AA vs CK Match Preview
If you look at the head-to-head between the two teams, Auckland Aces have had a good record against Canterbury Kings. They have bettered the Kings 23-13 in the past. They were ahead in this regard right from the inception of the competition way back in 2005-06. The Auckland Aces batting lineup will be handled by Cam Fletcher, Robert O'Donnell, and Sean Solia. They form the backbone of the Aces batting order. Other batters who will be away on national duties include Jimmy Neesham and Finn Allen. This hole needs to be filled quickly for Auckland.
Danru Ferns and Louis Delport will handle the pace bowling department. Ferns has picked up 18 wickets, while Delport has picked 14 in the 2024 version of Super Smash. Both have excellent strike rates, making many batters jump with their pace and bounce. The national cap Ben Lister has also picked up 13 wickets bowling with an economy rate of 6.4. The Auckland Aces had to endure defeats at the hands of some lowly-ranked teams earlier in their campaign. That apart, the Aces have appeared great as a team and will be keen to extract the home turf advantage in the final.
The last ball win over Wellington Firebirds meant the Kings are through to yet another final. This is their 4th one in a row. They have not been suitable converters and have won only once in six attempts. Only Auckland Aces have a better record at winning the finals. Although the pressure of the finals seems to have gotten better of them in these finals, they did hold onto their nerves in the eliminator games. They will look at Chad Bowes for a good start and other batters like Cole McConchie, Mitchell Hay, and Matt Henry to succeed in the middle order.
Zakary Foulkes will lead the bowling charge for Canterbury Kings. He picked up three vital wickets in the Eliminator, including the in-form Rachin Ravindra. Matt Henry did not do too well and went for a lot of runs, and even Ish Sodhi did not look too good and wasn't his usual economical self. However, other bowlers such as William O'Rourke and Kyle Jamison succeeded in putting the brakes on the Wellington Firebirds scoring rate, not allowing the Wellington total to get out of proportion.
Weather Report
This game will be a day-night affair. There are some heavy showers predicted during the contest. But the relative humidity will also be on the higher side. The temperatures during this contest will be close to 21 degrees. The presence of rain may bring the D/L equation into play. The cloud cover during the game will help the quicks get lateral movement.
Pitch Report
The Eden Park ground in Auckland makes use of a drop-in pitch. It has an established reputation for offering help to the fast bowlers. They are expected to get seam movement, which, together with overcast conditions, might result in a low-scoring game dominated by the bowlers.
Notable stats
Danru Ferns has had a terrific bowling strike rate in recent contests.
Danru Ferns is picking up wickets with a strike rate of 11.66 in his last ten appearances for Auckland.
Henry Nicholls has an excellent average-to-strike rate combination.
Henry Nicholls has scored runs with an average of 39.29 and a strike rate of 146.27 in his last ten games.
Team News
No apparent injury updates are offered at the moment for either of the sides. You can expect the complete side to be available for selection on matchday.
AA vs CK Probable 11
AA Playing 11
- Finn Allen
- Sean Solia
- Cole Briggs
- Robert O’Donnell (C)
- Cam Fletcher (Wk)
- William O Donnell
- Ryan Harrison
- Jock McKenzie
- Danru Ferns
- Louis Delport
- Ben Lister
CK Playing 11
- Chad Bowes
- Tom Latham
- Henry Nicholls
- Cole McConchie (C)
- Mitchell Hay (Wk)
- Bevon Jacobs
- Zakary Foulkes
- Kyle Jamieson
- Ish Sodhi
- Matt Henry
- William O'Rourke
Dream11 Prediction
Both these sides have done well in the group stages of the competition. They finished first and second in the points table. But Auckland Aces won one game more in this phase of the tournament. They are also playing this final at home. So, we expect the top-ranked side of the competition, Auckland Aces, to win the final and lift the trophy.
Top Picks
Cole McConchie: The Canterbury captain has scored 223 runs this season with a strike rate of 140.25 and an average of 31.86.
Louis Delport: Delport has picked up 18 wickets in his last ten appearances for Auckland Aces with a top strike rate 13.00.
Cam Fletcher: Fletcher has scored 180 runs in his last eight games with an average of 45 and a strike rate of 125.87.
Danru Ferns: Danru Ferns has picked up 18 wickets from his last ten contests with a strike rate of 11.66.
AA vs CK Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: T Latham , C Fletcher
Batters: C Bowes, H Nicholls, R Roux O'Donnell
All-rounders: C McConchie (C), S Solia, Z Foulkes (VC)
Bowlers: M Henry, D Ferns, L Delport
