There are
no easy matches anymore, and this is a battle of equals. Two consistent and
settled teams with depth in both batting and bowling face off against each
other. Everything is at stake, and neither team is prepared to go home soon.
What a prospect!
STONERS
FORM GUIDE
OVERVIEW
Stoners
have been on a roll. They are a happy and settled side with strong leadership
and talented players. Everyone knows their role and they back each other.
That’s all it takes really. In fact, Stoners set an excellent example for
several other teams in this tournament.
Stoners
have batted first 4 times. They have scored big in every game (the lowest is
175 / 2 against Yes Bank in tough batting conditions), and won comfortably each
time. In 3 of the 4 matches, they have started calmly during the Power Play
overs, but each time they have hit big during the last 6 overs – Real Big. 57, 82, 70, and 95 (in order) is what they
have posted in the last 6 in each of their matches. No team can match these
death over stats. Captain Mustafa has slammed a century (against Yes Bank), and
Bhaskar, Kartik, Sanit and Imran have all made substantial contributions.
While the
batsmen have delivered, the bowlers have slammed the door shut on the opposition each
time. The bowling unit is both disciplined and versatile. Seamers Varun and
Rakesh (right and left arm) have been excellent at the start, and the spinners
(Imran, Rachit, Mustafa) have backed them really well. In the last 3 games
almost everyone conceded less than 7 an over.
The only
potential danger (if one had to fish something out) is that they have been
untested under pressure. They have not yet come up against a side that can
unleash the same medicine, but now they will. They haven’t had to chase either.
Losing the toss could break the comfort streak.
Bottom-line: If they
can continue to do what they have done so far, they will be hard for anyone to
beat.
PERFORMANCE INDICATOR
Click here for the Stoners Performance Indicator,
with a complete breakdown of their results, top performers in each match, and
batting and bowling statistics.
DELHI BLASTERS
FORM GUIDE
OVERVIEW
Delhi
Blasters have been in excellent batting form too (the match against Amigos the
only exception) and they have the heavy arsenal to fight fire with fire. Ashish
and Saurabh have been among the runs, and backed by Varun, Shaurya and Ashwat,
they have the capability to score 10 an over. Fascinatingly, their death over
performance matches that of Stoners. In their wins, they have scored 80, 85 and
69 in the last 6 overs.
The
bowling hasn’t quite produced the same standard of performance as that of
Stoners, but they have a frontline of consistent medium pace bowling, backed by
the genuine left-arm spin of Devrath. Interestingly, while Stoners has batted
first all 4 times, Delhi Blasters has chased in all their matches. In fact, they
have the highest successful chase of the tournament (208 against 22 Yards).
This goes to show that their batsmen are confident, and no total is exactly a
safe total.
Bottom-line: Stoners
has the batting to take on the Delhi Blasters bowling attack and hit big. How
well the bowlers hold their nerve and stick to their discipline against the
onslaught will be a key factor. The only way to halt the Stoners charge is to
take wickets!
PERFORMANCE INDICATOR
Click here for the Delhi Blasters PerformanceIndicator, with a complete breakdown of their results, top performers in
each match, and batting and bowling statistics.
This
clash of equals has the makings of a contest that will go all 12 rounds. Let’s
see!
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