This article will talk about the probable XIs for both teams and continue with the Dream11 predictions and the winning fantasy team for the 26th game of the TNPL between the Salem Spartans and Siechem Madurai Panthers that is scheduled to take place on the 7th of August 2021.
2 teams that are in the bottom half of the points table after 6 games Salem Spartans and Siechem Madurai Panthers will take on each other in their last league game of the 2021 season. While the SMP team led by Chaturved still has a chance to progress further in the tournament, the Salem Spartans are already out of this year’s TNPL.
Siechem Panthers lost their previous game against the Chepauk Gillies which was crucial in terms of enhancing their chances to enter the playoffs but it was not to be. Batting first, the SMP managed to make just 124/9 despite its skipper scoring 70 runs. The rest of the batters failed to support their captain and it led to a disappointing loss. The Chepauk Gillies won the game comfortably in the end by 5 wickets.
Spartans suffered a similar loss in their previous contest against the Nellai Royal Kings. Opting to bat first, the Ferrario led Salem had a terrible start losing both the openers in under 2 overs. The experienced Vijay Shankar who hasn’t scored anything substantial in the tournament made a useful 41 which bailed them out of a possible collapse. But fall of wickets at frequent intervals meant they could only reach 120/8. Nellai Royal Kings clinched the game in the 19th over with the loss of just 2 wickets. This defeat dashed the hopes of a top-4 finish and they face a possible last place finish.
Match Details
Venue: M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Pitch and Weather: The recent games in the TNPL suggest that pitches may have become tired and the run-making is getting difficult. Especially given the fact it will be the 2nd game of the evening, it could be another game between a total of 130-140. The weather will be cloudy and there is no chance of rain playing its part. The temperatures will be hovering around the uncomfortable mark of 32-33C.
Date & Time: August 7, 7.30 PM IST
Probable Playing XIs
4 of the Top-5 of Madurai Panthers batting line-up did not get any sort of start in the last agiasnt the CSG team and it was the main reason why they couldn’t post a Challenging score despite Chaturved’s best efforts. Their bowlers tried their best to defend 125 but couldn’t succeed in the end.
The Salem Spartans have had a forgettable tournament and would want to finish on a winning note. For it to happen their top-order batters should fire which hasn’t happened in this tournament for them.
Madurai Panthers
Arun Karthik (wk), P Praveen Kumar, Balachander Anirudh, NS Chaturved (c), Jagatheesan Kousik, L Kiran Akash, P Sugendhran, R Silambarasan, B Rocky, V Gowtham, Aushik Srinivas
Salem Spartans:
Vijay Shankar, H Gopinath, S Abhishek, Akshay Srinivasan, Umashankar Sushil(WK), M Ganesh Moorthi, B Praanesh, Murugan Ashwin, Ganeshan Periyaswamy, S Boopalan, Lokesh Raj
Match Prediction
The Siechem Madurai Panthers will be the favorites to win their final game of the TNPL when they go against the Salem Spartans. This is a must win game for the Panthers and the Spartans’ form has not been great so far in this league.
Fantasy Tips
Batsmen: Balachaner Anirudh is the most consistent batsman for the Madurai Panthers in this TNPL. Along with him, Madurai’s skipper N Chaturved who top-scored for them in the last match can also feature in the fantasy XI. From the Salem team, their top-order batsman S Abhishek can be picked in the fantasy XI.
Wicket-Keepers: 2 keepers, one from either side can be picked. They are U Sushil and the veteran Arun Karthik.
All-rounders: Jagadeesan Kousik from Madurai can be the 3rd all-rounder. He has taken 6 wickets in the 6 games while also scoring 156 runs with the bat. Vijay Shankar has contributed with both & ball in this TNPL, and he also top-scored for the team in the last game. V Gowtham is the other all-rounder who can be picked.
Bowlers: Murugan Ashwin and G Periasamy of Salem can be picked. While Ashwin has taken 6 wickets and also contributes with the ball, Periasmay has picked a whopping 9 scalps from 6 games. L Kiran Akash is the last player in the fantasy XI.
Captaincy Choice
Fantasy Team Balachander Anirudh, N Chaturved, S Abhishek, Arun Karthik, U Sushil, J Koushik(VC), Vijay Shankar, V Gowtham, Murugan Ashwin, L Kiran Akash, and G Periyasamy
Captain – Jagatheesan Kousik
Jagatheesan Kousik has been one of the best all-rounders in this tournament so far so he will be the best pick for captain in this match.
Vice-Captain – N Chaturved
The Madurai skipper is in top-form at the moment and can be made the vice-captain of the side.
Dream11 Team
