Qalandars vs Team Abu Dhabi Predictions: Abu Dhabi T10 League Eliminator Preview

With the second Eliminator being impossible to write about as it takes place mere minutes after the two teams have been confirmed, this will be our last preview before the final. The Qalandars will be extremely disappointed to be in the lower playoff slot given the fact that they were unbeaten at the top until this afternoon, but the experience of their players should help brace them for the situation. They have nevertheless played some superb cricket, and those skills will come in handy when they meet their adversaries for the Eliminator - Team Abu Dhabi. Luke Wright’s team have been far from perfect with 3 wins and 3 losses, but what matters is they’ve made it through, and are only two matches away from playing the final. Both teams have plenty of superstars, and all of them will play their hearts out, so you can expect plenty of high level action. Before said action gets under way, 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, Samit Patel, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir.

Preview and form

One good thing about the Qalandars facing defeat is that they will no longer be complacent, which might have been a problem had they gone right into the finals undefeated. In their last match, their batting fell apart, with Tom Banton’s super slow 26 being the highest score, supported by a couple of 18-run cameos from the lower half of the lineup as well as a ridiculous 13 extras. Defending only 107, no one except Sohail Tanvir was the least bit economical, and the Qalandars lost early in the 8th over with 2.4 overs to go.

Key players

Tom Banton: One failure doesn’t define a player, so Banton’s lethargic innings won’t be the norm.

Ben Dunk: The Australian flopped again last match, but he has been in good nick lately.

Shahid Afridi: Absent from the last match, Afridi should be back for the playoffs.

Sohail Tanvir: In terrific form, Tanvir will be one of the biggest problems for the opposition batsmen.

Team Abu Dhabi

Predicted XI

Luke Wright (c), Joe Clarke, Leonardo Julien (wk), Obed McCoy, Jamie Overton, Rohan Mustafa, Usman Shinwari, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ben Duckett, Chris Gayle, Najibullah Zadran, Paul Stirling.

Preview and form

The one thing Team Abu Dhabi have done right this season is win when it matters most, and their next match just happens to be such a situation. In their last match, they were in a do or die situation against the Bangla Tigers. Batting first, Paul Stirling’s 64 and Luke Wright’s 27 took the team to a defendable 116, and thankfully for them, their defence was much better. Jamie Overton took 4 wickets, while Obed McCoy and Naveen-ul-Haq took 2 each, with the former being half as expensive. Even Rohan Mustafa bowled superbly to give away only 9 runs from his two overs, and Team Abu Dhabi won by 21 runs.

Key players

Chris Gayle: His storm may not have continued into yesterday’s match, but the ever-present threat of it is worth keeping him here for.

Paul Stirling: After his first decent knock, Stirling will try to find ways of scoring even more quickly. 

Obed McCoy: He may not have been the most successful bowler in the last match, but he was still fantastic.

Jamie Overton: Overton’s skills are becoming more and more apparent every day as he slowly but surely has become the highest wicket-taker of the tournament by some way.

Qalandars vs Team Abu Dhabi weather conditions and pitch report

As previously mentioned, the weather will be absolutely ideal for cricket with no rain, no excess heat, and no harsh winds.

For the umpteenth time, the pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is just as good for batsmen as it is for bowlers. Yes, all kinds of bowlers. 

Can the Qalandars live up to their league stage form and make it to the second Eliminator? Or will Team Abu Dhabi turn out to be the dark horse of the tournament? Find out if our Qalandars versus Team Abu Dhabi predictions come true on Saturday!