National T20 Cup 2021: Match 2, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab (Pakistan) - Preview, predicted XIs, pitch report, weather forecast, match prediction and live streaming details

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab (Pakistan) are set to lock horns in the second match of the National T20 Cup 2021 on Thursday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by Mohammad Rizwan, didn’t have the best of runs in the league stage of the competition last year. They qualified for the semis after winning only five of ten games. But from there on, there was no stopping them, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa went all the way.

In the final, they beat Southern Punjab (Pakistan) by ten runs. After being put in to bat first, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa smashed 206 runs, thanks to half-centuries from Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik. Thereafter, they restricted their opponents to 196 runs in their allotted twenty overs.

Central Punjab, meanwhile, couldn’t make the semis last time after being edged out by Southern Punjab on net run rate. They won four of their ten games, and finished with a net run rate of 0.046. So they'll looki for a change in fortunes this time around.

Abdullah Shafique scored 358 runs for them in the tournamen, and was later called up to the Pakistan national team. Ehsan Adil was their top wicket-taker, claiming 13 wickets. So a cracker of a contest seems to be in store on Thursday night in Rawalpindi.

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Match Details

Match: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab (Pakistan), Match 2, National T20 Cup 2021.

Date: September 23, 2021, Thursday.

Time: 8:00 PM IST.

Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

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Weather Report

Conditions could stay clear throughout the game, with no chance of rain. The temperature will likely be around the 25-degree Celsius mark.

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Pitch Report

The pitch in Rawalpindi is expected to be a good one for batting. Dew is most likely to play a part, so chasing should be the preferred option. Scoring runs in the powerplay will be critical.

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Predicted Playing XIs

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mohammad Rizwan has been a prolific run-scorer in the T20 format, so a lot will depend on him if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have to make a winning start. Shaheen Shah Afridi has been amongst the wickets, and he’ll be leading the bowling attack. Others need to play their part as well too.

Predicted XI

Mohammad Rizwan (C and WK), Adil Amin, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris Iftikhar Ahmed, Arshad Iqbal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Imran Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Maaz Khan.

Central Punjab (Pakistan)

Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique form a potent opening pair for Central Punjab. The middle order has the experienced Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez. Kamran Akmal needs to bring forth his experience as well. The bowling lineup has the likes of Hasan Ali, Usman Qadir and Wahab Riaz.

Predicted XI

Babar Azam (C), Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (WK), Faheem Ashraf, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Usman Qadir, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Ehsan Adil.

Match Prediction

Central Punjab couldn’t live up to expectations last time. But with a strong squad in place, they are expected to beat defending champion Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

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TV and live streaming details

TV: N/A

Live Streaming