Vancouver Knights vs Winnipeg Hawks, Global Canada T20 League, Match 2, Round 2: Preview, predictions, likely XIs

It’s the last leg of the Global T20 Canada 2019 – the final is five days away – and things are heating up. Vancouver Knights and Winnipeg Hawks clash against each other in a bid to make it to the Qualifiers, and although the Knights finished the league stages placed stronger, this one will be hard to call.

For starters, the last time these two sides met, it was the Hawks that secured victory. They managed to chase down a tall total set by the Knights – 208/5 with Chris Gayle firing a 27-ball 45 – with Chris Lynn and JP Duminy unleashing their own big hits. The target was a lofty 209, but it was chased down in a mere 15.2 overs.

Can we see more of the same from the Hawks? Difficult to say. The Hawks saw off Toronto Nationals as well, flexing their batting muscles again, but have since been bowled out for 116 by Brampton Wolves and their batters were bettered by those of Edmonton Royals thereafter.

In fact, the Vancouver bowlers have kept the opposition troubled, bundling out Brampton for 138 and keeping the Royals to 165/9. It, therefore, comes down to a clash between the batting might of the Hawks against the Knights bowlers.

It’s a hard one to call, especially with a Qualifier spot at stake. It should be interesting.

Head to head

These two sides met in Qualifier 2 last year, and it was the Knights who secured victory by the DLS method. Earlier that season, once again, Knights had the wool over Wolves, with a six-wicket.

The Hawks win against the Knights this year was their first ever against them. Is that a sign?

Key players

Chris Gayle (Vancouver): The captain is their top run-scorer this season, and with the stakes rising, he will have to come good. If he does that, the Hawks will have little they can do but hope their own batsmen come good. Especially if the Knights are batting first, it could prove a game-changer.

Dwayne Bravo (Knights): The Hawks have shipped runs in their last two matches, but that makes Bravo all the more key to their set up. With six wickets in four outings at 20, he is their best bowler. If he can make some early inroads, the Hawks will be on the front foot.

Likely XIs

Winnipeg Hawks: Shaiman Anwar, Chris Lynn, Dwayne Smith, JP Duminy (c), Umar Akmal (wk), Sunny Sohal, Kaleem Sana, Sompal Kami, Mohammad Irfan, Paul van Meekeren, Umair Ghani

Vancouver Knights: Chris Gayle (c), Tobias Visee (wk), Chadwick Walton, Shoaib Malik, Andre Russell, Hayden Walsh, Daniel Sams, Michael Rippon, Saad Bin Zafar, Ali Khan, Rayyan Pathan

Prediction

The Hawks to do the double over the Knights.