With the two league stages over and done with, we now move on to the playoffs. In the first match there, the Delhi Bulls are facing off against the Northern Warriors. The stark lack of the Qalandars will shock many, but the fan favourite team were knocked out of the top two by the Bulls, who ended the former’s unbeaten run in style to push them out of the top berth. Now they’ll be looking to be the first team to proceed to the final, but the Warriors might have something to say about that. It’s hard to imagine that these are the same players that lost against the Maratha Arabians in their first match - especially since the Arabians failed to win a single match after that. The Warriors on the other hand have won every match since, and are now looking like strong contenders to win it all. They were also responsible for the Bulls’ only loss this season, so they’ll fancy their chances. Before bat and ball collide, let’s take a look at the two teams.

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

After showing the unbeaten Qalandars that they can bleed, and taking the helm of the league standings, the Bulls have set a strong precedent. In that match, Fidel Edwards may have taken two wickets, but it was the relatively economical spells of Nyeem Young, Dwayne Bravo, and Waqas Maqsood - the first two of whom also picked up a wicket each - that really helped them keep the Qalandars limited to 107. On the chase, Evin Lewis’ 48 and Ravi Bopara’s 37 made short work of the target, with the Bulls sealing their victory with 9 wickets in hand and 16 deliveries to spare.

Key players

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: The young man may have had a poor game last time around, but it’s not enough to convince us that he’ll have a similar game tomorrow.

Evin Lewis: As good as any other batsman in this T10 format, Lewis will be looking to reach that final where he belongs.

Fidel Edwards: He may not be all that good at other formats, but Edwards seems to really shine in T10s.

Dwayne Bravo: The Bulls captain may not be spending much time in front of the stumps, but he’s doing a great job of bowling at them.

Northern Warriors

Predicted XI

Nicholas Pooran (c/wk), Fabian Allen, Rayad Emrit, Brandon King, Waheed Ahmed, Rovman Powell, Waseem Muhammad, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Siddique, Lendl Simmons, Wayne Parnell.

Preview and form

The Warriors have shown time and time again that they can eke out a win in even the most high-pressure situations, and this makes them a dangerous team to face in the playoff stages. In their last match, they bowled first to the Pune Devils. An incredible 3 for 5 by Wayne Parnell, supported by Wahab Riaz’s 2 for 20 and an economical 1 for 14 by Rayad Emrit made sure the Devils could only manage a lowly 97. The Warriors’ reply was swift and brutal, with Waseem Muhammad’s 13-ball 56* deflating any hopes the Devils had of defending their small target, and finishing the game in favour of the Warriors with 8 wickets and a ridiculous 33 deliveries to spare.

Key players

Waseem Muhammad: After a thrashing like that, we’re looking forward to see more of Waseem.

Nicholas Pooran: He didn’t need to do much in the last game, but his skills will be very important this time around.

Wayne Parnell: The Proteas fast bowler is making a very strong case for being recalled to the national team with repeated excellent performances.

Wahab Riaz: As we thought, Wahab’s confidence is making him a deadly adversary.

Delhi Bulls vs Northern Warriors weather conditions and pitch report

As has been usual out in the desert sands, the weather will be absolutely perfect for cricket. Even the wind, which will be stronger earlier in the day, will be pleasantly tame by the time the match begins.

The surface at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, if we haven’t said it enough already, is great for both batsmen and bowlers, with scores being impossible to accurately predict or call safe because of the format.

Can the Bulls manage to knock the Warriors into the lower bracket? Or will the latter demonstrate their mettle by being the first ones to reach the final? Find out if our Delhi Bulls versus Northern Warriors predictions come true on Friday!