Controversy hit Chennai Super kings will take on Kings XI Punjab in a day encounter in Abu Dhabi on Friday, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will be up against Rajasthan royals in an evening match on the same day. Being a holiday, the matches are going to invite more spectators. And the good news is that the weather in Abu Dhabi will be perfect for the T20 extravaganza.
The pitch is likely to have some bounce as it did during the inaugural game between Kolkata Knight (KKR) Riders and MumbaiIndians (MI). But chasing a comparative total on a grassy track under light could still be a big ask. This is because the new ball may find some lateral movement and bowlers could extract bounce from the pitch as it happened in the game against MI and KKR. Michael Hussey of MI struggled to make contact with the ball against Morne Morkel early in the chase. Another reason is the desert type soil that makes it difficult for batsmen to play lofted shots during power plays, which puts pressure on the batsmen while chasing a huge target. Looking at the success of Sunil Naraine who scalped four wickets the other day, teams are expected to rely more on the spinners.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, temperature will vary between 29 to 27°C during the matches. The Persian Gulf will be sending moisture laden northwesterly winds due to which the humidity levels would be in the range of 60 to 70 per cent during the matches.
