The inaugural season of the Maharashtra Premier League 2023 has reached its summit clash. In the final game, the Kolhapur Tuskers (KT) will take on the Ratnagiri Jets (RJ) at the MCA Stadium in Pune. After thrashing Puneri Bappa in qualifier 2, Kedar Jadhav’s Kolhapur Tuskers will be riding on confidence.
However, Kolhapur has played two back-to-back matches in the last three days and will be participating in the finals without any break. This might affect their preparation and persistence for the game. On the other hand, the Jets had a few days off as they made their way to the finals by beating the Kolhapur Tuskers in Qualifier 1 by four runs.
KT vs. RJ MPL Final: Pitch Report
The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has a slow pitch. To score runs, batters must devote themselves and work hard. The surface is likely to help bowlers, making it a difficult batting wicket. Given the circumstances, a total of about 160 runs is deemed competitive and defendable at this location. Teams, after winning the toss, might look to bowl first to handle the pressure and make use of any overcast conditions.
KT vs. RJ head-to-head records:
In the ongoing tournament, the Kolhapur Tuskers started by thrashing the Ratnagiri Jets in their first encounter of the season. However, the Jets came back to hit hard as they thrashed Kolhapur in the rain which affected qualifier 1. Now both teams will be looking to finish on a high note.
Total Matches: 2
Kolhapur Tuskers: 1
Ratnagiri Jets: 1
KT vs. RJ: Predicted Playing XI
Kolhapur Tuskers: Kedar Jadhav (c), Ankit Bawne, Naushad Shaikh, Siddharth Mhatre, Taranjitsingh Dhillon, Sahil Autade (wk), Nihal Tusamad, Atman Pore, Manoj Yadav, Akshay Darekar, Shreyash Chavan
Ratnagiri Jets: Dhiraj Phatangare, Rushikesh Sonavne, Preetam Patil, Azim Kazi (c), Kiran Chormale, Nikhil Naik (wk), Divyang Hinganekar, Rohit Patil, Nikit Dhumal, Vijay Pawale, Kunal Thorat
KT vs. RJ: Fantasy XI
Kedhar Jadhav, Nikhil Naik, Ankit Bawne, Dhiraj Phatangare, Preetam Patil, Azim Kazi, Divyang Hingarekar, Manoj Yadav, Akshay Dareka, Vijay Pawale, and Shreyash Chavan
Captaincy Pick:
Ankit Bawne: Star Kolhapur batter Ankit Bawne is one of the leading run scorers of the season. He has scored 362 runs at an average of 72.40. He will be the best bet for the captaincy role if Kolhapur bats first. In the second inning, he might not be as effective.
Vice Captain’s Pick:
Azim Kazi: Ratnagiri Jets skipper and all-rounder Azim Kazi has been phenomenal throughout the ongoing tournament. He has played some matches single-handedly with both bat and ball. He will be a great pick if the Jets bowl first.
