KNT vs RRR Match Preview
In their latest game, the Tigers faced the Chattogram Challengers and were asked to bat first. Powered by a stunning performance by wicket-keeper batsman Azam Khan’s maiden BPL century, the Tigers put up a good total of 178-5 in their 20 overs.
Azam Khan received good support from Tamim Iqbal, who scored 40 of 37. The likes of Yasir Ali, Sharjeel Khan, and Sabbir Rahman are yet to play up to their full potential this season, and their form will play n important role if the Tigers want to move up the points table. The bowling effort was underwhelming for a second consecutive match, as Khulna managed to claim just 1 wicket.
Wahab Riaz was pretty economical with his bowling but that is the only positive that the Tigers will be able to take from this match as far as the bowling is concerned.
Shoaib Malik and Rony Talukdar have done the bulk of the scoring for the Riders so far this season, and the team will be hoping that they continue with the excellent form going forward. However, the other top and middle-order batsmen, including Mohammad Naim, Nurul Hasan, and Mahedi Hasan will need to step up soon.
Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza has been the standout performer for the Riders with the ball so far and has picked up 2 wickets in both the matches played so far. Robiul Haque and Hasan Mahmud have been expensive but they can pick up wickets at regular intervals.
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be pretty cool, but there will be a lot of humidity, causing dew on the ground, especially in the second innings.
Pitch Report
The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is known to produce even contests between the bat and the ball. The quicker bowlers will find some assistance early on but the pitch tends to get easy as the game progresses. However, the spinners will come into effect in the latter half. The average first innings score here is around 150.
Notable stats
Tamim Iqbal’s Superb Average
For more than a decade now, Tamim Iqbal has been one of Bangladesh’s most dependable batsmen at the top of the order and has performed well across all formats of the game. In T20s, Iqbal has scored 6934 runs and has an average of 31.95.
Team News
Despite coming into this match on the back of a loss in their respective last matches, we do not expect them to make any changes to their playing eleven.
KNT vs RRR Probable 11
KNT Playing 11
- Tamim Iqbal
- Sharjeel Khan
- Azam Khan (Wk)
- Yasir Ali (C)
- Mohammad Saifuddin
- Sabbir Rahman
- Nahidul Islam
- Wahab Riaz
- Habibur Rahman
- Paul van Meekeren
- Nasum Ahmed
RRR Playing 11
- Mohammad Naim
- Rony Talukdar
- Shoaib Malik
- Sikandar Raza
- Nurul Hasan (C)
- Benny Howell
- Mahedi Hasan
- Hasan Mahmud
- Robiul Haque
- Rakibul Hasan
- Azmatullah Omarzai
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing the Rangpur Riders to win this match. Their batting has a lot of potential and batsmen like Shoaib Malik and Rony Talukdar have shown some good form in the opening matches. The bowling too looks in decent shape with Sikandar Raza, Robiul Haque, and Hasan Mahmud managing to pick up wickets at regular intervals.
The Khulna Tigers on the other hand have struggled in both games and will need a lot of effort to come back to form.
Top Picks
Sikandar Raza: Raza had an excellent outing in the T20 World Cup played last year and is ranked 4th on the ICC list of top T20 all-rounders.
Shoaib Malik: The veteran Pakistani batsman has gotten only better with age and has adapted pretty well to the T20 format. His average in T20s is 36.22 and also has a healthy strike rate of 127.39.
Azam Khan: Azam Khan is an explosive batsman for the Tigers at the top of the order, and scored a brilliant century in the last match. He has scored 1863 T20 runs at a strike rate of 140.81.
KNT vs RRR Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: Nurul-Hasan, A Khan (C)
Batters: S Malik, T Iqbal, R Talukdar
All-rounders: S Raza (VC), B Howell, M Saifuddin
Bowlers: W Riaz, R Haque, H Mahmud
