National T20 Cup 2021: Match 17, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Northern - Preview, predicted XIs, pitch report, weather forecast, match prediction and live streaming details

In the 17th match of the National T20 Cup, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will lock horns against Northern at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on a roll so far. They have won four out of the five games that they have played and have been a side to beat in this year’s National T20 Cup. Mohammad Rizwan has led his side brilliantly and will be looking to keep performing the same way.

They won their last game against Balochistan comprehensively. After being asked to bat first, they posted a mammoth 202 runs on the board. Everyone contributed with the bat, with Sahibzada Farhan top-scoring with a brilliant 43 runs. Subsequently, the bowlers were outstanding as they restricted the Balochistan side to 147/9. Arshad Iqbal and Asif Afridi picked up three wickets apiece. A win here would see them claim top spot in the points table.

The Northern side has had a roller-coaster ride so far. They have won three and lost two in a total of five games played. They are coming off a loss in their last game against Sindh and will be looking to get back to winning ways.

Winning the toss against Sindh, Shadab Khan opted to bowl first. The bowlers didn’t have the best of times as Sindh's side posted 176 on the board, losing seven wickets. The bowlers failed to hit the right areas with the ball.

Chasing 177, the Northern side lost three wickets in the eighth over and rain halted the match. No further play was possible and the Northern side lost the game by 3 runs on the D/L method. They will be looking for a much-improved performance in their next outing.

Match Details

Match: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Northern, Match No.17, National T20 Cup 2021

Date and Time: October 3rd 2021, Sunday, 03:30 PM IST

Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Weather Report

Temperatures in Rawalpindi on Saturday are expected to range between 22 and 31 degrees Celsius. It will be sunny throughout the day and expect a full game on Sunday.

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is very good for batting. We have seen teams chase down totals successfully. Expect the surface to stay true throughout the course of the match.

Predicted Playing XIs

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

This side has been one to watch out for this season. All players have stepped up and the side looks well-balanced. The bowlers backed their batters in their last game to win the game convincingly. Don’t expect them to tinker with the winning combination for their next fixture.

Predicted XI: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Isratullah, Sahibzada Farhan, Asif Afridi, Iftikhar Ahmed, Musadiq Ahmed, Adil Amin, Mohammad Imran, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Arshaf Iqbal, Imran Khan

Northern

It was a disappointing performance from the bowlers in Northern’s side last fixture. The bowlers need to step up and back up their batters. Expect them to field the same XI that featured against Sindh in their last game.

Predicted XI: Nasir Nawaz, Sarmad Hameed, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan (c), Mohammad Nawaz, Rohail Nazir (wk), Salman Irshad, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Musa

Match Prediction

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has had a fantastic run in the competition so far. The Northern side have been good in phases and will look to be consistent in their upcoming games.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the winning momentum behind them and it won’t be a surprise if they go past the Northern side in their next fixture.