KPL 2018 Preview: Champs Belagavi Panthers face Bengaluru Blasters in opener

Bengaluru, August 14: The seventh edition of the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2018 will beign here on Wednesday (August 15) with a match between defending champions Belagavi Panthers and Bengaluru Blasters at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.

On paper, they are two strong teams boasting of some best T20 talents in the state. Panthers in their line up have Manish Pandey, Stalin Hoover and Stuart Binny - as fine hitters of a cricket balls as any - and some promising bowlers like Shubham Hegde and Aman Khan.

On the other hand, we have the Bengaluru Blasters and they have Robin Uthappa, Pavan Deshpande and KB Pawan in their house but one might get the feeling that they are a tad light on the bowling front. So, the heavy names in their batting line-up should take added responsibility and they do not have the luxury of time as well.

We are really close to kicking off the #BisiBisiCrickettu action of the 7th season of #NammaKPL. The tensions are high and so is the excitement! #KPL2018 #KarbonnKPL

Grab your tickets now!

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— Namma KPL (@KPLKSCA) August 14, 2018

The key contest

Shubhang Hegde vs Robin Uthappa / Pavan Deshpande

Shubhang is only about 18 but the left-arm spinner has already turned several heads with his efforts in the KSCA league cricket. However, the T20 is an unforgiving format and the youngster will be up against two clean-hitters in Uthappa and Deshpande. Shubhang might already know what the T20 offers through his KPL experiences last year, but that said past counts little for in sports and he should be ready for the big challenge on Wednesday.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Uthappa, a batsman who needs no introduction. His exploits over the years for Karnataka, Kolkata Knight Riders and India have earned him a reputation. Uthappa had snapped his association with Karnataka cricket last year for a shift to Saurashtra. But now, Uthappa are considering a move back to Karnataka and a good effort in the KPL may prompt the powers that be to adopt a lenient view.

Weather

The match is scheduled for a 6.30 pm start and the weather trend in Bengaluru has seen rain invariably every evening over the last couple of weeks. It will be a good fortune if we get a full match on the morrow but the brilliant drainage system at the M Chinnaswamy stadium offers hopes.

Namma team captains with the most coveted #KPL2018 trophy 🏆#KarbonnKPL #BisiBisiCrickettu #NammaKPL pic.twitter.com/AgGEd47r85

— Namma KPL (@KPLKSCA) August 13, 2018

Pitch

The two recent matches here - Board President's XI and India A took on South Africa A - produced big runs and the pattern should see no exception for the Panthers vs Blasters match.

Squads: Bengaluru Blasters: Pavan Deshpande, Mitrakant Yadav, Abhishek Bhat, Koushik V, Robin Uthappa, KB Pawan, Anand Doddamani, Arshdeep Singh Brar, KC Avinash, Pallav Kumar Das, Sharan Gowda, Manoj S Bhandage, Bharath Devaraj, Vineet Yadav, Gaurav Dhiman, Vishwanath M, Azeem.

Belagavi Panthers: Manish Pandey, Stuart Binny, Stalin Hoover, Avinash D, Mohanram Nidhesh, Dikshankshu Negi, Shubhang Hegde, Rakshith S, Nikin Jose, Saurabh Yadav, Prashant S, Sadiq Kirmani, Darshan Machaiah, Shreyas BM, Akshay Ballal, Aman Khan.

Live: Star Sports Networks from 6.30 pm

Live Streaming: HotStar