Qalandars vs Delhi Bulls Predictions: Abu Dhabi T10 League 23rd Match Preview

It’s the clash of two of this year’s titans; a fight between number one and number three. One is a seemingly (and thus far, literally) invincible force of nature, and the other is a flawed but extremely powerful army of players. The Qalandars are still the favourites for the matchup, but not by much as the Delhi Bulls look incredibly strong as well. If the Qalandars emerge victorious, nothing changes, but if the Bulls win, they will jump into first place - and perhaps even push the Qalandars down into third and out of the top playoff berth. With quite a lot on the line, these two are ready to get down and dirty to win this one. Before their cunning schemes become apparent, let’s take a look at the two teams.

Qalandars

Predicted XI

Sohail Akhtar (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Asif Ali, Sultan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Ben Dunk (wk), Chris Jordan, Sharjeel Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir.

Preview and form

The only problem with being undefeated is the constant threat of losing your pristine record. As good as the Qalandars have been, there have been chinks in their armour that, while their past opponents have been unable to exploit, others may take advantage of. Batting first in their last match against the Bangla Tigers, relatively slow innings by Sohail Akhtar (49 off 28) and Ben Dunk (31 off 16) forced the Qalandars to have to be happy with just 104. However, their defense was much better. Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Zahid took 2 each, and Chris Jordan and Ahmed Daniyal not only took a wicket each, but were extremely stingy with runs, making sure their opponents couldn’t get more than 97 and sealing a 7 run win.

QAL Key players

Sohail Akhtar: Despite the slow innings today, Akhtar is still in terrific form.

Ben Dunk: Looking in much better nick now, Dunk can be trouble for the opponents if he gets going.

Chris Jordan: Absolutely monstrous with the ball as of late, Jordan will once again have the bulk of the responsibility when it comes to bowling.

Ahmed Daniyal: The young Emirati is a fantastic find for the Qalandars, and his performances are worth watching.

Delhi Bulls

Predicted XI

Dwayne Bravo (c), Waqas Maqsood, Shiraz Ahmed, Samit Patel, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Evin Lewis, Adam Lyth, Mohammad Nabi, Tom Abell, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Bopara, Sherfane Rutherford.

Preview and form

Not content with out-muscling teams with the bat, the Bulls spent their last match dominating with the ball. Up against the Pune Devils, a bowling masterclass combined with a terrible Devils performance was all they needed to confirm their victory. Amad Butt took two wickets, and most of the other bowlers were superbly economical and successful, but the shining star was almost certainly the only man in cricketing history to be the man of the match by bowling five deliveries and not even getting down to bat. Ali Khan bowled 5 deliveries, gave away no runs, and took 3 wickets before an injury made him walk away. Thumping their opponents to a 57-run submission, it took the Bulls just 4.4 overs to cross their target with 8 wickets remaining, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 26 being the highest score.

DB Key players

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Some players just love scoring, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz looks like he’s one of them.

Evil Lewis: Hardly needed in the last match, Lewis will want to compensate with a hard-hitting innings.

Tom Abell: A solid bowler, Abell has plenty of potential to stir up a storm with the ball.

Fidel Edwards: Speaking of stirring up storms, the fast bowler from the Caribbean will want to do so as well.

Qalandars vs Delhi Bulls weather conditions and pitch report

Other than a possible light drizzle - which should be over as soon as it begins - the conditions will be as ideal for cricket as they ever get. 

As we have been saying for this past week, the pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is good for both batsmen and bowlers, and the T10 format makes it so that neither really matters.

Can the Qalandars end their league stages unbeaten? Or will the Bulls bulldoze them to take the lead? Find out if our Qalandars versus Delhi Bulls predictions come true on Thursday!