Chennai Super Kings "favourites" in Champions League T20: Richard Pybus

Islamabad: Former Pakistan coach Richard Pybus has said that Chennai Super Kings are favourites to him in the Champions League T20 tournament, "purely because of what they have achieved recently."

Pybus, coach of the Cape Cobras team, said that Chennai Super Kings look like the team to beat. "Chennai will have their World Cup winners available and are IPL champions. They are a very serious cricket team with a very strong squad and will no doubt go into the competition full of confidence. They look like the team to beat and are favourites to me, purely because of what they have achieved recently," Pybus said. "And then there are the Mumbai Indians with the likes of Sachin (Tendulkar), Lasith Malinga and Kieron Pollard. The group is a fantastic group to be in. It’s a great group to be in because it`s about as tough as it gets. In addition there will be the qualifier team who will have done well in their domestic competition and will be a tough challenge," he added. Pybus said it is going to be a ‘hell of a contest’, adding that the quality of cricket is going to be fantastic due to the overall strength of the squads. “Chennai, as I mentioned earlier, look like the favourites but after them, I think it`s a pretty level playing field and from what we`ve seen in previous Champions League tournaments, it`s all about hitting the ground running and getting off to a good start,” he added. The Cobras have been drawn in what is seen as the toughest group in the competition alongside the Mumbai Indians, New South Wales, Chennai Super Kings and a qualifier and start their campaign on September 24 versus New South Wales. "We are in a tough group. All the sides in our group are highly rated, but I am really pleased that all of our international players such as Dale Steyn, Robin Petersen and JP Duminy are available to us. In addition we have some excellent talent like Herschelle Gibbs and Owais Shah in our ranks," said Pybus. "New South Wales are always going to be very competitive. They are previous champions and will be very well prepared. They have included quite a number of young players so it`s difficult to know what their history is and to plan for those players," he added. Bureau Report