APL 2018, Match 11, Kabul Zwanan vs Nangarhar Leopards, Match Prediction: Who will win the match?

The second match on the doubleheader day of the ongoing Afghanistan Premier League (APL) will be played between Kabul Zwanan and Nangarhar Leopards. Both the teams will be playing on back-to-back days and will be keen on not letting their players go out of energy in the sapping heat. However, winning the match is always on the priority and it goes without saying that they will give their best in order to go up in the points table.

Rashid Khan has been the star for his team undoubtedly and there is no surprise as he was always going to shine. The good thing for the Zwanan is their other members have also stepped up at the right time. They also have the upper hand going into this game having defeated the Leopards comfortably in their first face-off a few days ago. Rashid will just be hoping that they continue their dominance in the tournament.

Nangarhar Leopards have gone off the radar a little bit after starting the competition in style with a resounding victory. Their skipper Ben Cutting has been leading from the front but the rest of the team hasn’t been consistent enough. However, they would love to settle the scores with their opponents after losing in their previous face-off and that might just bring the best out of the Leopards.

Pitch

The matches late in the evening have been high-scoring this season and the norm will continue for this game as well. The chasing has been easy and there will not be any dilemma in either of the team’s mind on what to do after winning the toss. With decent batsmen in both the camps, expect the 200-run mark to be breached again.

Team Combinations

Nangarhar Leopards

The Leopards will be keen to go past the Balkh Legends first and then think about the combinations for this game. Whatever happens in that game, there shouldn’t be many changes to the line-up and with the return of Andre Russell, they can only hope for good things to come in the near future. Also, Anton Devcich’s return to form has worked wonders for them and the others should take a leaf out of his book.

Probable XI: Najeeb Tarakai, Anton Devcich, Rahmat Shah, Andre Russell, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Shafiqullah Shafiq (wk), Ben Cutting (c), Mitchell McClenaghan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zahir Khan

Kabul Zwanan

Kabul Zwanan have given a debut to Fitratullah Khawari in the game against Kandahar Knights and they should continue with the same XI irrespective of the result. Hazratullah Zazai is in great form and if he continues to play well, it will be great for them. Also, the like of Colin Ingram and Laurie Evans can’t be ruled out as they are proven T20 performers. The bowling attack is always under the scanner and will be expected to improve as the tournament progresses.

Probable XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Luke Ronchi(w), Javed Ahmadi, Colin Ingram, Laurie Evans, Shahidullah Kamal, Rashid Khan(c), Wayne Parnell, Fareed Ahmad, Muslim Musa, Fitratullah Khawari

Probable Top Performers

Najeeb Tarakai – Nangarhar Leopards | Rashid Khan – Kabul Zwanan

Broadcast

TV – DSport

Match Timings: 21:30 IST; 20:00 local

The prediction is for the toss to play the decisive role in the close encounter.

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