DV vs MIE Match Preview
For the Desert Vipers, Alex Hales is in sublime form so far, scoring a century and 4 half-centuries in 6 innings, and is the leading scorer of the tournament with 430 runs.
He has received good support lower down the order from Colin Munro and Sherfane Rutherford. However, other batsmen including Rohan Mustafa, Tom Curran, and Wanindu Hasaranga seem to be struggling a bit. The seam attack is led by Sheldon Cottrell, who has picked up 9 wickets while Gus Atkinson has played a good supporting role, picking up 7 wickets.
The Emirates’ most recent match was washed out due to rain and that means the squad has had a much--needed break to get themselves into a positive frame of mind.
Led by the indomitable Kieron Pollard, batting has been one of the highlights of the Emirates’ performance so far. Pollard has scored 2 half-centuries so far this season, including one against the Vipers, and is the leading scorer for his team.
Andre Fletcher and Muhammad Waseem too have been decent with the bat but will hope to score some big runs going forward. Despite having some world-class bowlers like Trent Boult and Imran Tahir, and Dwayne Bravo, bowling has been a weak link for MI this season.
Weather Report
The weather is expected to remain clear with temperatures remaining between 18-20 degrees Celsius.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Sharjah is well-balanced, providing equal opportunities to the batsmen as well as the bowlers. The even bounce allows the batsmen to go through with their shots confidently. The average first innings score here is around 160.
Notable stats
Kieron Pollard's Excellent Strike Rate
Kieron Pollard is one of the most explosive batsmen in the shortest format of the game and he has only built upon his reputation in the inaugural season of the ILT20. In 5 matches played here, he has scored 225 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 177.16.
Team News
There are no reports of any injuries from either squad. We are therefore likely to see an unchanged eleven from both teams.
DV vs MIE Probable 11
DV Playing 11
- Rohan Mustafa
- Alex Hales
- Colin Munro (C)
- Sam Billings (Wk)
- Sherfane Rutherford
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Tom Curran
- Gus Atkinson
- Sheldon Cottrell
- Ali Naseer
- Matheesha Pathirana
MIE Playing 11
- Muhammad Waseem
- Vriitya Aravind (Wk)
- Nicholas Pooran
- Andre Fletcher
- Kieron Pollard (C)
- Najibullah Zadran
- Samit Patel
- Dwayne Bravo
- Trent Boult
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Brad Wheal
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing the Desert Vipers to win this game. They have already defeated the MI Emirates once this season and that should give them a lot of confidence. Also, the MI Emirates have lost consecutive matches as they head into this game, and have a considerably weaker bowling attack when compared to their opponents.
Top Picks
Dwayne Bravo: While not in the best of forms so far, Bravo is one of the best all-rounders in the T20s. He has amassed 6894 runs in T20 cricket and has also picked up 614 wickets in his 556 appearances.
Sheldon Cottrell: Cottrell is the leading wicket-taker for the Desert Vipers this season with 9 wickets in 6 matches. He is also one of the most economical bowlers of this tournament, giving away just 5.67 runs per over.
Sherfane Rutherford: Sherfane Rutherford can be a devastating batsman lower down the order. This season, he has scored 140 runs at an average of 70 and a strike rate of 186.66.
DV vs MIE Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: N Pooran, S Billings
Batters: A Fletcher, A Hales (C), C Munro, S Rutherford
All-rounders: D Bravo, K Pollard (VC)
Bowlers: T Boult, S Cottrell, G Atkinson
