APL 2018: Match 9, Balkh Legends vs Nangarhar Leopards, Match Prediction: Fantasy Cricket Tips

This is expected to be a close game and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Published - 10 Oct 2018, 19:53 IST | Updated - 10 Oct 2018, 19:53 IST

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The second match of the doubleheader day in the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) will see the Balkh Legends facing Nangarhar Leopards. The Legends will be playing their second game within 24 hours and the team led by Mohammad Nabi will be looking to keep the winning momentum irrespective of what happens in their previous game. Leopards have tapered off after starting their season with a victory and will be aiming to get back to the winning ways.

Ben Cutting will be worried about the way his bowlers went the distance while bowling to Hazratullah Zazai against Kabul. He needs to take control of the proceedings if it happens again in this game and probably make sure that the players execute their plans perfectly. Their batting has been doing their job and Anton Devcich coming back in form is a huge plus for them.

In case of Legends, they are already bolstered by Chris Gayle‘s return and he will definitely be hitting the straps in this game. The team is doing well in all the aspects of the game and the onus will be on the key players to not let the momentum slip away at any stage of the tournament. The table toppers are also looking the favourites and the cricketers wouldn’t want to disappoint their fans surely.

Pitch

The second match of the doubleheader day has been tricky so far. Dew plays a huge role in the night and the fact that the same pitch is used on which the first match has been played makes it tough for the teams to decide what to do after winning the toss. Chasing has been the norm so far and the same should happen again. The Legends are the only team to defend a total so far in the evening games.

Team Combinations

Balkh Legends

The legends are expected to win against Paktia Panthers and if all goes well, they should field the same side. There is a possibility of Ben Laughlin missing out for Chris Gayle who is available now or Ravi Bopara can also be left out. The rest of the line-up should look the same having performed well in the tournament so far. Though the bowlers should make sure that they tighten their lengths and don’t give the opponent batsmen an inch.

Predicted XI: Chris Gayle, Colin Munro, Usman Ghani, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ravi Bopara, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi (c), Gulbadin Naib, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Mirwais Ashraf, Aftab Alam, Mirwais Ashraf

Nangarhar Leopards

The Leopards left out Johnson Charles in the previous game to accommodate Andre Russell and he failed. But the latter is too good a player to be benched and should continue to play and once he starts hitting the ball cleanly, the result of the game is going to be only a formality. Despite a loss against Kabul, they should go in with the same XI for this game and the bowlers should look to improve on their last outing. The move to promote Anton Devcich has worked wonderfully and he should continue to bat at the same position.

Predicted 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