Consistent Bijapur Bulls aim for maiden title

Bijapur Bulls are yet to lose a game against Hubli Tigers but the statistics would count for little when the two sides face off in the summit clash of Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2015. But for one loss in their last league game, Bijapur Bulls have been on the mark and they regained the momentum with a comfortable six-wicket win against Belagavi Panthers to enter the final. With consistent performances from all their units, Bijapur have been the team to beat this season. On the other hand, Hubli Tigers have blown hot and cold, but they peaked just in time, winning crucial clashes in the league stage to finish third before emerging victorious in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 to enter the final.

Match Date: 20th September, 2015

Match Time: 1700 IST

Venue: Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar Ground, Mysore

Weather: Mostly cloudy, high of 28 degree Celsius

Teams:

Bijapur Bulls:

Robin Uthappa has scored the bulk of the runs for the Bulls while the likes of R Samarth, Rajoo Bhatkal, B Akhil and M Nidesh have also come up with useful contributions. In the bowling department, spinners have ruled the roost with KC Cariappa (13 wickets) and KP Appanna (11 wickets) constantly troubling the opposition batsmen. Abhimanyu Mithun, despite not picking up too many wickets, has a decent economy of seven an over, but he would prefer to get a few early breakthroughs in the all-important final. Bijapur Bulls have been clinical throughout the tournament and will be looking to do that again in their bid to lift the KPL trophy for the first time.

As far as the playing eleven is concerned, the Bulls are unlikely to tinker with their winning combination unless an injury.

Probable XI: R Samarth, Rajoo Bhatkal, Robin Uthappa (wk), Suneel Raju, B Akhil (c), Nidesh M, Deepak Chougule, Vyshak V, Abhimanyu Mithun, KP Appanna, KC Cariappa

Hubli Tigers:

KL Rahul didn't play a single game due to a quadriceps injury he picked up in Sri Lanka while Sreenath Aravind had to leave for India A duty. Despite the absence of experienced players, Hubli Tigers managed to pull up their socks, winning five games in a row to keep their chances of clinching the trophy alive. Mohammad Taha has been providing impressive starts and has three fifties against his name so far, including a crucial 93 in the Qualifier 2. KB Pawan too has been in good run-scoring form while Chethan William has played an important role in the middle order. Stand-in skipper Kunal Kapoor has not been at his best this season, but he will be eager to lead from the front in the tournament decider. Among the bowlers, Kishore Kamat has been the pick with nine scalps and an economy of 5.70 while talented leg-spinner Dikshanshu Negi has also done a good job. Hubli will be hoping that all their departments click well as they look to overcome the favourites Bulls.

Hubli were unchanged for the play-offs and they are unlikely to find any need to change the line-up.

Probable XI: KB Pawan, Mohammed Taha, Kunal Kapoor (c), Nitin Bhille (wk), Dikshanshu Negi, Chethan William, Kranthi Kumar, Kishore Kamath, Santhebennur Akshay, Prateek Jain, Shivil Kaushik

Stats

2: The number of wickets KC Cariappa (13 wickets) requires to overtake Mitrakanth Yadav and finish as the highest wicket-taker of KPL 2015.

32: The number of runs Mohammad Taha (307 runs) needs to get past Sadiq Kirmani and occupy the position as the top run-getter in KPL 2015.