T20 has redefined modern cricket and made it a sport that attracts the young generation who like to see fast action and can’t wait 5 days to see the results of a test match. The fast-paced nature of the game, the pulsating music, the dance of the cheerleaders, the vuvuzelas in the crowd and last ball thrillers, garnished with massive sixes and knuckleball deliveries make for an entertainer that the audiences strive for.

A successful T20 league is now the pride of every cricket board today and massive investments are made by them to reach out to larger audiences every passing year. Each league has heroes and legends and the driving force behind participating in a T20 league is the money that is attached to it. The world has witnessed players quitting international cricket just to focus and perform well for their franchises. It’s surprising how players have started to prefer leagues over their nations, similar to some of the leading footballers.

The cricketing calendar is jam-packed with these T20 leagues which commence every other month. While leagues such as the Big Bash, Pakistan Super League, and Bangladesh Premier League takes over the televisions until March setting the stage for IPL.  The T20 Blast followed by the CPL captures the attention for the latter part of the year.

With the Big Bash League recently concluded and the IPL commencing in less than a month, let’s look at where the other leagues stand in terms of their competitiveness across the globe.

Here’s rating the top leagues across the world:

1. Indian Premier League – 9.5/10

This is the league that has become the benchmark for all other leagues to look up to and emulate. The brainchild of BCCI who wanted to capitalize on the nation’s T20 win, IPL fast tuned out to be an event that captured the attention of the entire nation. With a heady mix of high-quality cricket, cheerleaders and celebrity glamour, the Indian Premier League changed the way the audience watched cricket on TV and at the ground.

The cash-rich tournament aims at promoting cricket in India, and rightly so has been the hub to many new talents who have gone on to don their nations jersey. Not only does the league provide a platform for the experienced to unleash themselves and experiment their skills but also grants a platform for the emerging stars to play at a much higher level, competing against the best of the bests in the world and learning from them.

The competition of this stellar tournament is so high that the auctions has many eminent players remaining unsold. Every edition of the Indian Premier League throws up newer and skilful heroes who do wonders and justice for their teams and price tags. The impact of the league is such that an outstanding performance over a season immediately beings the player to the focus of their respective boards and selection committees.

2. Big Bash League -9/10

Another event that is marked on all T20 fans calendar is the Big Bash League, which is irrefutably the Australian gift to the world. Established in 2011, post the massive success of IPL, there was no looking back for this professional franchise Twenty20 league. The league and the fan base has grown over the years becoming stronger and more competitive at the culmination of every edition.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the three months of the tournament is no less than a festival for the Aussies, as the fans go out of their way to support their favourite clubs. The matches capture prime time TV spots and eyeballs are glued to every moment of the game. The league is known to producing one of the most gripping results with innumerable prominent cricketers across the globe competing for the prize.

With the exception of Indian players contracted with BCCI, this league features almost all other top T20 players. With nearly seventeen thousand runs hit across 59 matches, this edition, the leading tournament generates last ball thrillers, massive sixes and nail-biting contests.

The contest is divided into eight teams starring the fan’s favourite players opposing each other. It’s difficult to get a crack into the squads of the teams that has a mix of specialists featuring the country’s top names. Thus, the BBL is the second most competitive league with a 9/10 rating.

3. Caribbean Premier League – 8/10

This league has a lot to do with the resurgence of the Windies towards T20 supremacy. At a time when they were dealing with an underwhelming run in ODI and the Test formats, CPL induced life into the regions cricket circuit with its slam band action.

Most of the T20 leagues strive to provide an atmosphere that is fun, friendly and a party mood to its attendees. Unfortunately, none of the leagues are even close to the environment that is set up during the CPL season. The tournament is the home to the highest match aggregate and highest T20 score in franchise cricket.

The presence of West Indies stalwarts like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard and notable big hitters from the other parts of the world makes CPL a considerably balanced tournament in comparison to the others. It has also sprouted youth talent in the form of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer who are products of the tournament. The league has six teams with each team consisting of one local player, one overseas player of non-Caribbean origin, and four players under the age of 23. This provides a competitive edge to the CPL over the others.

However, this competitive aspect is overshadowed by the asymmetrical distribution of the skilled and talent between the six teams. The CPL trophy has been won by three of the bigger teams – Jamaica and Barbados twice and Trinidad, thrice. This poses as a barrier as the other teams aren’t in a situation to up their game and play for the ultimate prize- the CPL trophy.

Despite the one-sided nature of competition, Caribbean Premier League is fairly successful with notable players associated with the tournament. Thus, it gets a rating of 8/10.

4. Pakistan Super League -7.5/10

The ongoing Pakistan Super League has witnessed a fantastic display of cricketing action ever since its inaugural edition in 2016. The tournament has undoubtedly grown multifold. The competitiveness between the teams featuring top performers of the world is perhaps something that is making it the talk of the town in recent times.

The PSL follows an interesting structure comprises six teams, ie, Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalanders, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators. The teams consist of an equal distribution of specialist batsmen and bowlers. The action-packed squads roar to perform as the fan experience a cracker of a performance from the stands and at home.

The PSL is simply a blessing in disguise. It lit the fire back for the country who found it difficult to revive their world cricketing affairs. Players like Shane Watson, Jason Roy, Darren Sammy, Shahid Afridi give the tournament a competitive dynamics. With security concerns, the tournament is yet to feature a wide range of top gun performance across the world. Thus, the league is ranked number fourth with 7.5/10 rating.

5. Bangladesh Premier League – 7/10

The Bangladesh Cricket Board were compelled to come up with a T20 championship of their own following the success of the other leagues across the globe. The BPL is regarded as a fairly competitive T20 league with a massive local fan following. The involvement of experienced players has managed to develop the local talent, which augurs well for the competition with the perspective of long term sustenance in mind.

Lack of provision of the Future Tour Programme has resulted in many international stars not being available to participate, therefore wavering the success and the competitiveness of the league. Nevertheless, it has given many recent stars like Imrul Kayes, Mustafizur Rahman and Soumya Sarkar the boost they required to be competitive in the global arena.

The BPL has played a major role in shaping especially current Bangladesh players who have never looked better. The high-pressure games and exposure mould the players and induced confidence in the players to encounter similar situations in international tournaments. However, the BPL misses the trick and remains less competitive with less overseas exposure and hence it gets a 7/10 rating.

6. T20 Blast – 6.5/10

From being the being pioneers of franchise cricket to being one of the only leagues who kept their focuses on grass-root players, the league is an epitome of domestic cricket. The ECB structured an 18 team league divided into 2 divisions- North and South. Each division has 9 teams and each team plays 14 games.

The country’s very own, the league has exhibited some nail cracking actions over the past decade. The tournament is more of a domestic competition rather than a T20 league, but the level of competition is something that helps it propel ahead of other leagues in the world.

The T20 Blast is known for favouring their home players and giving little importance to overseas players poses to be a concern to many. With competitions like IPL and the Big Bash that are open to all players, the T20 Blast has great potential to climb up the ranks if it works on attracting more overseas players which keeping in mind the reservations of the English stars. It would guarantee an increase in the standards of the competition and makes it more competitive than the prevailing seasons. Thus, the league gets a 6.5/10 rating.

7. Global T20 Canada – 5.5/10

The ‘slow and steady wins the race’ is the formula the Canadians are trying to conceptualize as the Global T20 poses to be a perfect stepping stone for the country to regain its international status. It has also proven to be an exciting opportunity for both the Canada cricket fraternity and the fan to come out and support their favourite stars in number.

As the name suggests the league brings cricket to regions of the North of America with big names like Chris Gayle, DJ Bravo, Lasith Malinga, David Warner and Steven Smith participating. It is a great platform for budding Canadians to display their skills who would be hoping to book a place in one of the leading leagues of the world.

The tournament lacks competition as it is relatively a newer concept. The exposure provided with the presence of international stars have helped channelize the youngsters focus in the right direction. It is considered to be a fair success for Canada, but not a model that can be followed by others.

The league is nowhere close to overtaking the top leagues of the world. A couple of seasons with a great display of cricket and a larger range of overseas stars might help the league to improve its competitiveness ensuring it to be a great help for Canadian cricket. Thus, the league gets a 5.5/10 rating.

The second edition of the Global T20 Canada came to a close. Vancouver Knights, the champions of the inaugural edition, had every chance of winning the title for the second time. But it was the Winnipeg Hawks, who edged them out in the final that went into the Super Over. The encounter at the CAA Centre in Ontario turned out to be an absolute thriller and kept everyone at the edge of their seats.

Following the jaw-dropping encounter between bat and ball at Brampton, Simon Doull, the former New Zealand cricketer, hosted the presentation ceremony. In the meantime, there was a moment of suspicion that panned out during that time. A lucky draw was conducted where Doull requested Tariq Anwar of Turkish Airlines, to draw a name out of the box in order to declare the winner.

Anwar opened the box and pulled out a chit in which the winner’s name- Angela Singh- was mentioned. However, she was standing around 15 feet away from the box and came up to collect his prize. She got a couple of business class tickets from Turkish Airlines. The fact that she was standing so close to the box raised quite a number of eyebrows. Doull called it as ‘outstanding luck’ there.

Here is the video

My favorite moment of GT20 2019: the ‘random’ prize draw for two plane tickets with the winner standing 15 feet away waiting for her name to be called out. “Outstanding luck there. Two business class tickets from Turkish Airlines for Angela Singh.” pic.twitter.com/M0Mscc8xAu

— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) August 11, 2019

An enthralling contest

As far as the game is concerned, the Knights elected to field first after winning the toss. The Hawks had a thunderous start as Chris Lynn (37) and Shaiman Anwar (90) put on 73 in a mere six overs. After Andre Russell got rid of Lynn, Anwar carried on and played until the 16th overs. But the Hawks lost quite a few wickets at the death and could only manage 192 for eight in their 20 overs.

During the run-chase, the Knights found themselves reeling at 53/4 in the eighth over. Thereafter, Shoaib Malik (64) and Dre-Russ (46) bludgeoned the bowling, but could only help their team tie the game. In the Super Over, the Knights set a target of 10, which the Hawks achieved in four balls. Russell was entrusted with both bat and ball in the one-over eliminator, but he somehow faltered.

Top 10 highest-paid coaches in world cricket

The ‘wedding bells’ episode between Erin Holland and Yuvraj Singh has taken an interesting turn. Earlier in the Global T20 Canada, the start of the match between Toronto Nationals and Edmonton Royals was delayed slightly due to rain. Cashing in on the opportunity, Holland decided to interview her fiancee Ben Cutting who is a part of the Royals’ squad.

As this interview was sailing along quite smoothly, Yuvraj Singh decided to crash in and have some fun. He reminded this couple of their wedding as both of them burst into a laugh. “Time is running guys, get ready for the wedding,” the former Indian all-rounder said back then. Now, during a game, a fan tried to replicate this scene with his placard and remind Ben Cutting and Erin Holland of their wedding.

‘When is the wedding guys?’

During a knockout game, a fan turned up with a placard which had the message, “GT20 Canada Final tomorrow. But when is the wedding guys?” Erin Holland found this quite funny and shared a picture of the same on her social media platforms. Moreover, she even blamed Yuvraj Singh for this and called it his fault.

“Hahaha this one is all your fault @YUVSTRONG12 #whenstheweddingguys @GT20Canada @Cuttsy31,” she wrote in her tweet.

Hahaha this one is all your fault @YUVSTRONG12 ???????????? #whenstheweddingguys @GT20Canada @Cuttsy31 pic.twitter.com/9XILk5mTx8

— Erin Holland (@erinvholland) August 10, 2019

How has Yuvraj Singh fared in the GT20 Canada?

Yuvraj Singh announced his retirement from international cricket very recently. Moreover, he even decided to bid adieu to the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). Yet, the southpaw felt that he had some cricket still left in him and thus wanted to make the most of this twilight phase of his career. To enjoy his game to the fullest, he decided to participate in the Global T20 Canada this year.

He led the Toronto Nationals who finished in the top-four. However, the team was quite unlucky and lost the eliminator by two runs after the DLS Method kicked in as there was a rain interruption. Yuvi, after having got to a slow start in the tournament, played well in some of the games. He scored 153 runs in 6 games at an average of 38.25 but struggled throughout due to a sore back.

The defending champions of the Global T20 Canada, the Vancouver Knights will face Winnipeg Hawks in the grand finale on Sunday. Interestingly, it was the Hawks whom the Knights defeated in the 2nd qualifier last year for making it to the final and end up winning the inaugural title. The team led by Shoaib Malik will be hopeful about making it two titles in two seasons given the fire-power in their batting.

The Winnipeg Hawks peaked at right time to get into the final. They won their first two matches before losing the next two. They made it to the playoffs as the 4th team but did put on impressive performances. They won while chasing down 238 via DLS method in the Eliminator against Toronto Nationals. In the Qualifier 2 on Saturday, the Winnipeg franchise chased down 201 against Brampton Wolves.

Match Details:

The Final of the Global T20 Canada 2019 will be played between Vancouver Knights and Winnipeg Hawks at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.

The match starts at 2:00 PM local time (6:00 PM GMT) (11:30 PM IST).

This game will be live on Star Sports and live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Weather Report/Condition:

Brampton is expected to be dry during the final just like it was during the 2nd qualifier. The rain chances read 0% during the timings of the match.

Pitch Report/Condition:

Considering how the pitches played in the playoffs, the final match is also expected to be a high-scoring affair. The 2nd round matches were tad low-scoring but they were played on different tracks.

Probable Playing XIs:

Vancouver Knights:

Tobias Visee (WK), Chadwick Walton, Rassie van der Dussen, Shoaib Malik (C), Andre Russell, Daniel Sams, Saad Bin Zafar, Michael Rippon, Rayyan Pathan, Ali Khan, Hayden Walsh.

Bench – Rizwan Cheema, Andile Phehlukwayo, JJ Smit, Harsh Thaker.

Winnipeg Hawks:

Shaiman Anwar, Chris Lynn, Sunny Sohal, Jean-Paul Duminy, Dwayne Smith, Hamza Tariq (wk), Rayad Emrit (C), Kaleem Sana, Mohammad Irfan, Paul van Meekeren, Umair Ghani.

Bench – Sompal Kami, Varun Sehdev, Umar Akmal, Romesh Eranga.

Team News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Top Picks:

Tobias Visee has shown his potential in succeeding with unorthodox shots. He could be the one who can perform on a pitch that might not be as flat as it was during the playoffs. Shaiman Anwar has had only one failure in the tournament. He is expected to produce another big knock in the final.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – JP Duminy, Shaiman Anwar, Daniel Sams, Rassie van der Dussen

Vice-Captain – Chris Lynn, Rayad Emrit, Tobias Visee, Chadwick Walton

JP Duminy is now a hot property in the fantasy league as a captain after his twin unbeaten fifties to guide the Hawks into the final.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Tobias Visee

Batsmen – Chris Lynn, Rassie van der Dussen (VC), Sunny Sohail, Shaiman Anwar

All-Rounders – JP Duminy (C), Daniel Sams, Andre Russell

Bowlers – Saad Bin Zafar, Mohammad Irfan, Rayad Emrit

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Tobias Visee (VC), Chadwick Walton

Batsmen – Chris Lynn (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Sunny Sohail, Shaiman Anwar

All-Rounders – JP Duminy, Kaleem Sana

Bowlers – Ali Khan, Michael Rippon, Rayad Emrit

Expert Advice:

The top-order players are must by considering the number of runs scored in the qualifiers and eliminator game. At least two players among the top three of each side have to be picked with another high-scoring game of the cards.

Probable Winners:

Vancouver Knights are expected to defend their title unless Winnipeg Hawks do something exceptional.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

The second edition of the Global T20 Canada has witnessed some huge scores and the tournament has now reached its climax with one finalist already confirmed. Vancouver Knights defeated the Brampton Wolves in the first qualifier to seal their place in the final on Sunday (August 11). Their skipper Shoaib Malik made the headlines in that game with his brilliant hitting skills and scored 46 runs off just 26 balls.

However, on his way to 46, Malik broke the glass in the stadium twice and the video of the same is going viral. The first incident took place in the 14th over of the innings when Shoaib Malik advanced Ish Sodhi to hit him out of the park. But the bowler bowled a wide delivery which Malik still reached to and managed to make decent contact. He smacked a six over cover and the ball hit the window glass and it was broken.

He unintentionally targetted the window glass for the second in the 16th and final over of the innings when Wahab Riaz delivered a wide short ball to the batsman. Shoaib Malik lifted the ball over deep backward point with utter disdain and it messed up the window outside the boundary.

Here’s the video:

In an unusual scenario, @realshoaibmalik literally hit two glass breaking sixes.#GT2019 #BWvsVK pic.twitter.com/5kuAQoQBbE

— GT20 Canada (@GT20Canada) August 9, 2019

Knights post 170 in 16 overs

Earlier, the match started late than the scheduled time due to which it was reduced to 16 overs per side. Brampton Wolves opted to bowl first after winning the toss and were left ruing the decision. Vancouver Knights were propelled by Shoaib Malik and Andre Russell who added 77 runs together in just six overs as they went on to post 170 runs for the loss of four wickets in 16 overs.

The Wolves were set the target of 181 runs but they could only reach 103 and were bundled out in the 14th over of the innings itself. Only Colin Munro scored a blistering 62 off just 25 balls and no other batsman could cross the double figures which led to the Knights making it to the finals of the tournament.

Brampton Wolves will face Winnipeg Hawks in the 2nd Qualifier and the winning side will face the Vancouver Knights in the final. The Brampton Wolves were the table-toppers as they began the tournament with four straight wins. However, they lost in the Round 2 game and to the Vancouver team in the 1st qualifier. Colin Munro scored the fastest fifty in Global T20 off 15 deliveries while chasing 181 from 16 overs on Thursday.

No player other than Munro got to double digits as the Wolves were bundled out for only 103. In the Eliminator, the Winnipeg Hawks edged past Toronto Nationals who posted 238/5 with help of a century from Heinrich Klaasen. Hawks lost their top three inside four overs but JP Duminy took the charge with an unbeaten 41-ball 85. They were two runs ahead of DLS par score of 199 after 17.1 overs when the bad light ended the game.

Match Details:

The Qualifier 2 of the Global T20 Canada 2019 will be played between Brampton Wolves and Winnipeg Hawks at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.

The match starts at 2:00 PM local time (6:00 PM GMT) (11:30 PM IST).

This game will be live on Star Sports and live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Weather Report/Condition:

Brampton is expected to be dry on Saturday and a full 20-over game can be expected. The rain chances read 0% between 12 PM and 7 PM local time with clear skies.

Pitch Report/Condition:

The ground staff seems to have preserved the best for the playoffs as big totals were recorded during the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator games. The team batting first can’t settle down with any total. Toronto Nationals finished with 238 in the Eliminator but missed at least 10-15 easy runs in the end. Their batting in the death overs turned out to be the game-changing moment.

Probable Playing XIs:

Brampton Wolves:

Lendl Simmons (WK), George Munsey, Colin Munro (C), Shahid Afridi, Babar Hayat, Nitish Kumar, Wahab Riaz, Abraash Khan, Ish Sodhi, Cecil Pervez, Junaid Siddiqui.

Bench – Daren Sammy, Armaan Kapoor, Zahoor Khan, Faisal Jamkhandi

Winnipeg Hawks:

Shaiman Anwar, Chris Lynn, Sunny Sohal, Jean-Paul Duminy, Hamza Tariq (wk), Varun Sehdev, Umar Akmal, Rayad Emrit (C), Mohammad Irfan, Kaleem Sana, Umair Ghani.

Bench – Dwayne Smith, Sompal Kami, Paul van Meekeren, Romesh Eranga.

Team News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Top Picks:

Colin Munro and JP Duminy showed the right intent to bat in the conditions which were extremely good for batsmen. Their intent could add 10-15 runs more than planned which the Toronto Nationals missed in the Eliminator.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – JP Duminy, Chris Lynn, Colin Munro

Vice-Captain – Lendl Simmons, George Munsey, Shaiman Anwar

The players who are expected to bat in the top three will be preferable for the multiplier roles. More than 700 runs were scored across 67 overs of play possible on Thursday. The top-order batsmen did most of the damage and they will be crucial once again.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Lendl Simmons

Batsmen – George Munsey, Colin Munro (VC), Sunny Sohail, Shaiman Anwar

All-Rounders – JP Duminy (C), Kaleem Sana, Shahid Afridi

Bowlers – Wahab Riaz, Ish Sodhi, Rayad Emrit

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Hamza Tariq

Batsmen – Chris Lynn (C), George Munsey (VC), Colin Munro, Babar Hayat, Shaiman Anwar

All-Rounders – JP Duminy, Kaleem Sana

Bowlers – Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Ish Sodhi

Expert Advice:

Chris Lynn and Lendl Simmons are the costliest players in this game. However, both of them have earned fewer points after starting the tournament with a bang. It will be the best idea to pick only one of the two as there are a lot of players with 9.5 credits in this game.

Probable Winners:

Brampton Wolves might get a tough fight from Winnipeg Hawks on their way through to the final.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

The Toronto Nationals didn’t have a great start to the Global T20 Canada. In their first four games, they only won one match and it seemed as if it’d be difficult for them to make it into the playoffs. However, the team has recovered well in the last two matches and registered two good victories. Thus, they’ve managed to climb up to the third position on the points table and will be playing the Eliminator against the Winnipeg Hawks.

Hawks, on the other hand, might have got a little lucky in making it to the Eliminator. The momentum wasn’t on their side after they lost two matches on the trot. But, their final league game against the Vancouver Knights was abandoned due to wet outfield. Thus, both the teams shared the points and the Winnipeg Hawks just about made it courtesy better NRR. Though, they’ll have to pull up their sleeves and come out with better performance in this important fixture.

Match Details

The Eliminator match of the Global T20 Canada 2019 will be played between Toronto Nationals and Winnipeg Hawks at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.

The match starts at 04:30 PM local time (8:30 PM GMT) (02:00 AM IST- Aug 9).

This game will be live on Star Sports and live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Weather Report

From 11 AM to 3 PM, scattered thunderstorms are predicted in Ontario on Thursday. Thus, it might delay the start of the match. However, the game is unlikely to be abandoned due to a wet outfield because the prediction is that it will be sunny after that.

Pitch Report

This surface at the CAA Centre has literally been a graveyard for the bowlers. With small boundaries, batsmen have often thrown their hands at everything and looked to clear the fence. There have also been several talks about scoring 300 runs in an innings at this venue.

Probable Playing XIs

Toronto Nationals

Rodrigo Thomas, Chirag Suri, Kieron Pollard/Moises Henriques, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Yuvraj Singh (c), Chris Green, Ravinderpal Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Salman Nazar, Jeremy Gordon, Sandeep Lamichhane.

Bench: Calum Macleod, Brendon McCullum, Moises Henriques/Kieron Pollard, Manpreet Gony, Mark Montfort.

Winnipeg Hawks

Jean-Paul Duminy (C), Sunny Sohal, Umar Akmal (WK), Mohammad Irfan, Chris Lynn, Paul van Meekeren, Dwayne Bravo/Rayad Emrit, Shaiman Anwar, Sompal Kami, Umair Ghani, Kaleem Sana.

Bench: Dwayne Bravo/Rayad Emrit, Dwayne Smith, Hamza Tariq, Romesh Eranga, Varun Sehdev.

Team News

Yuvraj Singh, who rested in the last match due to back pain, is likely to be back in the eleven. Moreover, Kieron Pollard is likely to join the team as he isn’t a part of the ODI series against India.

Top Picks

Heinrich Klaasen and Rodrigo Thomas have been in great form this season. In six games that they’ve played so far, they scored 220 and 218 runs respectively. Even Chris Lynn has looked terrific with 202 runs in only 4 games. Thus, these three players should be your top picks.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options – Chris Lynn, H Klaasen, JP Duminy

Vice-Captain Options – R Thomas, C Green, K Pollard

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – H Klaasen

Batsmen – Y Singh, R Thomas (VC), C Lynn (C), S Anwar

All-Rounders – C Green, J Duminy, K Sana

Bowlers – S Nazar, J Gordon, M Irfan

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – H Klaasen (C), U Akmal

Batsmen – R Thomas, C Lynn, S Anwar

All-Rounders – C Green (VC), K Pollard, J Duminy

Bowlers – M McClenaghan, J Gordon, M Irfan

Expert Advice:

Yuvraj Singh might have played some good knocks in the tournament. But the left-hander has had some issues with his back right from the start. In the game against Montreal Tigers, he walked back retired hurt just after facing two deliveries. Thus, it might be a slightly risky option to have him in both your Dream11 Fantasy teams.

Probable Winners

Toronto Nationals look stronger side on paper and have got the momentum on their side.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

The first qualifier of the Global T20 Canada 2019 will be played between table-toppers Brampton Wolves and Vancouver Knights. The two sides faced off on the last day of the league phase. Vancouver came on the top during that match and ended Brampton Wolves’ 4-match winning streak in the competition. Both the teams rested a couple of big names in that game but Knights’ margin of win was quite big.

Vancouver won three out of six matches while two games of remaining three were abandoned. The Shoaib Malik-led team will miss the services of Chris Gayle who will join the Windies squad for the ODI series against India. On the other hand, Brampton Wolves have performers in the form of Lendl Simmons and George Munsey at the top. The Pakistan stars Shahid Afridi and Wahab Riaz have a crucial role for the Wolves.

Match Details:

The Qualifier 1 of the Global T20 Canada 2019 will be played between Brampton Wolves and Vancouver Knights at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.

The match starts at 12:30 PM local time (4:30 PM GMT) (10:00 PM IST).

This game will be live on Star Sports and live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Weather Report/Condition:

The weather forecast predicts thunderstorms between 9 AM and 1 PM local time. If the forecast goes right, there is no chance of even one ball being bowled in this game. In fact, if the rain lasts longer, the 2nd game will also get washed out as the sandy outfield here doesn’t dry soon.

Pitch Report/Condition:

Whenever a game played on a worn track, the scores witness a dip here in Brampton. However, on a well-prepared track, 180+ scores are quite common. 200+ scores might not be possible in both innings as those were during the first week of the competition.

Probable Playing XIs:

Brampton Wolves:

Lendl Simmons (WK), Wahab Riaz, Shahid Afridi, Nitish Kumar, Junaid Siddiqui, Colin Munro (c), Ish Sodhi, Cecil Pervez, Abraash Khan, Babar Hayat, George Munsey

Bench – Daren Sammy, Armaan Kapoor, Zahoor Khan, Faisal Jamkhandi, Nawab Singh.

Vancouver Knights:

Shoaib Malik (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Chadwick Walton, Saad Bin Zafar, Andre Russell, Michael Rippon, Rayyan Pathan, Tobias Visee (WK), Ali Khan, Daniel Sams, Hayden Walsh.

Bench – Rizwan Cheema, Andile Phehlukwayo, JJ Smit, Harsh Thaker.

Team News:

Chris Gayle joined WI squad for the ODI series against India.

South African players return after missing a couple of matches for attending CSA awards.

Top Picks:

Daniel Sams showed his fantasy potential in the previous game and will add value with the bat if he arrives early. Lendl Simmons had good success in the 2018 GT20 and carrying it on this edition as well.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Rassie van der Dussen, Lendl Simmons, Daniel Sams

Vice-Captain – Ish Sodhi, Tobias Visee, Shahid Afridi

The Vancouver’s Rassie van der Dussen and Tobias Visee will be crucial as captain and vice-captain. Both the International players succeed irrespective of the pitch conditions. Rassie adapts to pitch quickly while Visee accumulates runs with a variety of shots.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Lendl Simmons (VC), Chadwick Walton, Tobias Visee

Batsmen – Rassie van der Dussen (C), George Munsey, Colin Munro

All-Rounders – Daniel Sams, Shahid Afridi

Bowlers – Ali Khan, Ish Sodhi, Saad Bin Zafar

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Chadwick Walton, Tobias Visee (VC)

Batsmen – Rassie van der Dussen, George Munsey (C), Colin Munro, Babar Hayat

All-Rounders – Daniel Sams, Hayden Walsh

Bowlers – Wahab Riaz, Michael Rippon, Ish Sodhi

Expert Advice:

Lendl Simmons, Chadwick Walton and Tobias Visee in the wicket-keepers category are quite important given their form in the tournament. However, picking all these three players restricts selections from all-rounders and bowlers’ category to five players.

Probable Winners:

Brampton Wolves are expected to edge past the Vancouver Knights in a thrilling encounter.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

Montreal Tigers has had a topsy-turvy run in the ongoing edition of the Global T20 Canada 2019. The team started with a 24-run victory over Winnipeg Hawks in a curtailed-game. However, the 10-wicket loss at the hands of table-toppers Brampton Wolves hit them badly. After five games, the Tigers finished third on the points table. Their match in Round 2 is against the Toronto Nationals.

In their very last game, the Tigers lost to the Nationals by four wickets and would be keen to make amends. The Nationals, led by Yuvraj Singh, finished fourth on the table. The team has three batters, with well over 100 runs, but it’s the bowling unit that has led the team down in quite a few instances. Their last victory over the Tigers would provide them with a whole lot of confidence.

Match Details

The 18th match of the Global T20 Canada 2019 will be played between Montreal Tigers and Toronto Nationals at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.

The match starts at 12:30 PM local time (4:30 PM GMT) (10:00 PM IST- Aug 7).

This game will be live on Star Sports and live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Weather Report

There will be chances of significant rain throughout the duration of the contest. From 2 pm to 6 pm, the possibilities are higher. The clouds will be there throughout and the humidity levels will be on the higher side as well.

Pitch Report

The pitch is a bowlers’ nightmare, but wickets have also fallen in heaps when the batters have tried to throw the kitchen sink at everything. Winning the toss and electing to field first should be the way forward for the franchises.

Probable Playing XIs

Montreal Tigers

Kyle Coetzer, Ravindu Gunasekera, Dinesh Chandimal, George Bailey (c), Thisara Perera, Matthew Cross (wk), Scott Kuggelejin, Dillon Heyliger, Nikhil Dutta, Alasdair Evans.

Bench- Chris Lynn, Umar Akmal, Sunny Sohal, Varun Sehdev, Dwayne Smith, Hamza Tariq, Paul van Meekeren, Sompal Kami, Umair Ghani, Romesh Eranga, Kaleem Sana, Mohammad Irfan

Toronto Nationals

Rodrigo Thomas, Chirag Suri, Moises Henriques/Brendon McCullum, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Yuvraj Singh (c)/Manpreet Gony, Chris Green, Ravinderpal Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Salman Nazar, Jeremy Gordon, Sandeep Lamichhane.

Bench- Calum Macleod, Brendon McCullum/Moises Henriques, Manpreet Gony, Mark Montfort

Team News

(Yuvraj Singh complained of back pain in the last match).

Top Picks

Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen is currently the leading run-scorer for the Nationals. Batting in the middle order, he has gotten 156 runs in five matches at an average of 31.20. He has scored at a strike-rate of 144.44, which shows the kind of form he is in.

Chris Green

On excellent batting strips, Chris Green has done exceptionally. In three games, he has seven wickets, the most among the Nationals’ bowlers. In the last match, he also churned out an unbeaten 30 and it shows that he is no mug with the bat.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options- Heinrich Klaasen, Rodrigo Thomas, Kyle Coetzer

Vice-Captain Options- Kyle Coetzer, Thisara Perera, Chris Green

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Heinrich Klaasen (c)

Batsmen – Kyle Coetzer (vc), Ravindu Gunasekera, Chirag Suri, Rodrigo Thomas

All-Rounders – Thisara Perera, Scott Kuggelejin, Chris Green

Bowlers – Dillon Heyliger, Alasdair Evans, Salman Nazar

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Dinesh Chandimal, Matthew Cross

Batsmen – Kyle Coetzer, Yuvraj Singh, Brendon McCullum, Rodrigo Thomas (c)

All-Rounders – Thisara Perera (vc), Chris Green

Bowlers – Dillon Heyliger, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jeremy Gordon

Expert Advice:

From the batting category, Heinrich Klaasen, Yuvraj Singh and Rodrigo Thomas are must provided they get a chance in the eleven.

Probable Winners

The Nationals are likely to come out trumps.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

One side was unbeaten till their last game against the Vancouver Knights whilst the other enjoyed perhaps the worst one can ask for. The Brampton Wolves won their first four games comfortably before going down to the Knights. Yet, they have a more than healthy run-rate to stay on top of the table until the end of the group stages.

The Royals are out of contention and are currently at the bottom of the table. They have literally nothing to play for and will be desperate to finish on a respectable note. With the tournament entering the business end, momentum will always be a key and the only side that will be worried about this factor are the Wolves.

Match details

The 16th match of the Global T20 Canada 2019 will be played between Brampton Wolves and Edmonton Royals at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.

The match starts at 12:30 PM local time (4:30 PM GMT) (10:00 PM IST- Aug 3).

This game will be live on Star Sports and live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Pitch Report

A lot of matches have been played on this track and it is beginning to show the slower side of it. It will be difficult to score freely for the batsmen and anything above 150 batting first could be a decent total.

Probable XIs

Brampton Wolves

Lendl Simmons (wk), Wahab Riaz, Andre Fletcher, Nitish Kumar, Shahid Afridi, Colin Munro (c), Ish Sodhi, Cecil Pervez, Abraash Khan, Babar Hayat, George Munsey

Bench: Daren Sammy, Armaan Kapoor, Zahoor Khan, Faisal Jamkhandi, Nawab Singh

Edmonton Royals

Mohammad Hafeez (c), Richie Berrington, Safyaan Sharif, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, James Neesham, Anshuman Rath (wk), Shadab Khan, Navneet Dhaliwal, Satsimranjit Dhindsa, Kyle Phillip

Bench: Davy Jacobs, Ehsan Nawaz, Akash Gill, Shahid Ahmadzai

Team News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Power Picks:

Ish Sodhi in GT20 2019:

11 wickets from 5 matches at an average of 12.09. He is the highest wicket-taker of the tournament.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options – Faf du Plessis, Colin Munro, Ben Cutting

Vice-Captain Options – Anshuman Rath, Shahid Afridi, Shadab Khan

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Anshuman Rath

Batsmen – Nitish Kumar, Colin Munro (vc), Faf du Plessis (c), George Munsey

All-Rounders – Shahid Afridi, Ben Cutting

Bowlers – Wahab Riaz, Cecil Parvez, Shadab Khan, Kyle Phillip

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Anshuman Rath, Lendl Simmons

Batsmen – Nitish Kumar, Colin Munro (c), Faf du Plessis,

All-Rounders – Jimmy Neesham, Ben Cutting (vc)

Bowlers – Wahab Riaz, Ish Sodhi, Shadab Khan, Kyle Phillip.

Expert Advice:

Shadab Khan is a tricky customer on slow tracks and despite him conceding 66 runs in the previous game, he is still a force to reckon with. He costs a hefty amount but is worth the addition in the squad.

Probable Winners:

Brampton Wolves are predicted to emerge victoriously.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.