Thrissur Titans will prepare to take on Calicut Globstars in match 18 of the Kerala T20 Trophy. The Titans sit in second place in the table, but it is only on net run rate as they carry a record of 2 wins and 3 losses. Similarly, Calicut are tied on 4 points, with 2 wins and 2 losses. With all teams looking to separate themselves from the crowd in the next set of fixtures, a victory will be essential for both units here.

LAST FIVE MATCHES RESULTS

THRISSUR TITANS: L L W L W

CALICUT GLOBSTARS: L W L W

LIKELY PLAYING XIs

THRISSUR TITANS likely XI

Batters: Ahamed Imran, Abhishek Pratap

Wicketkeepers: Vishnu Vinod, Varun Nayanar, Anand Sagar

All-rounders: MD Nidheesh, Akshay Manohar, Eden Apple Tom

Bowlers: Monu Krishna, Vaisakh Chandran, Midhun PK

CALICUT GLOBSTARS likely XI

Batters: Salman Nizar, Rohan Kunnummel

Allrounders: Akhil Scaria, Pallam Anfal, Abijith Praveen, Nikhil-M

Wicketkeeper: Ajnas-M, Sanjay Raj

Bowlers: Akhil Dev V, S Sivaraj, Ajith-V, Anthaf-PU

STATISTICAL PERFORMANCE (THRISSUR TITANS)

1. VARUN NAYANAR

Varun Nayanar was the best performer with bat in the previous match for Thrissur, scoring 64 off 38 and remaining not-out in a winning effort.

VARUN NAYANAR IN Kerala T20 Trophy 2024

INNINGS - 5

RUNS - 141

AVERAGE – 35.25

STRIKE RATE – 122.61

50s/100s – 1/0

2. MD NIDHEESH

MD Nidheesh has been on the expensive side in the tournament, but is still Thrissur’s leading wicket-taker so far in 5 matches.

MD NIDHEESH IN Kerala T20 Trophy 2024

INNINGS - 5

WICKETS - 6

STRIKE RATE – 12.50

ECONOMY RATE – 10.4

AVERAGE – 21.67

Players who can make a difference (THRISSUR TITANS)

1. Vishnu Vinod

Vishnu Vinod has been showing strong performances with bat and is the hot pick for this match, with a very good strike rate of 169.89.

2. Imran Ahamed

Imran Ahamed had a successful knock of 33(22) against Globstars in their contest earlier this season, and has been a solid batter for his team.

STATISTICAL PERFORMANCE (CALICUT GLOBSTARS)

1. PALLAM ANFAL

Pallam Anfal has been an excellent finisher for Calicut Globstars, and scored 33 off just 10 balls last time out against Titans.

PALLAM ANFAL IN Kerala T20 Trophy 2024

INNINGS - 4

RUNS - 75

AVERAGE – 18.75

STRIKE RATE – 187.5

50s/100s – 0/0

2. AKHIL SCARIA

Akhil Scaria is the leading wicket-taker for Calicut so far, with 9 scalps in 4 matches. He is in good form and has a strong economy rate.

AKHIL SCARIA IN Kerala T20 Trophy 2024

INNINGS - 4

WICKETS - 9

STRIKE RATE – 9.33

ECONOMY RATE – 6.36

AVERAGE – 9.89

Players who can make a difference (CALICUT GLOBSTARS)

1. Salman Nizar

Salman Nizar has been the main figure with the bat for Calicut Globstars, with an incredible average of 95 so far. He is nearly a guarantee of runs for his team.

2. Anand Joseph

Anand Joseph has taken 7 wickets in just 3 matches, and is a solid all-round option in this matchup.

TEAMS HEAD TO HEAD RECORD

Calicut Globstars beat Thrissur Titans narrowly by 6 runs in their previous encounter this season, and lead the head-to-head 1-0.

VENUE AND PITCH

Greenfield International Stadium in Trivandrum is playing host to all the matches in this year’s edition of the tournament. The stadium has seen teams prefer to bat second, with an average first innings score of 145. With rain playing a role in recent matches, both teams will be aware of the possibility, with seamers in particular likely to continue enjoying the conditions.

MATCH PREDICTION

Both teams have shown similar form and will be hungry to start putting positive results on the board. In this match, the slight edge might go to the Calicut Globstars, who have more reliable performers in all departments compared to their opponents. Having shown more consistency and quality so far this tournament, the Globstars are 60% favourites.

FANTASY XI

Batters: Salman Nizar, Ahamed Imran

Allrounders: Akhil Scaria, Pallam Anfal, MD Nidheesh

Wicketkeeper: Ajnas-M, Vishnu Vinod, Varun Nayanar

Bowlers: Anthaf-PU, Midhun PK, Akhil Dev V

Backup players:

Batter: Rohan Kunnummel

Wicketkeeper: Anand Sagar

All-rounder: Eden Apple Tom, Abijith Praveen

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