Bangalore take on Chennai in Match 35 of the Indian T20 League 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday evening.
Bangalore resumed their tournament in the worst possible manner, being bowled out for just 92 runs against Kolkata and losing by 9 wickets. Despite this disappointing loss, they are placed at the 3rd spot in the points table with 10 points but face a big challenge against an in-form Chennai team.
Chennai have enjoyed a good record against Bangalore with eight wins in their last ten games and come here after defeating the defending champions Mumbai in the last match. They are placed 2nd in the points table with 12 points from 8 matches. It will be interesting to see which team will take a step closer to the play-offs here.
Match Details
- Game: Bangalore vs. Chennai, Match 35
- Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
- Date & Time: Sep. 24, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST/6 PM Local
Probable Playing XI:
Bangalore
Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (C), Srikar Bharat (WK), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sachin Baby, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Chennai
Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C and WK), Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be fine in Sharjah, with the temperature predicted to be around 36 degrees during the game.
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium has generally been a high-scoring surface. The batters will enjoy batting on a flat pitch with small boundaries. Bowlers would have a tough time here and will have to depend on variations to take wickets. Spinners are expected to be more effective as the match progresses. The average first-innings score in the 2020 tournament here was 178 runs.
Toss
The team batting first has wonThe team batting first won 5 of the 12 games played here last season. As the wicket tends to get better to bat on in the second innings because of dew, batting second is a preferable option here. A score of around 200 runs should be a competitive one on this surface.
Top Fantasy Picks
Wicketkeeper
- AB de Villiers got out on duck on the first ball in the last match against Kolkata and will be desperate for runs here. This season he has scored 207 runs in seven innings at an average of 41.4 and a strike rate of 162.99. Expect him to make a big contribution here.
Batters
- Glenn Maxwell has been one of the keys to Bangalore’s success this year, making 233 runs at an average of 33.28 and a strike rate of 136.25. Like other Bangalore batters, Maxwell struggled to score in the last match and will be looking to bounce back.
- Faf du Plessis was very consistent with his batting in the first leg for Chennai. Playing at the top of the order, he has scored 320 runs in eight innings at an average of 53.33 and a strike rate of 143.49, including four fifties. He was dismissed for 0 in the last game.
All-Rounder
- Ravindra Jadeja will have fond memories of playing against Bangalore. He gave a memorable performance, scoring 62* runs from 28 balls and picking up 3 wickets with the ball. In this season, he has made 157 runs and has taken 6 wickets in 8 matches.
Bowlers
- Harshal Patel has surprised many with his sudden rise in the first leg of the tournament. He is the current Purple Cap holder, with 17 wickets in eight matches at an average of 15.88 and the best figures of 5/27. His two overs went for 13 runs in the last match against Kolkata.
- Shardul Thakur bowled well in the last match against Mumbai. He gave away 29 runs in his 4 overs and picked up the key wicket of Surykumar Yadav. With a flat surface expected here, pace variations can bring him more wickets in this match.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: AB de Villiers
- Batters: G Maxwell, D Padikkal, F du Plessis
- All-rounders: K Jamieson, M Ali, R Jadeja, D Bravo
- Bowlers: H Patel, Y Chahal, S Thakur
- Captain: F du Plessis/D Bravo
- Vice Captain: G Maxwell/AB de Villiers
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the Indian T20 League. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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