The harrowing adventure in England will be out of every Indian cricket fan’s mind when Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir go out for toss at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium (RGICS) in Hyderabad on Wednesday night.
High-voltage fireworks and sparks of individual brilliance will illuminate the nights over the next three weeks that will make everyone forget about the English tour, once and for all.
The Group A showdown between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has the potential to give an absorbing start to the Oppo Champions League T20 given the composition of the two teams, both of which have several scores to settle between them.
On paper, both have players with proven abilities in the shortest version and this is where the element of excitement gets a nerve-wrecking appeal. Even more crucial to the run up is that while CSK will hope to regain the title, whereas KKR will be eyeing their maiden triumph.
However, everything depends on the climatic and ground conditions following Tuesday’s heavy downpour and the overcast skies. It implies that the toss will be a crucial factor in the CLT20 opener.
Reigning IPL champion, KKR is raring to go because as Gambhir said here a couple of days ago: "Our task is cut out. Having had nothing substantial to show in the CLT20, we are now more than determined to end the jinx and have a shot at the title."
KKR may have been much more formidable if the ranks had boasted their three regular figures- Chris Lynn, Morne Morkel and Shakib Al Hasan, a point that was driven home by Gambhir himself.
However the team still has match-winners in its ranks, particularly Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis (who batted well in the friendly match against HCA XI on Monday) and Sunil Narine, who between them can turn the tables on their day and compensate for the abysmal form of Gambhir, whose outing in the practice match was a continuation of the nightmare.
Yusuf Pathan can also come in handy, although he is unpredictable and inconsistent.
The absence of frontline players provides an opportunity for several youngsters to cement their places for a more regular berth.
CSK, on the other hand, looks a more complete squad, which has been further bolstered by the return of the flamboyant West Indian Dwayne Bravo, whose cavalier Caribbean-inspired singlehanded heroics can turnaround the fortunes of the match.
