Maratha Arabians vs Delhi Bulls Predictions: Abu Dhabi TCL 5th Match Preview

Like the teams before, some misguided errors were made by us about the Maratha Arabians and the Delhi Bulls. For starters, both of these teams are in Group A. Not many people would have expected the Arabians to put on such a strong show in their first match, yet they go into their second one with a resounding win off of the very last delivery of their match against the Northern Warriors. The Bulls will be no walk in the park, though, as they managed to make the Bangla Tigers look almost like amateurs with some incredible hitting. Both teams will want to take control of the group, so this should be a hard-fought victory for whichever team takes it. Before that fight begins, let’s take a look at the two fighters.

Maratha Arabians

Predicted XI

Mosaddek Hossain (c), Abdul Shakoor (wk), Muktar Ali, Laurie Evans, Amjad Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Yamin Ahmadzai, Sompal Kami, Ishan Malhotra, Sohag Gazi, Pravin Tambe.

Preview and form

As was misconstrued by many high-profile sports news outlets, the Arabians have a few players that were previously unaccounted for, while a few others aren’t in the lineup despite previously being considered to be. The players that are to be added are Javed Ahmadi, Kevin Koththigoda, Sandeep Singh, Alishan Sharafu, Syed Shah, and Sohag Gazi, while the players not on the team are Taskin Ahmed and Amjad Gul Khan. In their last match, the Arabians were up against the powerful Northern Warriors. Bowling first, they were largely unsuccessful in taking wickets, with Muktar Ali taking the sole scalp and Pravin Tambe supporting with some relatively economical bowling. Chasing a gigantic 127, the Arabians got off to a fantastic start thanks to Abdul Shakoor’s belligerent 73 off just 28, and with the help of Mohammad Hafeez’s cameo and a few other bits and pieces, the Arabians managed to clinch victory off the very last delivery with 5 wickets to spare.

MA Key players

Abdul Shakoor: The relatively unknown Arabians keeper was a firecracker in the first match, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.

Laurie Evans: He may not have had the best game this time around, but Evans has plenty of firepower under his bonnet.

Pravin Tambe: The oldest professional cricketer contributed nicely to his team, and hopefully he’ll be even more successful in the future.

Muktar Ali: This Bangladeshi talent has begun to shine, late in his career or not. If groomed, he will be a star soon.

Delhi Bulls

Predicted XI

Dwayne Bravo (c), Amad Butt, Kashif Daud, Ali Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Evin Lewis, Adam Lyth, Mohammad Nabi, Waqar Salamkheil, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Bopara, Sherfane Rutherford.

Preview and form

Like the other teams, we were wrong on a few things about the Bulls as well. Ravi Bopara, Waqar Maqsood, Khalid Shah, and Tom Abell come in, while Dushmantha Chameera and Dasun Shanaka don’t seem to be anywhere in sight. In their own first match, the Bulls pulled off something of a rampage with the bat. Bowling first, Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Bravo were the only ones to pick up wickets, and even they couldn’t stop the Bangla Tigers from scoring 128. Their chase, though, was ridiculously good. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 41 off 15, Evin Lewis’ 32 from 18, and Ravi Bopara’s 38 from 16 left very little for the others to do, and the Bulls won the match with 7 deliveries and wickets in hand. 

DB Key players

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: It’s wonderful to have a player around who lives up to his growing reputation, and Gurbaz is building quite an amazing one.

Evin Lewis: Although he was slower than his teammates, Lewis can get going when he needs to.

Fidel Edwards: The West Indian pacer had a decent showing in his first match.

Dwayne Bravo: Given his skills in every department of the game, you can’t really keep this champion player out of such lists.

MA vs DB weather conditions and pitch report

As we’ve already said, the weather’s going to be absolutely perfect for cricket with a nice breeze, pleasant temperatures, and no chance for rain.

As we saw on the first day, previous matches have very little effect on the pitch due to their short length, so one can still expect batsmen to do well and bowlers to struggle, and scores of 125-130 to be the norm.

Can the Arabians make this a night to remember? Or will the Bulls keep their run going? Find out if our Maratha Arabians versus Delhi Bulls predictions come true on Friday!