Dolphins vs Warriors, Momentum One Day Cup 2020, Today Match Prediction 23 Feb 2020

dolphins vs warriors Match Prediction & Analysis

The 16th match of the ongoing 2020 Momentum One-Day Cup will see table-toppers Dolphins hosting Warriors at the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.

With the exception of a slender 5-run loss against Cape Cobras, Dolphins have had a rollicking start to the tournament with four wins out of the five matches that they have played so far. The Imraan Khan-coached side avenged their loss against Cobras with a 26-run at the Newlands Stadium on Wednesday. Batting first, Dolphins struggled as only Grant Roelofsen, Keshav Maharaj and Prenelan Subrayen batted with some grit to post a fighting 183-8 as the total. Skipper Maharaj, in particular, was outstanding as he resurrected Dolphins' inning after they were reduced to 93/6. In return, Maharaj starred yet again with four scalps as his team managed a terrific win. Maharaj also found some good support from Daryn Dupavillon as he contributed with three wickets.

Their next opponent, Warriors would be eager to get back on the field and build upon the victory against Highveld Lions. In that match, an all-round bowling display saw the Warriors post a comfortable 6-wicket win. Chasing 222 for their second win of the tournament, Warriors rode on the back of half-centuries from Edward Moore and Sinethemba Qeshile to finish off the match with more than six overs to spare.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Dolphins Preview

Like mentioned earlier, Dolphins' successful run until law should be largely attributed to some excellent performances from the duo of Grant Roelofsen and Keshav Maharaj. While wicket-keeper batsman Roelofsen has scored 333 runs in five matches, the team's captain Keshav Maharaj has done splendidly to come up with 11 wickets and 107 runs. The duo has also found decent support from Prenelan Subrayen as he has been good with both bat and ball.

Dolphins' first win against the Knights and the most recent one against Cabe Cobras saw both Subrayen and Maharaj playing pivotal roles to help their team end up on the victorious side.

Apart from these players, the likes of Robbie Frylinck and Kerwin Mungroo have done well with the ball but Dolphins would want more contributions from the trio of Sarel Erwee, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, and Khaya Zondo. Meanwhile, watch out for fast bowler Daryn Dupavillon as he did a fine job against the Cobras after replacing Mungroo in the line-up.

Dolphins Predicted Playing XI:

Sarel Erwee, Grant Roelofsen (WK), Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Senuran Muthusamy, Khaya Zondo, Sibonelo Makhanya, Robbie Frylinck, Keshav Maharaj (C), Prenalen Subrayen, Daryn Dupavillon, Okuhle Cele

Dolphins Actual Playing XI:

Grant Roelofsen, P Subrayen, Sibonelo Makhanya, Okuhle Cele, Keshav Maharaj, Sarel Erwee, Senuran Muthusamy, Daryn Dupavillon, Marques Ackerman, R Frylinck, Khaya Zondo

Warriors Preview

Holding the 3rd spot right now, Warriors would want to bring in some consistency into their game. The team would depend a lot on their solid batting line-up which has been strengthened further by the inclusion of Edward Moore who has scored 167 in his only two matches until now. The team's two experienced players in the form of Yaseen Vallie and Rudi Second have also been really good with 163 and 143 runs respectively.

Warriors' bowling attack is heavy on pace bowlers with the duo of Stephan Tait and Onke Nyaku contributing a combined 10 scalps for the team until now. Leg-spinner Dyllan Matthews has however been the stand-out performer with six wickets.

Warriors Predicted Playing XI:

Edward Moore, Lesiba Ngoepe, Sinethemba Qeshile (WK), Rudi Second (C), Yaseen Vallie, Marco Marais, Andrew Birch, Dyllan Matthews, Onke Nyaku, Lutho Sipamla, Stephan Tait

Warriors Actual Playing XI:

Yaseen Vallie, SSB Magala, Edward Moore, Onke Nyaku, Dyllan Matthews, Marco Marais, Lutho Sipamla, Sinethemba Qeshile, Matthew Breetzke, Lesiba Ngoepe, Stefan Tait

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The only game to have been played at this venue this season saw a high-scoring affair between the hosts Dolphins and Cape Cobras. A similarly superb batting track should be on offer on Sunday too. Meanwhile, there could be some rain interruption during this match as AccuWeather has predicted a 40% chance of rain on Sunday. Overall, the day is expected to be cloudy and cool.

Venue Details

The City Oval which is a multi-purpose venue last hosted international games during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. However, the stadium has been a regular venue for domestic matches to host teams from the KwaZulu-Natal province.

Toss: To Bat

With the pitch expected to be a belter, Rudi Second and Keshav Maharaj could both end up preferring to bat first. Dolphins, in particular, will be confident of defending totals considering how they have made superb comebacks from difficult situations against Knights and Cape Cobras.