Preview: T&T v Mumbai

Two sides, who play their cricket with pride, passion, power and flair, will clash for the second time in the World T20 League. In their first encounter during the 2011 edition, it was a low-scoring thriller in Bangalore. T&T were bowled out for 98 and they made Mumbai sweat for every single run. In the end, it needed a poor judgement from captain Darren Ganga and the coolness of No.11 Yuzvendra Chahal to sneak across the line by one wicket off the last ball. Now, in the semi-final, T&T will be looking for revenge while Mumbai will look to keep the momentum going after their power-packed performance against Perth.

MUMBAI

If there is one team that symbolizes power hitting in T20s, it is Mumbai. The likes of Dwayne Smith, Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma have played some crucial knocks in T20s and it is no surprise that it is these three batsmen who have guided Mumbai's campaign in this tournament.

Dwayne Smith is in fine form and his consistency has masked the failures of Sachin Tendulkar. The Master needs just 26 more runs to reach the aggregate of 50,000 runs in and the fans will be hoping that Tendulkar achieves this landmark in the semi-final. However, the vital cog in the line-up is Rohit Sharma. His dazzling fifty against Perth was proof that when he gets going, he is unstoppable. His ability against both pace and spin will be crucial against a team that has potent spinners and bowlers. 


KEY PLAYERS

Dwayne Smith has scored 120 runs in this tournament for Mumbai and he will once again be the key player at the top. Rohit Sharma has also looked in great touch and both these players will look to achieve a similar kind of impact in the semi-final.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

If one has to associate the way how T&T play their cricket, it is with passion, power and flair. Right from the batsmen till the bowlers, the men from T&T put on a fabulous exhibition each time. This is the second time that T&T have reached the knock-out stages of the World T20 League and they will be looking for revenge against Mumbai, who pipped them to the post by one wicket in their previous encounter.

The revelation in the T&T batting has been Ewin Lewis. His power hitting was a sight for sore eyes in the match against Titans as he carted the bowlers everywhere for a whirlwind 70. Lendl Simmons, after been dismissed for a duck in two matches, got back to form with a dazzling 63 against Chennai. Combined with his medium pace, Simmons is turning out into a capable all-rounder for the outfit. Backed up by Darren Bravo, who has scored two fifties in this tournament, the batting line-up is top heavy. However, Denesh Ramdin has shown that he can hang in there and help chip in with some crucial runs at the end as he did against Brisbane. The untested middle order will have to make their presence felt if T&T are to put up a significant challenge. 

KEY PLAYERS

Sunil Narine, with eight wickets, will once again look to stifle the Mumbai batsmen with his variations and accuracy. Darren Bravo and Ewin Lewis will be the key once again for T&T at the top. If the middle order fires, then this T&T outfit is a complete unit.