<p>Spirited to the hilt and unbeaten so far, qualifiers Auckland Aces would be up against a tough challenger when they take on local outfit Titans in their second Group ‘A’ match of the Champions League Twenty20 on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Having defeated IPL champions Kolkata knight Riders on Monday night, Auckland are on a roll given that they had won both their qualifying matches as well.<br /><br />Devoid of any big stars, the Gareth Hopkins-led team has been a surprise package with its gritty performances. Interestingly, the Titans too are a similar unit and it should be a battle of equals. But by virtue of being the home team, the Titans will have an edge even though Auckland -- making their CLT20 debut this year -- have adjusted remarkably after arriving early for the tournament.<br /><br />“We’ve come from winter back home and it required adapting to the conditions here before the tournament started,” Auckland opener Lou Vincent had said.<br /><br />An enterprising batting line-up has been Auckland’s strength and this was revealed in match against KKR with good contributions coming from the top order even though the target to chase was not huge.<br /><br />Experienced all-rounder Azhar Mahmood was the star performer with both the bat and ball. He would be a crucial player for the team as it makes its progress along with Vincent and Martin Guptill. The Titans, on the other hand, is also a team which relies on joint efforts instead of individual brilliance given the absence of big names. The only match they have played so far in the event was the tournament-opener against Perth Scorchers. It was a clinical performance with both the bat and ball.<br /><br />Jacques Rudolph shone at the top with a brilliant unbeaten 83 that set the foundation for a big score and the bowlers did the rest of the job, stifling Perth batsmen with incisive spells in familiar conditions.<br /></p>
<p>Spirited to the hilt and unbeaten so far, qualifiers Auckland Aces would be up against a tough challenger when they take on local outfit Titans in their second Group ‘A’ match of the Champions League Twenty20 on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Having defeated IPL champions Kolkata knight Riders on Monday night, Auckland are on a roll given that they had won both their qualifying matches as well.<br /><br />Devoid of any big stars, the Gareth Hopkins-led team has been a surprise package with its gritty performances. Interestingly, the Titans too are a similar unit and it should be a battle of equals. But by virtue of being the home team, the Titans will have an edge even though Auckland -- making their CLT20 debut this year -- have adjusted remarkably after arriving early for the tournament.<br /><br />“We’ve come from winter back home and it required adapting to the conditions here before the tournament started,” Auckland opener Lou Vincent had said.<br /><br />An enterprising batting line-up has been Auckland’s strength and this was revealed in match against KKR with good contributions coming from the top order even though the target to chase was not huge.<br /><br />Experienced all-rounder Azhar Mahmood was the star performer with both the bat and ball. He would be a crucial player for the team as it makes its progress along with Vincent and Martin Guptill. The Titans, on the other hand, is also a team which relies on joint efforts instead of individual brilliance given the absence of big names. The only match they have played so far in the event was the tournament-opener against Perth Scorchers. It was a clinical performance with both the bat and ball.<br /><br />Jacques Rudolph shone at the top with a brilliant unbeaten 83 that set the foundation for a big score and the bowlers did the rest of the job, stifling Perth batsmen with incisive spells in familiar conditions.<br /></p>