DELHI VS. KOLKATA: INDIAN T20 LEAGUE 2021, MATCH 25 | PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
In match 25 of the Indian T20 League 2021, Delhi take on Kolkata at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday evening.
Delhi are placed 3rd in the points table with 4 wins and 2 losses from their 6 matches. Delhi lost their last game against Bangalore in a close encounter by just 1 run. It was a rare failure for Shikhar Dhawan in the last game, who will look to give a good start with Prithvi Shaw here. The middle order looks solid with Pant, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer among the runs in the past few games. The bowling attack looks good with Avesh Khan and Ishant Sharma doing well with the new ball. The experienced Amit Mishra has kept the run rate under check with support from Axar Patel.
Kolkata have 2 wins and 4 losses from their 6 matches and are currently placed 5th in the points table. After losing four consecutive matches, they won against Punjab in the last game by a comfortable margin of 5 wickets. The openers Gill and Rana are short of runs and need to find their mojo back. Morgan’s return to form is great news for the side and he will look to steer the innings along with hitters like Karthik and Russell. The bowlers did a brilliant all-round job against Punjab. Prasidh Krishna took 3 wickets, and Cummins and Sunil Narine picked up 2 wickets each. With a quality squad at their disposal, it’s not easy to write them off yet.
With both teams looking to register another win and get the 2 crucial points, an exciting clash awaits us at the Narendra Modi Stadium on this doubleheader Thursday.
Match Details
- Match: Delhi vs. Kolkata, Match 25
- Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Date & Time: Apr. 29, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST
Statistics
- Head-to-Head Record: Delhi (12) - Kolkata (14)
- Last 5 Games Record: Delhi (4) - Kolkata (1)
- Average 1st Innings Score (Last 5 Games): 172 runs
- Chasing Record (Last 5 Games): Won 2, Lost 3
Probable Playing XI
Delhi
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan
Kolkata
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (C), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Weather and Pitch Report
Ahmedabad is expected to have clear and warm weather during the match. The temperature will be around 39 degrees during the game.
As seen in the two games played here so far, the pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium is on the slower side. Although there is not much movement available with the new ball, the pacers will get some help off the surface. Batsmen are likely to target the relatively shorter straight boundaries but will need to spend some time in the middle before playing any attacking shots. Spinners will get help from the pitch mostly in the first innings.
Given the dew factor in the second innings, both captains will look to chase on winning the toss. A first-innings score of around 180 runs should be a competitive one.
Top Fantasy Picks
- Shikhar Dhawan had a bad game against Bangalore, scoring just 6 runs with the bat. He is second-highest run scorer this season, with 265 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 140.21. He has been relatively quiet in the previous few games and will be looking for a big score here.
- Rishabh Pant scored an important half century in the previous game but did not look at his fluent best. He has scored 183 runs in six innings at a good strike rate of 153.27. He will be looking to play a better and more authoritative inning here.
- Avesh Khan is the second-highest wicket taker of the tournament, with 12 wickets at an average of 13.41 and an economy rate of 7.31. He has been impressive and taken wickets in each of the previous matches played, with best figures of 3/32.
- Rahul Tripathi has batted well in the last two games, holding the innings and attacking at the same time. He has scored 168 runs in five matches, 77 of which have come in the last two matches. He has a strike rate of 138.84 in the tournament.
- Eoin Morgan finally got going in the tournament, with a solid score of 47* against Punjab. Coming in early after the loss of 3 quick wickets, he took the responsibility of guiding the small chase. By the end of the innings, he was looking very fluent.
- Prasidh Krishna has been the best bowler for Kolkata, picking up 8 wickets while bowling at an average of 25.87 and an economy rate of 9.00. After a few ordinary outings in the previous matches, he came back to form with his best figures of 3/30 against Punjab.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: R Pant
- Batsmen: S Dhawan, S Smith, R Tripathi, S Gill, E Morgan
- All-rounders: S Narine
- Bowlers: K Rabada, A Khan, P Krishna, P Cummins
- Captain: R Tripathi/S Narine
- Vice Captain: S Dhawan/A Khan
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 in the coming days. 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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