211 runs in seven innings this tournament, he has been Chandigarh's batting mainstay.

Players to watch

Murray Goodwin and Ryan Campbell: With 209 runs each, the Ahmedabad openers are the team's leading run-getters in the tournament. An unbroken 137-run stand between the two, the highest in the ICL, powered their team to victory against Bengal. Campbell's unbeaten 92 was key in the team's win over Mumbai.

Chandigarh captain Andrew Hall, standing in for the suspended Chris Cairns, was one of the bowlers who failed to hit the stumps in the bowl-out against Delhi. He conceded 42 in four overs in that game, in contrast to his splendid economy-rate of 6.12 in the tournament. He will hope to improve that further on Sunday.

Quotes

"It's good being here and the set-up is much more professional and intense and I am trying to learn all the players' names in the team. So it is good to be out here and I am enjoying myself."
Chandigarh will want Graeme Hick to quickly get into the mix of things ahead of their crunch game