Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers, ILT 2023, Today Match Prediction 20 January 2023

adkr vs dv Match Prediction & Analysis

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have lost both their games in the International League T20. Owing to the heavy loss against Dubai Capitals in their first match, their net run rate now stands at a horrible -3.096. The Knight Riders need to have a few comprehensive wins under their kitty to make their way up the top. They next face off against the Desert Vipers who are 3rd on the table with 1 win and 1 loss and a net run rate of +1.610.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Preview

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders lost their first game of the season to Dubai Capitals by a whopping margin of 73 runs. In their next match, they were thumped by 6 wickets by Gulf Giants. Curiously, in both matches, the Knight Riders scored exactly 114-9 after 20 overs. 

Their batting has been shockingly bad, despite the big names in the lineup. Barring Paul Stirling’s 54 in the first match, no other batter has made any score of note. A lot is expected from the likes of Colin Ingram, Brandon King, and Andre Russell. The big-hitting Russell, especially, would be itching to get an impactful knock under his belt.

The Knight Riders’ bowling depends heavily on captain Sunil Narine. The wily off-spinner has kept things tight as usual, going at an economy of just 6.12. However, he needs more support from the other bowlers. Ravi Rampaul is an experienced campaigner, but Akeal Hosein has looked ordinary so far and gone at an economy of 10.09. The bowling does feel a little short on quality and the team needed a genuine wicket-taker at the start.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Paul Stirling, Sunil Narine (c), Brandon King, Colin Ingram, Fahad Nawaz, Andre Russell, Zawar Farid, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Ali Khan

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Brandon King, Matiullah Khan, Colin Ingram, Kennar Lewis, Zawar Farid, Akeal Hosein, Dhananjaya de Silva, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine

Desert Vipers Preview

Desert Vipers have played just one match so far – against the Sharjah Warriors. After restricting them to 145-5, the Vipers chased the target down in 16.4 overs with 7 wickets remaining. England opener Alex Hales led the chase with a terrific unbeaten knock of 83 off 52 balls. Sam Billings (49 off 38 balls) also played a crucial knock. Captain Colin Munro was bowled for a duck, but he will be one of the main batters to watch out for in this match. Munro is an experienced T20 batter with 9195 runs in 365 matches at an average of 30.65 and a strike rate of 140.87. he also has 5 T20 hundreds to go with 53 fifties.

Sheldon Cottrell and Tom Curran are the two main seam bowlers for the Vipers. The two have a tendency to leak runs but can also take crucial wickets. England speedster Tymal Mills had a good outing in the previous match, with a spell of 1-11 in 3 overs. The Vipers lack an experienced spin bowler who would have been useful on these surfaces. 

Desert Vipers Predicted Playing XI:

Alex Hales, Colin Munro (c), Sam Billings (wk), Benny Howell, Sherfane Rutherford, Rohan Mustafa, Tom Curran, Sheldon Cottrell, Tymal Mills, Ali Naseer, Gus Atkinson

Desert Vipers Actual Playing XI:

Alex Hales, Rohan Mustafa, Benny Howell, Colin Munro, Sheldon Cottrell, Sheraz Piya, Wanidu Hasaranga, Gus Atkinson, Sherfane Rutherford, Sam Billings, Tom Curran

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium offers something both to the bowlers and batters. It tends to remain true throughout and is usually good for batting. However, since the wicket is still relatively fresh, it will offer good bounce the seamers. Spinners too will get purchase from this pitch, but once dew comes in they will struggle.

The weather in Dubai during the match will be breezy and pleasant.

Venue Details

The average score batting first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is 156. The highest score posted at the venue is 219-2 by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Totals between 150 to 189 have been achieved 58 times here in 108 games. In this season, the highest total at the venue so far has been 187-6 by Dubai Capitals. The team batting first in this match should be looking to set a target of around 175 runs.

Toss: To Bowl

Like many venues in the UAE, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium tends to be more favorable to the chasing side. Out of the 108 T20 matches played here, 64 have been won by the team batting second. The captain winning the toss is hence likely to field first.