1ST SEMI FINAL - MATCH 45 (ECS21.696) BERLIN CC (BER) v RC DRESDEN (RCD) 0700 GMT | 0900 CET | 1230 IST
BER Last Five Matches: L W W W NR (Avg Score For 97, Avg Score Against 78)
RCD Last Five Matches: L W L L NR (Avg Score For 94, Avg Score Against 111)
BERLIN CC (BER)
Captain: Awais Zafar
Wicketkeeper: Abhilash Anantharam
Projected Top Four: Saddam Gill, Nick Kraigar, Sahil Lal, Reuben Davies
Projected Opening Bowlers: Awais Zafar, Imran Bukhari
Spin Options: Karan Singh, Nagapratap Mahanandhi
BERLIN CC Key Players:
Nick Kraigar, the 27-year old all-rounder bagged a man of the match award in his debut ECS match scoring an unbeaten 51 and scalping three wickets. Has scored a total of 95 runs in five games and picked up NINE scalps leading the wickets column for BER.
Karan Singh featured for Berlin Eagles last term playing four games. The off-spinner has picked up SIX wickets in five overs this term.
Awais Zafar, captain, right arm pacer, has scalped SIX wickets in seven games with a best return of 2-18.
Sahil Lal, the hard hitting batsman plundered 19 runs in the last over against USCM to win the match for BER on Thursday bagging a man of the match award for his scintillating effort. Has racked up 64 runs in six innings.
Vimal Marripeddi, the right arm off-spinner wreaked havoc against BICA picking up 5-4 in the only match he played on Saturday. Second highest wicket taker for BER picking up SEVEN wickets in three games.
RC DRESDEN (RCD)
Captain: Sandeep Kamboj
Wicketkeeper: Arun Harkanchi
Projected Top Four: Sandeep Kamboj, Mustafa Khan, Kapil Chandnani, Gulzar Rasool
Projected Opening Bowlers: Belal Zadran, Kapil Chandnani
Spin Option(s): Rahul Grover, Azam Rajput
RC DRESDEN Key Players:
Sandeep Kamboj, captain, attacking opening batsman, capable of accelerating from ball one. All-time RCD leading run scorer. Mustered an unbeaten 51 off 23 balls vs EIH on Wednesday. Second highest scorer for RCD with 108 runs. He also bowls right-arm medium pace and is generally accurate with his line and length and has scalped SIX wickets.
Kapil Chandnani, top-order batsman and medium pace bowler. A technically sound batsman and an equally good bowler with an ability to swing the new ball both ways. Joint leading wicket taker for RCD scalping SEVEN wickets in six games.
Rahul Grover, off-break bowler, leading the team of spinners in the RCD side. Has been in superb form already this summer and will definitely be a bowler to watch out for this term. He scalped SEVEN wickets in seven games with a best return of 3-13 and is the joint highest wicket taker for RCD.
Belal Zadran, left-arm medium pace bowler, right-hand middle order batsman and solid fielder.One of the top all-rounders in the RCD side, has amassed 104 runs in five innings at a SR of 204 and has scalped FIVE wickets.
Mustafa Khan, the right hander is the highest run scorer for RCD racking up 113 runs in eight innings.
Gulzar Rasool, the all-rounder mustered 84 runs at a strike rate of 195 in three innings including 24-ball 66 bagging a man of the match award. He also picked up two wickets.
RCD won their first four matches in convincing fashion, but lost three out of their last four to finish second in the group. After Friday’s respective “rained-off wins”, the hosts will also have to contend with over a week’s break from the action, while the top team in Group B, Berlin CC ended with a 7-1 record, and came through many tight finishes in impressive fashion. This is a meeting of two evenly matched sides and could go either way.
Match Prediction: Berlin CC (BER) to win an entertaining game.
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