Bangalore: The in-form Mumbai Indians will be hoping to continue their winning run in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament and book a semifinal berth when they take on Cape Cobras on Friday.
Having won both their previous matches in the league stage, the Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai outfit are at the moment sitting comfortably on the top of the table with four points and a win on Wednesday would ensure their uninterrupted passage to the next level.
Cape Cobras, meanwhile, with a win and a loss from two matches, would certainly need a victory to keep their hopes alive of making it to the semi-final stage.
The South African side opened their Group A campaign in style with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the New South Wales.
But their shocking loss at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings last night when Dwayne Bravo lifted the defending champions from a hopeless situation to a stunning four-wicket win, must have left them with a low morale.
The Justin Kemp-led side will be looking at pacer Dale Steyn to make early inroads with Robin Peterson and Vernon Philander giving him good support, while expect Charles Langevedlt to chip in as the specialist death bowler.
Though Bravo`s hammering of Steyn for 17 runs in the penultimate over yesterday to turn the tables on Cobras when the Super Kings required 23 runs of last 12 balls, would play big in the minds of the South African side but still they would be banking heavily on their star pacer.
As far as the batting is concerned, Cobras will pin their hopes on the likes of Herschelle Gibbs, Richard Levi, Owais Shah and JP Duminy to come good.
Mumbai India, who got the better of Trinidad and Tobago by one wicket in a nail-biting finish in a low scoring match, would be looking to make amends in their batting.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, September 29, 2011, 15:45