Mumbai: Going by the dip in fortunes of the West Indies team and the long-drawn tussle between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), not many would have bet on a team from the region becoming the flavour of the Champions League.

However, players from Trinidad and Tobago have transformed from 'who' to 'who's who' in the world of Twenty20 cricket. The exceptional talent of Adrian Barath, Williams Perkins and Kieron Pollard has made them household names in India. Unbeaten in this competition, the side should be favourites going into the second semifinal against the Cape Cobras here on Thursday

While the Cape Cobras have shown the tenacity required to live another day, T&T have been all about flair. Players will be keen to impress, as they know that national selectors and Indian Premier League scouts will be keenly spotting talent.

T&T skipper Daren Ganga said, "This is one of those rare opportunities for first class cricketers to get international exposure. This could be where they make their base for an international future." His counterpart Andrew Puttick believes that some of his boys could land IPL contracts. Ganga revealed that IPL franchises had expressed interest in some of his mates.

However, both captains were clear that the game on Thursday was the priority. "Whether the offer (IPL) materialises or not...that is a different story. We have to focus on the game tomorrow," Ganga said.

Cape Cobras will be playing their second game in Hyderabad, while T&T will be featuring in their fourth match at the venue.

"The conditions here are pretty similar to what we have back home. We did have a good game here last time," said Puttick, a left-handed opener who scored the lone century of the tournament at this venue against New Zealand's Otago Volts.

Puttick hopes his premier batsman Herschelle Gibbs comes good. "He (Gibbs) is an enigmatic player. He is definitely our X-factor. On his day, he can single-handedly win the game," said the skipper. Well, Puttick would expect Thursday to be 'one of those days' for Gibbs as the right-hander has just managed just a solitary run from three games. Ganga, on the other hand, said his team is ready with a strategy to keep the hard-hitting batsman in check.

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