Sachin: We are here to win Champions League

With cricket reeling from match-fixing allegations, the Champions League Twenty20 tournament will be played under strict anti-corruption controls amid hopes the gloom surrounding a sport that has slumped to one of its lowest points will be lifted.

The International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, a local security firm and ground officials will all be on alert, organisers say, when 10 teams compete in South Africa for the title in the two-week tournament from Friday.

The Indian Premier League is represented by the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Australia has the South Australian Redbacks and Victorian Bushrangers, and the host nation will field the Warriors and Highveld Lions.

New Zealand domestic champions Central Stags, Sri Lanka’s Wayamba Elevens and Guyana of the West Indies complete the line-up.

Only Bangalore, Victoria and Wayamba played in the inaugural event in India last year. Unrelated to the fixing controversy, Pakistan and England are not represented.

Vuvuzelas will not make an appearance either, after the Champions League was the latest sporting event to ban the polarising plastic horns made famous at South Africa’s football World Cup.

Star-studded Chennai, the 2010 IPL champion, is led by MS Dhoni and contains batsmen Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey of Australia and Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina. Big-hitting Albie Morkel and Justin Kemp will add local knowledge, and the bowling will feature Muttiah Muralitharan.

The team is heavily favoured to qualify for the semifinals from Group A ahead of the Warriors, Victoria, Wayamba and Central Stags.

“Chennai Super Kings have an amazing squad. Now, it is our responsibility to deliver,” Vijay said.

Delivering titles has not been straightforward for top teams in cricket’s shortest, most unpredictable form.

Favourites in the 2009 Champions League, Bangalore failed to make the last four. It still has a strong line-up with Rahul Dravid, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and fast bowler Dale Steyn, Ross Taylor of New Zealand and Australia’s destructive hitter, Cameron White.

Three of those players could have played for their regular home teams - Kallis normally plays for the Warriors, Taylor for the Central Stags and White for Victoria.

“The biggest challenge is how quickly you acclimatise to the conditions,” Bangalore captain Anil Kumble said, “and the need to start well in the tournament.”

Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai has experienced bowlers Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Sri Lanka fast man Lasith Malinga.

“We are here to win the tournament,” Tendulkar said. “We have champions from all cricketing nations, so it’s as tough as it can get. It is competitive ... and we have world-class players participating.”

Mumbai is in Group B with Bangalore, the Highveld Lions, South Australia and Guyana, and plays the tournament opener against the Lions in Johannesburg on Friday.

The South Australian Redbacks and Victorian Bushrangers will look to follow fellow Aussie team New South Wales Blues, the first Champions League winners.

Victoria won its fourth Australian T20 title in five years last season, and reached the Champions League semis last time.

“Consistency is a big part of Twenty20 cricket,” captain David Hussey said. “We have a basic game plan and basic rules, which we have installed for everybody and we stick to that.”

The Redbacks will rely on batsman Callum Ferguson and fast bowler Shaun Tait, although another of its quick bowlers, Peter George, was recently called into the Australia squad.

South Africa’s local champions, the Warriors, have newly-appointed national T20 captain Johan Botha and experienced Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Boucher.

There’s no Kallis, but it does have home ground advantage at St. George’s Park in Port Elizabeth for all its Group A matches.

“The fans won’t believe how much we value a packed St. George’s,” coach Russell Domingo said. “It’s intimidating to our opponents, serves as a source of confidence and motivation and gives the players a sense of self-belief.”

The Johannesburg-based Highveld Lions will pin hopes on batsmen Alviro Petersen, Neil McKenzie and Vaughn van Jaarsveld, but has little experience in its bowling line-up and is Group B’s long-shot, despite playing at home.

Wayamba, Guyana and Central Stags are also tournament outsiders, but Guyana, captained by Ramnaresh Sarwan, will be boosted by the progression of unfancied Trinidad and Tobago to the final last year.

Wayamba has world-class performers in former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and spin bowler Ajantha Mendis.

New Zealand’s Central Stags qualified for the tournament after winning its first trophy since the 2005-06 season, but has lost Taylor to Bangalore and all-rounder Jacob Oram and Graham Napier to injury.

“It’s been a big loss,” captain Jamie How said. “But it also gives someone else an opportunity to step into their big shoes.”

Teams will play at four venues, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth, with the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on September 26.

Keywords: Champions League Twenty20