Time: October 21, 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Pitch report
The chasing team has won three of the last four matches, while the remaining one ended in a super over. Given the fact that the batsmen have struggled to score runs with ease, the best fantasy tip would be to balance your team with three to four bowlers.
Power players
Virat Kohli had everyone worried with scores of 14, 1, and 3 at the start of the tournament. Whether it was an adverse effect of the lockdown is a question only the Bangalore captain can answer. He was forcefully trying to play spinners on the legside, eventually getting himself in trouble. He, however, is a champion batsman. He deciphered the glitch in his technique and the fault in his mindset, and is now the highest run-scorer for his team. The lowest he has scored in his last 6 innings is an unbeaten 33.
Other than the strike rate, Shubman Gill’s numbers are fine. Perhaps, it is his role to put a price on his wicket and hold the innings together. He has scored below 25 only thrice in 9 innings this season.
In the previous encounter between these teams, AB de Villiers was adjudged Man of the Match for his breathtaking innings of 73 off 33 including 5 fours and 6 sixes. He has scored two fifties in the last three matches.
Chris Morris’ return not only has powered up his team but also generated more spark in fantasy sports. He has taken 9 wickets in a mere 4 matches, and has quick knocks of 21 and 25 in the lower-middle order.
Smart picks
Eoin Morgan’s scores read 34 and 39* ever since he was made the captain of Kolkata. That said, his batting position makes him less popular in fantasy leagues. He gets very few deliveries to make a significant impact.
As is the case every year, Yuzvendra Chahal has taken the bulk of the wickets for Bangalore. His 13 wickets in 9 matches have come at a strike rate of 15.6. In the only match he has played at Abu Dhabi, he finished with excellent figures of 3 for 24.
Lockie Ferguson’s 3 for 15 against Hyderabad is one of the finest spells this season. It was a mixture of sheer pace and magnificent deceit. The batsmen could not figure out whether his yorkers came at a pace of 145 or 115 kmph.
Devdutt Padikkal’s highest score (63) came at the very venue. The pitch has enough pace for him to stand in his crease and hit the ball over the infield. He has only two scores in single digits thus far.
Probable XIs
Kolkata: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), 5 Andre Russell/ Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi
Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk), Gurkeerat Mann, Chris Morris, Washington Sundar, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini/ Mohammad Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal
