APL 2018 Match 16, Kabul Zwanan vs Kandahar Knights: Preview, Predicted XI and Match Prediction

After a rest day on Monday, APL will get back into action from Tuesday. APL 2018 has now entered into its last week with the final scheduled on Sunday. Hence, this week is expected to throw us some great encounters.

The week will get underway with a match between Kabul Zwanan and Kandahar Knights. They will be meeting for the second time in the league.

The last time they contested, we had a hell of an encounter as the game went into the last ball of the match with Kabul winning by just two runs.

Thus, with Kandahar Knights fighting it out hard for their place in the semis and Kabul eager to get back to their winning ways, the match between Kabul and Kandahar is expected to be a close fought affair.

APL 2018 - Kabul Zwanan vs Kandahar Knights, Match 16 Details:

Match Date: 16 October 2018, Tuesday

Match Time: 4:00 PM GMT, 9:30 PM IST, 8:00 PM LOCAL

Match Venue: Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah, UAE

Kabul Zwanan

Kabul Zwanan seems to have lost their way in the tournament after having witnessed a series of two losses.

Rashid Khan would be hoping to regather his team for the latter half of the league. Thus, with as many as two league matches left, Kabul will look to make the most of it ahead of the knockout stages.

Batting has been their thing ever since the start of the APL 2018. One such episode was on offer in their previous game against Balkh Legends where each and every batsman tried his best to get close to a hefty target of 245.

Eventually, Zwanan managed to score 223 runs and lost by 21 runs which speak volumes about their batting lineup. Besides, in the process, Kabul witnessed a champion innings from Hazratullah Zazai who became one of the few cricketers to hit six sixes in an over.

On the other hand, their bowling has been quite dull with minimal levels of consistency. Besides consistency, their bowlers lack experience too.

Barring Wayne Parnell and Rashid Khan, Kabul Zwanan have no match-winners in their bowling lineup.

Thus, with more or less settled batting department and a bit inconsistent bowling, Kabul will look to get back to their winning ways.

Probable Playing XI for Kabul Zwanan: Luke Ronchi (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Colin Ingram, Javed Ahmadi, Laurie Evans, Shawkat Zaman, Shahidullah Kamal, Rashid Khan (C), Muslim Musa, Wayne Parnell, and Fareed Ahmad.

Kandahar Knights

Meanwhile, Kandahar Knights have had a disappointing run in the ongoing APL 2018. Having lost four of their five matches, Kandahar Knights are on the brink of exit from the league.

However, if Kandahar wins all of their remaining encounters or even two of their remaining three matches, and simultaneously Nangarhar fails to win its last league match then Knights have a real chance here.

Batting has been their weaker rather the weakest point. Overseas batmen's inefficacy has been the reason. With their two premier players, Paul Stirling and Brendon McCullum, not firing, Knights have had a suffering APL 2018 in the batting department.

However, the same has not been the case for their bowling. Interestingly, Kandahar Knights don't have overseas support in their bowling department. Despite they have performed considerably well in their bowling department.

Thus, with a struggling batting department and settled bowling lineup, Kandahar Knights will look to keep their knockout hopes alive.

Probable Playing XI for Kandahar Knights: Brendon McCullum, Paul Stirling, Ashgar Afghan (C), Karim Sadiq, Riki Wessels (WK), Najibullah Zadran, Sayed Shirzad, Mohammad Naveed, Nasir Jamal, Karim Janat, and Waqar Salamkheil.

Match Prediction

No team can be written off in this particular encounter. But with decent batting support and good form on offer, Kabul Zwanan are expected to end up on the winning side. Unless Kabul's batsmen face a fierce batting collapse, it is presumed to be an easy win for Kabul with Kandahar low on their batting strength.

Expected top performers for Kabul Zwanan: Hazratullah Zazai, Luke Ronchi, and Laurie Evans

Expected top performers for Kandahar Knights: Riki Wessels, Karim Janat, and Waqar Salamkheil.

Final Prediction: Kabul Zwanan adding one more win to their tally.