The second match of the Thursday double-header (LPL 2020) is set to take place between the Galle Gladiators and Kusal Perera led Kandy Tuskers. Both the teams are placed at the bottom of the table with just one win from the six games played so far. With only five teams taking part in the tournament, this match will be a virtual knockout as the winner of this encounter is likely to make it to the play-offs.
Galle Gladiators were dealt a huge blow when their skipper Shahid Afridi returned to his hometown owing to a personal emergency and the team since then has been not able to break the shackles.
The Kandy Tuskers’ only win in this season came against the Gladiators as they managed to defeat them by a margin of 25 runs. Kusal Perera and Co. will be hoping they can replicate the same performance in this all-important clash.
Can the depleted Galle side bounce back and get closer to the play-offs spot? Or will it be the Kandy Tuskers who end up on top?
Match Toss Time: 15:00 Local (15:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 15:30 Local (15:30 IST)
Match Venue: Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota
Weather Report
The conditions do not seem the best for cricket as thunderstorms and rain are expected throughout the day. The fans and players will be hoping the rain stays away and least have a curtailed match. The temperatures are expected to hover in the range of 27-29 degrees celsius and humidity around the 76 percent mark.
Pitch
As we saw from the beginning of the tournament, the pitch has been in favor of the batsmen and the bowlers have seldom found anything in favor of them. With continuous rainfall in the last few days, it would be interesting to see how the pitch and outfield behaves. With the humidity on the higher side, the dew factor is expected to play a vital role in this encounter and for that reason, the team winning the toss will be looking to chase.
Team News
The Galle Gladiators are in a must-win situation and would not be looking to fiddle with the line-up. The management will be hoping the team gets together and win the all-important encounter.
The Kandy Tuskers are also in the same situation as the Gladiators and with the bowlers doing their job, they will be looking to bring in a few changes in their attack.
Probable Playing Xl
Galle Gladiators (GGD): Danushka Gunathilaka, Ahsan Ali, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (c), Azam Khan (wk),Chadwick Walton, Sahan Arachchige, Shehan Jayasuriya, Lakshan Sandakan, Mohammad Amir, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Nuwan Thushara
Kandy Tuskers (KDT): Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Kusal Mendis, Brendan Taylor, Asela Gunaratne, Irfan Pathan, Dilruwan Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Dale Steyn/Naveen-ul-Haq
GGD vs KDT Fantasy Team
Kusal Perera, Azam Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asela Gunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Ahsan Ali, Danushka Gunathilaka, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan
Captain Picks: Asela Gunaratne (KDT), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (GGD)
Vice-captain Picks: Danushka Gunathilaka (GGD), Kusal Perera (KDT)
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