National T20 Cup 2021: Match 15, Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Preview, predicted XIs, pitch report, weather forecast, match prediction and live streaming details

The 15th match of the National T20 Cup will see Balochistan locking horns with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday, October 2.

Balochistan, led by Imam-ul-Haq, managed to secure their second win of the tournament when they defeated Southern Punjab by eight wickets on Friday. After being asked to field first, Balochistan restricted their opponents to 174 in 20 overs. Junaid Khan picked up three wickets on his return to the side.

Later, Abdul Bangalzai’s 42-ball 50 coupled with 40s from opener Abdullah Shafique and Haris Sohail took them over the line. Despite the win, Balochistan stayed fifth in the table, tied with Central Punjab on points.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the other hand, have posted three wins from four games but trail Sindh and Northern in the points table owing to an inferior net run rate. Khyber registered a comprehensive six-wicket win over Sindh in their previous game.

After electing to field first, Khyber restricted their opponents to 150, with Imran Khan and Asif Afridi picking up two wickets apiece. In response, Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan scored 49 and 45 respectively to help the team chase the target in 17.4 overs.

Match Details

Match: Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Match No.15, National T20 Cup 2021.

Date and Time: October 2, 2021, Saturday, 3:30 PM IST.

Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Weather Report

Conditions are expected to be partly sunny with no chance of rain. The temperature will be around 27-degree Celsius with humidity in the 60s.

Pitch Report

The pitch in Rawalpindi is expected to be excellent for batting. Chasing should be the preferred option for the two teams.

Predicted Playing XIs

Balochistan

Imam-ul-Haq didn’t come out to bat last time around after being taken to the hospital and he may miss the game. Amad Butt didn’t feature in the previous game, but he is expected to return to the side.

Predicted XI: Imam-ul-Haq (c)/Abdullah Shafique, Abdul Bangalzai, Sohail Akhtar, Bismillah Khan, Haris Sohail, Amad Butt, Mohammad Mohsin, Kashif Bhatti, Umaid Asif, Khurram Manzoor, Junaid Khan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mohammad Rizwan and Sahibzada Farhan are the leading run-scorers for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the rest of the batters need to chip in with some runs in this game. Imran Khan is their leading wicket-taker with eight scalps, while Asif Afridi and Mohammad Wasim have also performed well.

Predicted XI: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Israrullah, Sahibzada Farhan, Adil Amin, Musadiq Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim, Asif Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Arshad Iqbal, Imran Khan.

Match Prediction

Although Balochistan are high on confidence after winning their previous game, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are the much stronger team on paper and should be able to come away with the win.