Dec 4: Colombo Kings vs Jaffna Stallions, Hambantota
Pro Tip: The strength of these two sides is their allrounders. So, go for a lot of allrounders in your XI, backed by some proven overseas players like Laurie Evans and Usman Shinwari.
Our XI: Dinesh Chandimal, Laurie Evans, Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Andre Russell, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Usman Shinwari, Dushmantha Chameera
Substitutes: Shoaib Malik, Duanne Olivier, Thikshila de Silva, Qais Ahmed
Player availability: All the players are available for this clash as of now.
We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.
Captain: Thisara Perera
Easily the best batter of the tournament so far, Thisara Perera has scored 165 runs in just two innings. His team was struggling at 64 for 5 and 49 for 4 respectively when he came out to bat and scored of 97* off 44 and 68 off 28. He has also taken five wickets, which makes him a strong choice for captain.
Vice-captain: Andre Russell
One of the best T20 players of this generation, Russell has found form with both bat and ball in the tournament. He made 65* off 19 balls in a five-over game and then picked up three wickets in two overs in the last match. We are backing him to have an impact once again.
Hot Picks
Laurie Evans: Evans scored a 33-ball 59 which included five fours and four sixes in the last match and is already the top run-scorer for his team (102 runs). He was also the top run-scorer for his side Surrey in NatWest T20 Blast this year where he scored 363 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 153.16.
Wanindu Hasaranga: The 23-year-old youngster is the most prolific spinner in the tournament so far with five wickets in three games. He is also the most economical bowler in the tournament, going at a rate of just 4.41. He can also score some points with the bat which was evident from his 10-ball 24 against Viiking.
Usman Shinwari: The left-arm pacer from Pakistan has been the most impressive bowler in LPL 2020 so far. In two games, he picked up six wickets at an astonishing average (5.50), economy (4.71) and strike rate (7.00). In the last 12 months, he has picked up 17 wickets in 14 games.
Differential Picks
Dhananjaya de Silva: With some of the Stallions’ top-order batsmen struggling, de Silva is expected to bat up the order. He didn’t get many chances earlier, but he scored a 38-ball 61 against Kandy Tuskers and got his confidence back.
Dinesh Chandimal: After a Man-of-the-Match performance in the first game (80 off 46 balls), not getting to bat in the second game and getting out for a golden duck in the third game, Chandimal has seen all the extremes in this tournament. But he is a proven performer and is likely to get you some points behind the stumps too.
Alternate Scenarios
-
Shoaib Malik, who looked good until getting run out in the last game, can replace Dushmantha Chameera.