Champions Trophy Odds - Delhi and Victoria lead Group D

Champions League Twenty20 Odds - Group D

D1 – Delhi Daredevils +500
D2 – Victorian Bushrangers +850
D3 – Wayamba Elevens +950
D1 – Delhi Daredevils +500

It feels funny to say this but the final Indian Premier League team in this year’s Champions League tournament, could be the weakest. That is a big call when you talk about a team that features so much talent but compared to Bangalore and Deccan, it is the truth. Of course they can not and should not be underestimated because, to put it bluntly, any one of at least 10 players could win a game for them. Virender Sehwag will lead his team into the fray and there is no better Twenty20 captain doing the rounds at the moment. The key for Delhi will be getting a solid foundation, something they are more and capable of achieving through the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Gautam Gambhir.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Dirk Nannes: Delhi owners wanted Nannes so much they paid him $200,000 and he is worth ever cent. The Australian 32 year old blitzed this year’s IPL then debuted for the Netherlands in the Twenty20 World Cup and then was picked up by the Australian team while they played their recent series in England. Big left hander who is quick and dangerous and will take a lot of wickets.

TEAM

Virender Sehwag (capt), AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Dirk Nannes, Dinesh Karthik, Daniel Vettori, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah, Pradeep Sangwan, Aavishkar Salvi, Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas.

D2 – Victorian Bushrangers +850

The second Australian team is considered the weaker of the two teams but they do have some explosive Twenty20 exponents. Cameron White, who performed admirably during the Champions Trophy, will lead the state-based team into the fray and will call on not only his own swashbuckling ability but the similar attitude and abilities of internationals Brad Hodge, David Hussey and Andrew McDonald. Shane Harwood, with 29 wickets at 7.63 is the pick of the quicks and has had great success at domestic level.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Bryce McGain: Was earmarked as Australia’s next great spin hope following the retirement of Shane Warne however serious shoulder injuries has meant that talent has yet to be shown to the world. That is great for Victoria because he is destined to take a few big scalps and will get his name back in the headlines for all the right reasons.

TEAM

Cameron White (capt), Brad Hodge, Peter Siddle, David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Jon Holland, Clint McKay, Rob Quiney, Matthew Wade, Aiden Blizzard, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, John Hastings, Damien Wright, Bryce McGain.

D3 – Wayamba Elevens +950

Sri Lanka’s contribution to the tournament, Wayamba will be led by Jehan Mubarak but also features Sri Lanka internationals Mahela Jayawardene and Ajantha Mendis but they have plenty more to offer this tournament than that. Sri Lanka has been building in confidence on the international scene in the past two years and that has filtered down to the domestic level. No longer do Sri Lanka’s cricketers see themselves as the ‘poorer’ cricketing cousins of powerhouses India and Pakistan, they can rightly consider themselves in the top echelon of international cricket. That can only bolster the domestic scene and the confidence.