Sunday, April 25, 2021

Indian T20 League 2021: Match 21 – Punjab vs Kolkata – MPL Fantasy Cricket Tips, Prediction, Playing XI, and Pitch Report

Match Details

Match 21 – Punjab vs Kolkata

Date & Time – April 26, 2021; 7:30 PM

Venue – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Preview

The second leg of the ongoing Indian T20 League is set to commence from April 26 with the tournament moving to Ahmedabad and Delhi. The Narendra Modi Stadium will host its first league game of the season with Punjab and Kolkata locking horns. Both sides have struggled so far. Though Punjab are coming off a stunning win over Mumbai and will be confident. Kolkata, on the other hand, went down meekly to Rajasthan on Saturday and have lost four consecutive games now.

Probable Playing XIs

Kolkata

Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi

Punjab

KL Rahul (C & WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi

Top Picks of the Match

KL Rahul (Punjab)

This isn’t a surprising pick by any means. KL Rahul is the man in-form for Punjab and he showed it again in the last game against Mumbai. He has so far scored 221 runs in five matches and is second in the list of top run-getters in the league. Another good outing for him will guarantee a win for Punjab.

Eoin Morgan (Kolkata)

This is a surprising pick given the fact that Morgan hasn’t clicked at all so far. But if Kolkata are to return to winning ways, it is imperative that their skipper leads from the front. It might happen in this game as Kolkata need to start winning soon before things go out of hand for them.

X-Factor Player

Ravi Bishnoi (Punjab)

Ravi Bishnoi can be the X-Factor player for this match given the way he bowled in the previous game. He returned with the figures of 2/21 against Mumbai and may trouble Kolkata batsmen this time around.

Fantasy Teams

Fantasy Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

KL Rahul (C), Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Chris Gayle (VC), Mayank Agarwal, Deepak Hooda, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi

 

Fantasy Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:

Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Agarwal (C), Eoin Morgan (VC), Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.