Everest Premier League 2021: Qualifier 1, Chitwan Tigers vs Pokhara Rhinos - Preview, predicted XIs, pitch report, weather forecast, match prediction and live streaming details

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The Chitwan Tigers and Pokhara Rhinos are set to lock horns in Qualifier 1 of the 2021 Everest Premier League on Wednesday, October 6. The match will take place at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.

The Tigers, led by Dilip Nath, were outstanding in the league stage of the ongoing tournament. They started their campaign with four wins on the trot and finished on top of the points table with a net run rate of 0.489. But the Tigers lost to the Bhairahawa Gladiators by six wickets with 13 balls left.

After electing to bat first, the Tigers racked up 164 for eight on the board. Karim Janat top-scored for them with 35 off 37 with one four and two sixes. Janat also picked up two wickets, but Pradeep Airee’s 43-ball 72 guided the Gladiators to a comprehensive victory on Monday.

The Rhinos, led by Binod Bhandari, on the other hand, lost two out of five games in the league stage and finished third in the points table. However, the 14-run win over the Kathmandu Kings XI in their previous match should keep them in good stead going into the Qualifier.

Half-centuries from Amit Shrestha and Ryan Burl lifted the Kings XI to 182 for eight. After rain interrupted play, the Rhinos were given a revised target of 129 in 15 overs. Sahan Arachchige and Bibek Yadav scored in their 40s to take the Rhinos over the finish line.

Match Details

Match: Chitwan Tigers vs Pokhara Rhinos, Qualifier 1, Everest Premier League 2021

Date and Time: October 6, 2021 (Wednesday), 09:15 pm IST

Venue: Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur

Weather Forecast

Conditions will be partly sunny with intermittent clouds around as well. The temperature will be around the 22-degree Celsius mark. The humidity will be in the high-80s.

Pitch Report

The pitch is expected to be a fairly good one for batting. Since there is a forecast of rain, teams may opt to bat second. The bowlers need to be on their toes as they won’t get much room for error.

Predicted Playing XIs

Chitwan Tigers

Predicted XI: Mohammad Shahzad, Khadak Bohara, Karim Janat, Dev Khanal, Bhim Sharki, Seekkuge Prasanna, Rajesh Pulami, Dilip Nath (c and wk), Kamal Airee, Gautam KC

Pokhara Rhinos

Predicted XI: Richard Levi, Asela Gunaratne, Rit Gautam, Binod Bhandari (c)(wk), Lokesh Bam, Sunil Dhamala, Bibek Yadav, Kesrick Williams, Bikram Sob, Sushan Bhari, Nandan Yadav.

Match Prediction

In the league stage, the Tigers beat the Rhinos by nine wickets with 20 balls to spare. The Tigers will go into the Qualifier with the physiological advantage over their opponents.