There are two teams to start their life in the International League T20 competition and they both do so over the course of the first ILT20 double header of the season on Sunday. One of those is the Gulf Giants and they take on the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the first game in Abu Dhabi.
The Knight Riders are effectively on home soil in this match and they will look to use it to their advantage to level up their ledger after being well beaten in their opening game. Gulf Giants compete for the first time here.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
You would have to say there was little to like about the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in their opening match. Everyone is allowed a game to get up to speed but you sense there will need to be a huge improvement from the Knight Riders if they are going to get up to a level where they are winning matches regularly in this tournament. Abu Dhabi were found wanting in a big way with the ball and never really convinced much with the bat either.
They are entitled to come on for the run though. A number of their players haven’t played much cricket recently so a game out in the middle to get up to speed is understandable but if you think back to the Indian Premier League, the Kolkata Knight Riders are often guilty of not fulfilling their potential and they won’t want the Abu Dhabi version of the franchise to follow suit. A convincing performance would just ease all those concerns.
Gulf Giants
I guess the Gulf Giants are going to be disadvantaged by the fact that they are making their debut in the tournament here. If we allow the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders a game to get up to speed then the Gulf Giants need to get the same treatment. It would be great for them if they can hit the ground running but experience in these franchise tournaments would tell us that it is unlikely to be the case and would be impressive if it wasn’t.
One thing which might help the Giants’ cause is that three members of their squad come here from the Big Bash so they have been playing. There is a strong English contingent in this squad which is no bad thing given the strength in depth there is in that country. Almost as importantly they have one of the best associate players in the game in David Wiese so when they are up to speed there is no reason why they can’t be a good side.
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Key Players
Paul Stirling was one of only two Abu Dhabi Knight Riders batters who made double figures in their opening humiliation. It would help if he was to push 50 again and with this being the second match on this ground in as many days we might see his off spin too.
Chris Lynn is always a big name in franchise tournaments but he has a reputation for not being the best player of spin. He is likely to get a fair bit of spin bowled at him in this match and it will be interesting to see how he copes with that.
Betting
I’m not a massive fan of backing a team who haven’t played against a team who have played because there is a real competitive edge on the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders side of things but there was nothing I liked about their display in that opening game and the 13/10 on the Gulf Giants is just big enough to lure me in. I probably wouldn’t have bothered but this is a day game so we don’t need to worry about dew being a factor or anything like that which helps.
The Gulf Giants have three players who will be up to speed having played in the Big Bash League recently and a couple of the others were playing international cricket over the last month or so as well so it isn’t like they come in here completely cold. The way the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders faded with the ball in that opening match is a real concern and unless there is a brutal Andre Russell blitz with the bat I can see the Gulf Giants winning this.
Tips
Back Gulf Giants to beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with Bet365
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