Dindigul Dragons* vs Nellai Royal Kings, TNPL T20 2023, Today Match Prediction 10 July 2023

did vs nrk Match Prediction & Analysis

Dindigul Dragons and Nellai Royal Kings will face off once again at Tirunelveli as they battle it out for the Final berth. This is the second consecutive time Nellai Royal Kings have reached the second Qualifier of TNPL.

This time around, they had to win the Eliminator to reach here. Some good batting performances from the middle-order helped the Royal Kings to a competitive total on a good batting pitch against Madurai Panthers.

Tirunelveli offers a different pitch and it will be a more even contest between the bat and the ball. Though Dindigul Dragons defeated the Royal Kings in their last meeting at this venue, NRK quickly bounced back in the next game with a thumping win.

So, Nellai Royals Kings would come into this game with confidence and momentum having won their last two consecutive matches. But Dindigul Dragons will have a few questions to answer. If the openers are out cheaply, who would rescue the innings for the Dragons?

TEAMS PREVIEW

Dindigul Dragons* Preview

Dindigul Dragons have won all but two matches in this season so far. Both of their losses have come against the same team, Lyca Kovai Kings, who have now reached the final after defeating the Dragons in Qualifier 1.

They’ve played two matches in Tirunelveli so far and have won both of them batting second. They chased down 160 and 160 runs target in both these wins with 7 wickets in hand. Baba Indrajith, Vimal Khumar, and Shivam Singh have been the key players in these wins having made consistent contributions in the top order.

Shivam Singh had scored three back-to-back fifties though he’s been out for 10 off 14 and 8 off 7 in the last two innings. The common thing in both of their losses was the early batting collapse in the run-chase.

It looks like if two of the top 3 batters are out early in the run-chase, Dindigul Dragons are pushed on the back foot and find it difficult to bounce back from thereon. Adithya Ganesh will be a key batsman at number 4 going into this match.

If he continues to fail, it will be an uphill task to reach the final. Before Qualifier 1, Dragons won 3 consecutive matches, all while chasing, which involved contributions from the top 3. Varun Chakravarty and Suboth Bhati are the key wicket-taking bowlers in this setup and will be the ones to watch out for.

Dindigul Dragons* Predicted Playing XI:

Baba Indrajith (c & wk), Vimal Khumar, Shivam Singh, Boopathi Kumar, C Sarath Kumar, Suboth Bhati, P Saravana Kumar, M Mathivannan, Varun Chakaravarthy, G Kishoor, Aushik Srinivas

Dindigul Dragons* Actual Playing XI:

G Kishoor, C Sarath Kumar, Suboth Bhati, Baba Indrajith, Adithya Ganesh, R Vimal Khumar, Shivam Singh S, M Mathivannan, Boopathi Vaishna Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy, Saravana Kumar P

Nellai Royal Kings Preview

Nellai Royal Kings will take a lot of positives from their recent win in the Eliminator and carry the momentum in this match. Though the bowling may not have been top-notch, the batters were impressive as they built the innings after early setbacks.

The Royal Kings were 3 down for 84 runs halfway through their innings and finished with a 211-run total from 20 overs. That should give their skipper some confidence in his batters, especially the middle and lower order. While Ajitesh Guruswamy and Nidhish Rajagopal are consistent in the middle order and are reliable batters, the team shouldn’t be entirely counting on them to deliver. 

This could create the same problem that has troubled the Dragons with their top-order dependence. Nellai Royal Kings need L Suryaprakash at the top to come good on this occasion.

A good start from him and skipper Arun Karthik would make it a bit easier for the middle order to build the innings further. Sonu Yadav, Rithik Easwaran, and NS Harish are handy lower down the order.

If one or two of these three get going, along with a well-set batsman from the middle order, Nellai Royals Kings can finish on a high. M Poiyamozhi and Sonu Yadav are the key wicket-taking bowlers in this squad. 

However, there isn’t anyone who’s been exceptional with the ball and can be a threat to the opposition. They need a good overall team effort in the bowling department to put Dragons on the back foot.

Nellai Royal Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Arun Karthik (c), Laxmesha Suryaprakash, Ajitesh Guruswamy, Rithik Easwaran (wk), Nidhish Rajagopal, Sonu Yadav, P Sugendhiran, NS Harish, M Poiyamozhi, S Mohan Prasath, Sandeep Warrier

Nellai Royal Kings Actual Playing XI:

NS Harish, Ajitesh G, Laxmesha Suryaprakash, S Lakshay Jain, SS Warrier, M Poiyamozhi, R Sonu Yadav, Arun Karthik, S Mohan Prasath, Nidhish Rajagopal, Rithik Easwaran

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is a balanced one that offers help for both batters and bowlers. Batters from the Nellai Royal Kings enjoyed good batting conditions in the second innings. The weather would be partly cloudy with a high of 38 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

India Cement Company Ground in Tirunelveli will host the second Qualifier of this season. The two teams have already locked horns on this ground once and the team batting second came out victorious. The average 1st innings score at this venue is 153 runs but a match-winning total, we reckon, should be something over 175-180 runs. 

Toss: To Bowl

Both teams have pulled off a win while chasing on this ground. Though there have been some high-scores here, it is not a traditionally high-scoring venue. Bowling first and getting early breakthroughs would give either teams a huge advantage in the game. This is especially true for Nellai Royal Kings.