The eighth edition of the Karnataka Premier League is up and running and Hubli Tigers will be taking on Belagavi Panthers at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on 21st August, Wednesday.
Both teams are outside the top four after playing two matches each and they would be dearly hoping that rain doesn't play spoilsport yet again.
After losing their first match by a mere five-run margin, Belagavi Panthers' second fixture was abandoned due to heavy rain. They haven't played much and as a result, there isn't much to talk about their performances. If anything, medium-pacer Zahoor Farooqui has been their best bowler and has taken three wickets so far.
For Hubli, the situation is even worse as they have lost both of their matches so far and lie at the very bottom of the points table. Even though their most recent match against Ballari was close, a complete performance has been missing. Except for KB Pawan's half-century in the first game, no other Hubli batsman has registered a 50+ score and that reflects a failure to convert starts. The bowling has been largely disciplined but has lacked penetration.
Squads to choose from
Belagavi Panthers: Mir Kaunian Abbas (C), Shubhang Hegde, Avinash D, Manish Pandey, D Negi, Abhinav Manohar, Arshdeep Singh Brar, Ritesh Bhatkal, Stalin Hoover, Darshan MB, Ravikumar Samarth, Zahoor Farooqui, Kiran AM, Rakshith S, Lochan Appanna, Darshan Machaiah, Abdul Majid.
Hubli Tigers: R Vinay Kumar (C), Praveen Dubey, Mohammed Taha, Pawan KB, Aditya Somanna, Shishir Bhavane, Vidyadhar Patil, Mahesh Patel, Abhilash Shetty, David Mathias, Shivil Kaushik, Suraj Seshadri, Mithrakanth Yadav, Vishwanath M, KL Srijith, Luvnith Sisodia, Parikshith Shetty, Dheeraj Shashidhar.
Playing XI Updates
Belagavi are expected to go in with the same line-up whereas Hubli might make one change by replacing young Vidhyadhar Patil for Shivil Kaushik or Mahesh Patel.
Belagavi Panthers: Ravikumar Samarth, Stallin Hoover, Manish Pandey, Mir Kaunain Abbas (C & WK), Abhinav Manohar, Dikshanshu Negi, Arshdeep Singh Brar, Ritesh Bhatkal, Shubhang Hegde, Avinash D, Zahoor Farooqui.
Hubli Tigers: Mohammad Taha, M Vishwanathan, Luvnith Sisodia (WK), KL Shrijith, KB Pawan, Vinay Kumar (C), Praveen Dubey, David Mathias, Aditya Somanna, Mithrakanth Yadav, Vidyadhar Patil/ Shivil Kaushik/ Mahesh Patel.
Match Details
Belagavi Panthers vs Hubli Tigers, Karnataka Premier League, 11th Match
21st August 2019, 7.30 PM IST
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Pitch and Weather Report
Unfortunately, rain is still expected to play a part on Wednesday and this means that any team that might win the toss would look to field first and take advantage of the VJD method.
Fast-bowlers can also make use of the moisture on the pitch.
Fantasy Cricket Tips and Suggestions
Wicket-keeper: We can pick two wicket-keepers for this game. KB Pawan scored a half-century in the first game and he can be a solid pick. Partnering him will be M Vishwanathan, Pawan's team-mate and opening batsman. Vishwanathan scored 30 runs against Ballari.
Batsmen: No surprises here. Without an iota of doubt, Manish Pandey will be the first pick. He didn't get to bat in the last game and will be raring to make his presence felt immediately. Belagavi skipper Kaunain Abbas is also a good choice, more so because he is also keeping for the team.
The lone specialist batsman from Hubli will be KL Shrijith. Shrijith has scored 33 and 22 in the last two matches. He will want to convert his scores into big ones and the match against Belagavi will be the perfect opportunity to do so.
All-rounders: Karnataka's favourite son Vinay Kumar will be a key all-rounder for both Belagavi and also Dream11 players. Apart from scoring 48 runs with the bat, Vinay has also been effective with the ball and has taken a wicket while maintaining a good economy rate in the two matches so far.
Aditya Somanna is another good all-rounder who can pick up crucial points. After finishing as the 4th highest wicket-taker last year, the 23-year-old has started this season very well and went on to take a couple of wickets against Ballari.
The final all-rounder will be Dikshanshu Negi. Negi is a wonderful leg-spinner and is also more than serviceable with the bat. He has taken a wicket and scored 17 runs so far.
Bowlers: The experienced Zahoor Farooqui has been really good in the two matches so far by picking up three wickets. He will the lone Belagavi bowler with David Mathias and Mithrakanth Yadav completing the Dream11 team.
Mithrakanth Yadav has already taken four wickets and given his consistency, he can be trusted to deliver again.
David Mathias came into the side for the last match and picked up a couple of wickets.
Captain: Manish Pandey will be the captain of the Dream11 team. Vinay Kumar will be the vice-captain due to dual skills. Alternate options for captaincy would be Kaunain Abbas and KB Pawan.
Fantasy Suggestion #1: KB Pawan, M Vishwanathan, Manish Pandey (C), Kaunain Abbas, KL Shrijith, Vinay Kumar (VC), Aditya Somanna, Dikshanshu Negi, Zahoor Farooqui, David Mathias, Mithrakanth Yadav.
Fantasy Suggestion #2: KB Pawan (VC), Luvnith Sisodia, Manish Pandey, Kaunain Abbas (C), R Samarth, KL Shrijith, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Dubey, Zahoor Farooqui, D Avinash, Mithrakanth Yadav.
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