Delhi take on 2-time champions Kolkata in Qualifier 2 of the Indian T20 League at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday evening.
After dominating the group stages, Delhi lost in a last-over thriller to Chennai in the Qualifier 1 by 4 wickets. They will look to use their second chance to qualify for the finals in this match effectively.
Kolkata have been in superb form in the second leg of this edition and won 6 out of their last 8 matches, including the Eliminator against Bangalore. They will look to carry the momentum going ahead into the match and stake a claim for a place in the finals.
Match Details
- Game: Delhi vs. Kolkata, Qualifier 2
- Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
- Date & Time: Oct. 13, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST/6 PM Local
Probable Playing XI
Delhi
Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Tom Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan
Kolkata
Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Eoin Morgan (C), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
Weather Report
The weather in Sharjah is predicted to be hot and humid, with the temperature expected to be around 33 degrees during the match.
Pitch Report
The pitches in Sharjah have been kind to bowlers this season. Despite the small boundaries and the fast outfield, batters have struggled to make big runs on the slow track. Spinners have been more dominant than the pacers here. The average first-innings score in the Indian T20 League 2021 has been 137 runs.
Toss
The teams batting second have enjoyed more success, winning 7 of the 9 matches played in the second leg. Kolkata are one of the two teams to have defended a total here. A total of around 160 should be a competitive one on this surface.
Top Fantasy Picks
Wicketkeeper
- Rishabh Pant has made 415 runs in 14 outings, compared to Karthik scoring 214 runs in 12 innings. He scored his third fifty of the season in the last match against Chennai and has scores of 39 and 26 in the two matches played here.
Batters
- Shikhar Dhawan has been the stand-out batter for Delhi with his typical batting performances in this edition. He has scored 551 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.35 and is currently the third-highest run getter of the tournament. He has scored 32 runs in the two matches played here.
- Rahul Tripathi has been relatively quiet since his 74-run knock at the start of the second leg. He is the leading run scorer for Kolkata in this edition with 383 runs in 15 matches. Similar to Dhawan, he has scored only 36 runs in the three matches played here.
All-rounder
- Sunil Narine was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliant all-round performance against Bangalore in the Eliminator. He picked up 4 crucial wickets at an economy rate of 5.25 and played a quick-fire innings of 26 runs from 15 balls in the run chase. Expect more of the same from him here.
Bowlers
- Anrich Nortje has been lethal with the ball and has troubled many batters in the second leg. He has taken 10 wickets in seven matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.92. Sharjah has been his least favorable venue, with just 2 wickets in the two matches played.
- Lockie Ferguson has been crucial to Kolkata's resurgence in the second leg. He has been clever with his searing pace and slow variations, delivering wickets at crucial times. He has taken 12 wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 6.45.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: R Pant
- Batters: S Dhawan, P Shaw, S Gill, R Tripathi
- All-rounders: S Narine, V Iyer, A Patel
- Bowlers: A Nortje, T Curran, L Ferguson
- Captain: V Iyer/S Dhawan
- Vice Captain: R Pant/S Narine
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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