Kolkata take on Delhi in Match 41 of the Indian T20 League 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
Kolkata have looked like a completely different unit in the second leg, with their batters taking the aggressive route. They beat Bangalore and Mumbai in their first two matches and lost to Chennai in a last-ball thriller in the previous game. A win here will keep them on the 4th spot in the points table.
Delhi have almost qualified for the play-offs and are now competing with Chennai for the top spot in the table. The batting and bowling units have looked strong in the last two wins over Hyderabad and Rajasthan. Currently, they occupy the 2nd spot in the points table with 16 points.
Match Details
- Game: Kolkata vs. Delhi, Match 41
- Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
- Date & Time: Sep. 28, 2021, at 3:30 PM IST/2 PM Local
Probable Playing XI:
Kolkata
Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Shakib Al Hasan, Eoin Morgan (C), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
Delhi
Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be hot in Sharjah, with the temperature predicted to be around 38 degrees during the game.
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium has generally been a high-scoring surface. But as seen in the previous match, there was low bounce and spinners were getting some turn too. It will be interesting to see whether this will be a flat surface or a slow one. The average first-innings score in the last five matches played here has been 140 runs.
Toss
The team batting second has won 4 of the last 5 games played here. Teams generally like to chase here given the flat surface and small boundaries. A score of around 170 runs should be a competitive one on this surface.
Top Fantasy Picks
Wicketkeeper
- Rishabh Pant has been making useful contributions in the middle order for Delhi this season. Moreover, his ability to score quickly in the middle overs makes him a dangerous batter for the opposition bowlers. He has made 272 runs in 10 matches at an average of 38.85 and a strike rate of 131.4.
Batters
- Rahul Tripathi has been a key factor in Kolkata’s change of fortunes in the second leg. He is the leading run scorer for the team in the ongoing season, with 306 runs in nine innings at an average of 38.25 and a strike rate of 143.66. His last two scores read: 74* and 45.
- Shreyas Iyer is back to his usual run-scoring form after recovering from a shoulder injury, which kept him out of the whole first leg. He looked solid at the crease and made scores of 47* and 43 against Hyderabad and Rajasthan respectively. He will look to continue the good run here.
All-Rounder
- Axar Patel may have played fewer matches than the other bowlers in the side, but he is already Delhi’s third-highest wicket taker of the season. He has taken 9 wickets at an average of 17.77 and a brilliant economy rate of 6.66. He has taken wickets in all his six matches this season.
Bowlers
- Varun Chakravarthy's mystery spin has been the go-to weapon for skipper Morgan in the three matches played in the second leg, with 4 wickets to his name. He is the second-highest wicket taker for Kolkata this season, taking 11 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 6.9.
- Anrich Nortje has troubled the best of batters in the UAE leg so far. His fierce pace and accuracy are proving out to be tough to negotiate. In two matches in this year’s edition, he has taken 4 wickets at an economy rate of 3.75. His last two spells read: 2/12 and 2/18.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: R Pant
- Batters: R Tripathi, S Dhawan, S Iyer
- All-rounders: S Narine, S Al Hasan, A Patel
- Bowlers: L Ferguson, V Chakravarthy, A Khan, A Nortje
- Captain: S Narine/A Nortje
- Vice Captain: V Chakravarthy/S Dhawan
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.
Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!
