Venue: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Time: 3:30 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 171
Win percentage while batting first: 41.67%
Pitch conditions:
- The pitch at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai has been a balanced track for both batsmen and bowlers with the venue producing mixed results — two wins for chasing teams and as many or defending in the last 4 matches held here.
- Both Kolkata and Gujarat will look to score heavily since this venue has ample support for batsmen.
- Fast bowlers will be expected to dominate the proceedings at the DY Patil stadium with a wicket-share percentage of 69.06% compared to the spinners getting 30.94%.
Weather prediction:
The start to the day on Saturday will be a cloudy one for Navi Mumbai, but the skies will clear up for the Match No 35 of the ongoing Indian T20 Cricket League between Kolkata and Gujarat. The temperature will remain between 37°C-34°C and the humidity levels will be under 40%.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: -
Kolkata won: -
Gujarat won: -
No result: -
Top 3 players from Kolkata: Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana
Top 3 players from Gujarat: Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Shubman Gill
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Kolkata: Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine
Top 5 players from Gujarat: Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson
Q & A:
Fantasy tips and tricks: Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai has been a balanced surface for both batsmen and bowlers with fast bowlers getting more wickets than the spinners. The venue also has produced big scoring contests throughout this season and with Kolkata looking to bounce back from a three-match losing streak, they would certainly want to come out all guns blazing with the bat. Adding more to the batting and carrying enough fast bowlers will be the right approach for making the fantasy cricket playing XI for the Match No 35 of the ongoing Indian T20 Cricket League 2022.
Fantasy tips: From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
The experienced South Africa batsman David Miller powered Gujarat to a narrow victory by 3 runs over Chennai in the previous outing which was some days ago. The victory propelled Gujarat to the top of the points table with 5 wins in 6 matches, something that no other team in the tournament has been able to emulate. Gujarat are certainly the stronger side compared to Kolkata since they are coming off a two match winning streak and also have 10 points in their kitty compared to Kolkata's 6 from 7 matches.
MORE INFORMATION: Kolkata have struggled for form with the bat throughout this season with their big guns not being able to fire together or on a consistent basis. The addition of Aaron Finch at the top of the order has indeed provided them with a lot of firepower, especially when Venkatesh Iyer is struggling for runs more often than not, and Kolkata have also experimented going back to Sunil Narine as the other opener. On the other hand, Gujarat have limited resources but they look to be a team with a lot of motivation and inspiration since they have been able to produce inspiring performances throughout the season so far.
PLAYERS’ FORM: Shreyas Iyer and Aaron Finch will be the key players for Kolkata with the bat since both these experienced campaigners have shown tremendous promise in the last few matches for the two-time title winners. Kolkata, however, have a lot to desire from their bowlers who began the tournament impressively but have somehow lost their sting. Sunil Narine has been able to contain the opposition batsmen and at the same time take a few wickets but Varun Chakravarthy seems to be struggling in a similar role. Even the fast bowlers have not done enough to impress. On the other hand, Gujarat have plenty of talent and determination in their camp which has reflected in their on-field performances in the six matches that they have played.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
KOLKATA: Aaron Finch, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Shivam Mavi, Pat Cummins, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
GUJARAT: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar/Hardik Pandya (c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan (c), Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson
FANTASY XI: Aaron Finch, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (c), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Wriddiman Saha (wk), David Miller, Rashid Khan, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Alzarri Joseph.
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Kolkata look to end losing streak against formidable Gujarat
Having lost their last three matches by heavy margins in the ongoing Indian T20 Cricket League 2022, the two-time title winners Kolkata will be under pressure but determined to end their losing streak when they take the field on Saturday afternoon at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai to face a formidable Gujarat side.
Kolkata are currently languishing at the 7th spot with only 3 wins and 2 defeats to show from 7 matches played, which have given them 6 points and a net run rate of 0.160.
Their opposition on Saturday afternoon, Gujarat, is sitting pretty at the top of the points table with 5 victories in 7 matches giving them 10 points and a net run rate of 0.395.
Kolkata would feel that they were not too far off from ending their losing run in the tournament when they fell short by 7 runs chasing 217 against Rajasthan in a high-scoring match played on April 18 at the Brabourne Stadium.
Shreyas Iyer scored a brilliant 85 whereas Aaron Finch made a vital half-century but their efforts were not enough to take Kolkata past the finish line.
Prior to that defeat, Kolkata had lost to Hyderabad by 7 wickets and by 44 runs to Delhi — performances that indicate that all is not well with the two-time title winners and Shreyas Iyer and Co will need to pull up their socks for the fight ahead.
Kolkata, however, will feel confident that they will be able to get the better of one of the most formidable teams in the tournament, Gujarat whom they take on Saturday afternoon at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
With 5 victories from 6 matches, Gujarat are sitting at the top of the pile in the points table and have a match-winning combination already while several other teams seem to be struggling at it.
David Miller scored a brilliant 94 not out against Chennai in their previous match to power Gujarat to a narrow but a thrilling win by three wickets — one that will give their side a lot of confidence going forward.
It remains to be seen if Hardik Pandya, who suffered a groin injury, will be able to take part in the contest on Saturday. If available for selection, the Gujarat captain will replace Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer in the playing XI and if not, Rashid Khan will continue to lead Gujarat.