Khulna Tigers vs Rajshahi Royals, Bangladesh Premier League 2020, Today Match Prediction 17 Dec 2019

klt vs rir Match Prediction & Analysis

It’s the battle of the only two unbeaten teams in the tournament so far. Both Khulna Tigers and Rajshahi Royals have crushed their opponents and have looked strong. While the Khulna Tigers have played just one game, Rajshahi Royals have played two and won two. The Khulna Tigers will be back on the field after almost a week. They have won their only game so far and that came against Chattogram Challengers.

The bowlers did a very good job of restricting the Challengers to 144 before Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rilee Rossouw blasted quickfire fifties to drive the team home. On the other hand, Rajshahi Royals have won both their games by a set template. They have restricted their oppositions to low totals and have chased it down with ease.

In the first game against Dhaka Platoon, the Royals restricted them to 134 and hunted it down with 10 balls to spare. Sylhet Thunder was embarrassed as they were shot out for 91 and the Royals chased it down inside 11 overs. Hence, they’ve largely dominated and will be looking to continue the good work.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Khulna Tigers Preview

The Khulna Tigers have played just one game so far and most of the players played their roles to perfection. It was the bowling attack that set up the win. While none of the bowlers ran away with the game or picked wickets in clusters, it was a good collective effort from the entire attack. Mohammad Amir was the only bowler who failed to pick a wicket and was the most expensive bowler as well. The likes of Robbie Frylinck, Aminul Islam and Shafiul Islam did well as they bowled tightly and also picked up a wicket each.

The top order did well too. Najmul Hossain Shanto failed to get going but Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rilee Rossouw were excellent. Gurbaz smoked a 19-ball 50 while Rossouw made 64 in 38 balls to take the team home. Mushfiqur Rahim is a key man in the middle order and looked good in the first game as well.

Khulna Tigers Predicted Playing XI:

Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), Rilee Rossouw, Shamsur Rahman, Aminul Islam, Robbie Frylinck, Mehidy Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Mohammad Amir, Shahidul Islam

Khulna Tigers Actual Playing XI:

RR Rossouw, Shamsur Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Mohammad Amir, Shahidul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Robbie Frylinck, Aminul Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim, Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Rajshahi Royals Preview

The Rajshahi Royals boast one of the best batting line-ups in this tournament. They have some big names and can explode at any time. However, this strong batting line-up has never really got a chance to show off its power yet. In both games so far, it’s the bowlers who have been the match-winners. Alok Kapali is the leading wicket-taker as he’s picked up four wickets from two games. He has an economy of 5.00 and averages 8.75 with the ball.

Ravi Bopara and Farhad Reza have taken three wickets apiece and have been very economical. Abu Jayed is the only bowler who has gone over eight runs per over. With the bat, Liton Das has been the premier run-getter. He may not have scored a fifty in the two games but has got good starts. He’s scored 83 runs in two innings. Hazratullah Zazai scored a good fifty already while Shoaib Malik has looked good so far. Andre Russell hasn’t batted yet and can go berserk at any time. Ravi Bopara hasn’t batted either and the Royals have enough firepower with the bat.

Rajshahi Royals Predicted Playing XI:

Hazratullah Zazai, Liton Das (wk), Shoaib Malik, Andre Russell (c), Ravi Bopara, Afif Hossain, Alok Kapali, Abu Jayed, Taijul Islam, Farhad Reza, Minhajul Abedin Afridi

Rajshahi Royals Actual Playing XI:

Farhad Reza, Kamrul Islam, Afif Hossain, Liton Das, Hazratullah Zazai, RS Bopara, Shoaib Malik, Taijul Islam, Abu Jayed, Alok Kapali, Andre Russell

Weather Conditions

It is an afternoon start and it is expected to be sunny throughout. The temperatures will hover around 27-280 and the humidity will be around 50%. The pitch at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram is expected to be a good one to bat on. The average score in T20s this year has been about 185.

Venue Details

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram is the second venue of this Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) season. It will host the next 12 games of the tournament (until December 24th). It is a regular international venue and has hosted 58 international games so far.

Toss: To Bowl

With this being the first game of the season at this venue, both teams might want to bowl first and have a feel of the conditions. Also, teams chasing have won more in this tournament which will tempt the captains to bowl first.