New Zealand vs Afghanistan - Match Preview: New Zealand will face of Afghanistan in the 21st match of the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 on Wednesday, October 26, from 1:30 PM IST onwards at the MCG.

Williamson-led New Zealand coming up from a massive victory against the defending champions Aussies. Meanwhile, on the other hand, Afghanistan is coming from a defeat against England in their opening encounter of the tournament.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Top 5 Players to watch out for in the tournament

Make your dream11 team prediction and every Fantasy League prediction with our fantasy cricket tips and suggestions. Get early updates, game previews, team news, guidance, and prediction for your fantasy team in our entire section Fantasy Sports.

New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Super 12 Match Preview

Match Details:-

Match: New Zealand vs Afghanistan - Super 12 Group 1 (Match 21)
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG.
Date & Time: October 26, 2022 at 1:30 PM (IST)
Where to Watch Live: Star Sports Network and JIO TV.

Pitch Report: New Zealand vs Afghanistan

The Melbourne Cricket Ground's pitch usually offers some nice pace and bounce but the batters do get value for their shots. The long boundaries mean that the batters should be fit enough to do a lot of running. The wicket has some nice carry and the pacers will find help from the pitch.

So, basically, it is a sporting wicket for both the batters and bowlers. Melbourne has experienced a few spells of rain in recent times and the forecast for this game isn't encouraging as well. Let's hope for some mercy from the rain gods and we get a full game.

Read Also: Most Man of the Match award winners in T20 World Cup

Head-to-Head Stats: (T20 World Cup)

Matches Played: 01
Won by New Zealand: 01
Won by Afghanistan: 00

Team News:

New Zealand:

New Zealand started off their T20 World Cup campaign with a huge victory against the Aussies. However, now Kane and his men will be looking to keep the momentum forward. The batters outplayed the Australian side in the last game. Finn Allen(42) and Devon Conway(92) both played crucial knocks in their 89 runs victory against the Aussies.

Meanwhile, Tim Southee and Mitchel Santner were the standout bowlers in the game as both picked three wickets each. Rest three bowlers, Boult, Rashid, and Sodhi also returned with wickets. The all-around performance of the Kiwi side results in a huge net run rate boost. Now, they will face Afghanistan at the MCG, will they be able to keep their momentum going?

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: New Zealand Team Preview

Afghanistan:

Meanwhile, for Afghanistan, it's time for a comeback after a defeat in the opening encounter. The reason for the failure of the Afghan side was batting. Batsman gradually failed to score runs in the first innings and as a result, they lost the game. The bowlers did their best to restrict the England batters till the end was phenomenal.

Every Afghan bowler took a wicket each but that wasn't enough to restrict the English side. Nabi and his men will be now eyeing to get back into winning ways so as to stay alive in the knockout race. Will they be able to challenge the in form New Zealand side? We will surely look into it at the MCG on Wednesday.

New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Super 12: Possible Playing XI

New Zealand:

Finn Allen
Devon Conway (wk)
Kane Williamson (C)
Glenn Phillips
Mark Chapman
Jimmy Neesham
Mitchell Santner
Tim Southee
Ish Sodhi
Lockie Ferguson
Trent Boult

Afghanistan:

Hazratullah Zazai
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
Ibrahim Zadran
Usman Ghani
Najibullah-Zadran
Mohammad Nabi (C)
Azmatullah Omarzai
Rashid Khan
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
Fazal Haq
Fareed Malik

Read Also: T20 World Cup 2022: Top 4 favorites to win the title

Super 12: Fantasy Cricket Dream11 Team Prediction: New Zealand vs Afghanistan:

You must change your team if these players aren't announced in the starting lineup.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Indian pacer who last played for the Indian team in 2022, recently became the first Indian pacer to take more than 300 T20 wickets during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament 2024. Captaining the Uttar Pradesh team, the medium pacer showcased even at his age, how he can be good with the ball in hand. In the UP vs Himachal Pradesh match, he claimed his 300 T20 wicket. 

Indian bowlers with most T20 wickets

As Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first Indian pacer to achieve feat, we will give the list of Indian bowlers with most T20 wickets. 

4. Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 304 T20 wickets

The 35-year-old medium pacer has been one of the highest wicket-takers for India in T20I cricket. In T20 internationals for India, Bhuvnewshwar Kumar has taken 90 wickets in 87 T20I matches at an outstanding economy rate of 6.96, including two five-wicket hauls. 

In Indian Premier League, while playing for Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Buvi has taken 181 wickets in 176 matches at an excellent economy rate of 7.56 runs per over. In total, Bhuvneshwar so far has taken 304 wickets in T20 cricket in 290 matches at 7.29 runs per over.

Read Also | Is this the end of the road for Bhuvneshwar Kumar? UP ignores the pacer for the Ranji Trophy 2024-25

He stands as the fourth highest wicket-taker among Indians in T20 cricket and is the only Indian fast bowler to take more than 300 wickets in shortest format of the game.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin | 310 T20 Wickets

A test legend in his own rights, Ravichandran Ashwin had started his career with the T20s. It was Chennai Super Kings who had found the spark in him which helped him gain the exposure to evantually get selected for India and flourish as an all-format bowler. The off-spinner from Tamil Nadu has played 324 T20 games so far in his career and took 324 wickets at an astonishing economoy rate of 7.06. 

In IPL, he has played for teams like CSK, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiants and Delhi Capitals along with playing for the Indian team and Tamil Nadu in his career. In his 212 IPL games, he has taken 180 wickets at 7.12 runs per over. For India, in T20Is, Ashwin has the off-spinner took 72 wickets in only 65 games. 

2. Piyush Chawla | 319 T20 Wickets

The leg spinner has been playing T20s since 2007 and has played a total 297 T20 matches so far in his career. In his career, he has taken 319 T20 wickets with an economy rate of 7.53. However, he only played 7 T20 internationals for India and took only 4 wickets for the country.

In the Indian Premier League, he has featured in 192 games for Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians. Chawla has been one of the most successful bowlers in the tournament with 192 wickets with an economy rate of 7.96 runs per over.

Moreover, he has played for overseas teams like Sussex in Vitality Blast Tournament in England. 

1. Yuzvendra Chahal | 363 T20 Wickets

Yuzvendra Chahal is perhaps the most Indian successful bowlers in the shortest format of the game. The leg-spinner from Haryana started his career with IPL teams like Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and made a name for yourself to get into the Indian team.

Chahal spent eight seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore and with 113 wickets, is still their highest wicket-taker in Indian Premier League history. However, RCB decided not to retain him in the 2022 mega auction, and Chahal headed to Rajasthan Royals. 

In IPL 2025 Mega acution, he became the most expensive spinner in the tournament's history as Punjab Kings bought him for INR 18 cr. Till now, in IPL, Chahal has taken 205 wickets, and is the most successful bowler in the tournament's history. For India, he has played 80 T20I games and once was the highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is with 96 wickets.

Indian men's cricket team will play a single day of match practice with the pink ball to prepare for the Adelaide's day-night Test after Saturday's play against the Prime Minister's XI was abandoned due to rain at the Canberra's Manuka Oval. India were supposed the play a two-day practice match. But, it is now reduced to a single-day match due to rain.

The men in blue were hoping to get going with the preparation for the pink ball test match after dismantaling the Aussie team in the first test at Perth. However, the Indian test captain Rohit Sharma arrived late and along with him, Shubman Gill, who was injured in the first test, were keen to get some practice match before the second test.

Rohit did have some go in the nets against the Indian bowlers while Shubman Gill had a great traninig session at Canberra after returning from the thumb injury.

Shubman Gill hits the nets for the first time since his thumb injury that forced him to miss the Perth Test.

Here’s how the star batter is shaping up! #TeamIndia | #AUSvIND | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/sZtbvQhgLn— BCCI (@BCCI) November 29, 2024

"It was my first day (training) and I just wanted to get a feel to see how the injury is reacting, if there was any jarring or soreness.

"It actually went much better than I expected and I'm very happy with that," Shubman Gill told the BCCI media after the training. If the weather allows, Gautam Gambhir and management will be able to take a look at the young batter.

In his absensce, Devdutt Padikkal was given a chance in the first test, who failed to score big and Gill will surely come straight in the playing eleven. With Rohit coming back, KL Rahul will be pushed back in the middle order to strenthen the batting line up. 

For Australia, Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the pink-ball test due to side injury. He will be replaced by Scott Boland in the squad, who will play for the Primer Minister's XI as well. 

Both teams will play a 50-overs per side match.

Read Also | Indian captains to win POTM awards in Australia in Tests

Prime Minister's XI v India day two session times

First innings: 9:10 am-12.40 pm IST

Interval: 12.40 pm-1.10 pm IST

Second innings: 1.10 pm- 4.40 pm IST

Squads for the Prime Minister's XI v India match

Prime Minister's XI squad: Jack Edwards (c), Charlie Anderson, Mahli Beardman, Scott Boland, Jack Clayton, Aidan O'Connor, Ollie Davies, Jayden Goodwin, Sam Harper, Hanno Jacobs, Sam Konstas, Lloyd Pope, Matthew Renshaw, Jem Ryan

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

There's also a lot more at stake than the final score in these games. High stakes and emotions are at play, as is the pressure of the long season. The last minutes of the game can be unpredictable. Players may make decisions that they normally wouldn't, or coaches may decide to take bold risks. However, the final games are always full of surprises. Anything can happen in the final moments of any match. These clashes are so fascinating because they're unpredictable. This is why the fans continue to watch. Below, we'll look at some unexpected end-of-season clashes.

The Championship Decider 

Imagine that two teams are neck-and-neck in the league and fighting to win first place. Who wins the championship could be decided by the final match of the season. Both teams are under pressure in these matches. A single mistake can cost the team everything. Both fans and experts find it difficult to determine who will win because each team has everything to lose or gain. It could be determined by small things like the last scorer or final player. Therefore, it's important to remain calm in stressful situations. 

Read Also | IPL 2025: Squads of every IPL team after the auction

High stakes Playoff Game 

The last games of the season are more important than the playoffs. Every point is important in these games. The playoffs are a great opportunity to show off your talents, but the outcome is decided by those who advance. These matches are full of drama because the stakes can be high. Kabaddi, for instance, can be swung by a crucial tackle or a raid at the last minute. The games can be thrilling, but you might wonder where to find a safe and fast-running kabaddi betting app to keep up with all the latest updates. 

In such games, coaches also play a major role. The coaches can change the outcome of a game in a split second. It is not uncommon for teams to win when they remain calm under pressure. Only the final whistle can determine who won. 

The Underdog Surprise 

Watching an underdog overcome all odds to win a big match is amazing. The underdogs may not have been noticed or considered losers during the entire season but surprised everyone with their last match. Underdogs often have no stake in the match, and so play with fearlessness and energy that can make the entire game. Underdogs can take more risks, use new tactics, or show greater passion than opponents. It can lead to an unexpected result. 

The winning of an underdog shows that nothing is impossible. The underdogs may not be the best athletes or have the longest track records in the sport. They compensate with determination and grit. As the crowd claps for each successful play, they cheer on the underdog. They are all emotional victories. Fighting so hard can make the underdog surprise even the strongest team. Sports are not finished until the final whistle. 

Read Also | What are the biggest e-sports events yet to come in 2024?

Rivalry Clashes 

The atmosphere when the two rival teams meet is electrifying. The games are more than just a competition. They're also about history, pride, and showing who is the best. Every play, point and tackle become more significant because of the rivalry. Both teams have passionate fans, which are felt by players. These games are often a source of bragging rights that last for an entire season. The stakes are higher in rivalry matches, whether it is a football match or a Kabaddi game. They can be thrilling and unpredictable. 

Rivalry games are even harder to predict because of the unpredictable emotions. It is possible that players are so determined to beat their opponent, they take more risks than normal. This can lead to moments of brilliance or costly mistakes. As the game can be unpredictable, these intense matches force players to change their usual style of play. The intensity of the players can also make these games unpredictable. It doesn't matter if a team is the best or not, their rivals can still surprise them. 

Playoff Final Seeding 

Even if the team has already reached the postseason, it is still crucial to play final games. Final matches can affect a team's seeding, determining the opponent they will face in the next round. Therefore, it can be hard to predict the result of a game between two highly seeded-teams. The results may differ because teams are competing to gain positions. 

Conclusion 

End-of-season matches are full of drama and excitement. The results can be unpredictable. It can be difficult to predict the outcome of these clashes. Anything is also possible in the last seconds. You will not know who the winners are until the final blow. 

After the mega IPL 2025 auction on 24th and 25th November, every Indian Premier League franchise made their squad for the upcoming IPL season. Rishabh Pant was the most expensive player in the auction history with an INR 27 cr bid from Lucknow Super Giants. Meantime, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer also attracted huge bids from Punjab Kings and KKR respectively.

After the auction, only Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings (PBKS) were the teams to have a full quota of 25 players in their squad. Meantime, Surisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals were the teams with the least number of players in the squad. 

Before the mega auction, each team had the option to retain a maximum of six players including capped and uncapped players. Post the retentions, teams picked their squads in a bidding war for two days.

Squads of every IPL team after the IPL 2025 auction

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Batters:

• Ruturaj Gaikwad
• MS Dhoni (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Devon Conway
• Rahul Tripathi
• Shaik Rasheed
• Andre Siddarth

All-Rounders:

• Rachin Ravindra
• Ravichandran Ashwin (Bowling All-rounder)
• Vijay Shankar
• Sam Curran
• Anshul Kamboj
• Deepak Hooda (Bowling All-rounder)
• Jamie Overton
• Ramakrishna Ghosh
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Shivam Dube

Bowlers:

• Khaleel Ahmed
• Noor Ahmad
• Mukesh Choudhary
• Gurjapneet Singh
• Nathan Ellis
• Kamlesh Nagarkoti
• Shreyas Gopal
• Matheesha Pathirana

Delhi Capitals (DC)

Batters:

• KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Harry Brook
• Jake Fraser-McGurk
• Sameer Rizvi
• Faf du Plessis
• Donovan Ferreira (Wicketkeeper)
• Abishek Porel (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Tristan Stubbs (Wicketkeeper Batter)

All-Rounders:

• Karun Nair
• Ashutosh Sharma
• Darshan Nalkande
• Vipraj Nigam
• Ajay Mandal
• Manvanth Kumar L
• Tripurana Vijay
• Madhav Tiwari
• Axar Patel

Bowlers:

• Mitchell Starc
• T Natarajan
• Mohit Sharma
• Mukesh Kumar
• Dushmantha Chameera
• Kuldeep Yadav

Gujarat Titans (GT)

Batters:

• Shubman Gill
• Jos Buttler (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Kumar Kushagra (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Anuj Rawat (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Sherfane Rutherford
• Glenn Phillips (Wicketkeeper Batter)

All-Rounders:

• Nishant Sindhu
• Mahipal Lomror
• Washington Sundar
• Gerald Coetzee
• Mohd. Arshad Khan
• Karim Janat
• B. Sai Sudharsan
• Shahrukh Khan

Bowlers:

• Kagiso Rabada
• Mohammed Siraj
• Prasidh Krishna
• Manav Suthar
• Gurnoor Singh Brar
• Sai Kishore
• Ishant Sharma
• Jayant Yadav
• Kulwant Khejroliya
• Rahul Tewatia
• Rashid Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Batters:

• Rinku Singh
• Quinton de Kock (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• Angkrish Raghuvanshi
• Rovman Powell
• Manish Pandey
• Luvnith Sisodia
• Ajinkya Rahane

All-Rounders:

• Venkatesh Iyer
• Anukul Roy
• Moeen Ali
• Ramandeep Singh
• Andre Russell

Bowlers:

• Anrich Nortje
• Vaibhav Arora
• Mayank Markande
• Spencer Johnson
• Umran Malik
• Harshit Rana
• Sunil Narine
• Varun Chakaravarthy

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Batters:

• Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• David Miller
• Aiden Markram
• Abdul Samad
• Aryan Juyal (Wicket Keeper)
• Himmat Singh
• Matthew Breetzke
• Nicholas Pooran (Wicketkeeper Batter)

All-Rounders:

• Mitchell Marsh
• Digvesh Singh
• Yuvraj Chaudhary
• Arshin Kulkarni
• Ayush Badoni

Bowlers:

• Avesh Khan
• Akash Deep
• M Siddharth
• Shahbaz Ahmed
• Akash Singh
• Shamar Joseph
• Prince Yadav
• Rajvardhan Hangargekar
• Mayank Yadav
• Mohsin Khan
• Ravi Bishnoi

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Batters:

• Rohit Sharma
• Suryakumar Yadav
• Robin Minz
• Ryan Rickelton
• Will Jacks
• Shrijith Krishnan
• Bevan John Jacobs
• N. Tilak Varma

All-Rounders:

• Naman Dhir
• Karn Sharma
• Mitchell Santner
• Raj Angad Bawa
• Arjun Tendulkar
• Vignesh Puthur
• Hardik Pandya

Bowlers:

• Trent Boult
• Deepak Chahar
• Allah Ghazanfar
• Ashwani Kumar
• Reece Topley
• Venkata Satyanarayana Penmetsa
• Lizaad Williams
• Jasprit Bumrah

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Batters:

• Shreyas Iyer
• Vishnu Vinod
• Josh Inglis
• Harnoor Pannu
• Suryansh Shedge
• Pyla Avinash
• Prabhsimran Singh
• Shashank Singh

All-Rounders:

• Marcus Stoinis
• Glenn Maxwell
• Nehal Wadhera
• Marco Jansen
• Azmatullah Omarzai
• Priyansh Arya
• Aaron Hardie
• Musheer Khan

Bowlers:

• Arshdeep Singh
• Yuzvendra Chahal
• Harpreet Brar
• Vyshak Vijay Kumar
• Yash Thakur
• Lockie Ferguson
• Kuldeep Sen
• Xavier Bartlett
• Pravin Dubey

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Batters:

• Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Nitish Rana
• Shubham Dubey
• Vaibhav Suryavanshi
• Kunal Rathore
• Shimron Hetmyer
• Yashasvi Jaiswal
• Dhruv Jurel

All-Rounders:

• Jofra Archer
• Wanindu Hasaranga
• Yudhvir Singh

Bowlers:

• Maheesh Theekshana
• Akash Madhwal
• Kumar Kartikeya Singh
• Tushar Deshpande
• Fazalhaq Farooqi
• Kwena Maphaka
• Ashok Sharma
• Sandeep Sharma

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Batters:

• Rajat Patidar
• Virat Kohli
• Liam Livingstone
• Phil Salt
• Jitesh Sharma
• Tim David
• Devdutt Padikkal
• Swastik Chhikara

All-Rounders:

• Krunal Pandya
• Swapnil Singh
• Romario Shepherd
• Manoj Bhandage
• Jacob Bethell
• Mohit Rathee

Bowlers:

• Josh Hazlewood
• Rasikh Dar
• Suyash Sharma
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar
• Nuwan Thushara
• Lungi Ngidi
• Abhinandan Singh
• Yash Dayal

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Batters:

• Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Aniket Verma
• Sachin Baby
• Heinrich Klaasen
• Travis Head

All-Rounders:

• Atharva Taide
• Abhinav Manohar
• Brydon Carse
• Kamindu Mendis
• Abhishek Sharma
• Nitish Kumar Reddy

Bowlers:

• Mohammad Shami
• Harshal Patel
• Rahul Chahar
• Adam Zampa
• Simarjeet Singh
• Zeeshan Ansari
• Jaydev Unadkat
• Eshan Malinga
• Pat Cummins

After two days of exciting show auction in Jeddah, the ten Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises were able to pick their squad for the IPL 2025. Rishabh Pant came out as the most expensive player in IPL auction's history with a humongous INR 27 cr bid from Lucknow Super Giants while Shreyas Iyer was the first player ever to get a 25 cr plus deal in an IPL auction.

Shreyas Iyer, the IPL 2024 winning captain received a 26.75 cr bid from Punjab Kings, who had released most of their players during the retention and wanted a captain in their squad. Along with him, Punjab Kings with the highest money in the purse before the auction, were responsible for three of the top 10 most expensive bids. They first brought back their fast bowler Arshdeep Singh for INR 18 cr and after Shreyas Iyer's bid, they made Yuzvendra Chahal the most expensive spinner in IPL history.

Chahal, who everyone thought could go back to RCB, was eventually bought by Punjab Kings for a whooping INR 18 cr, which was the fourth-highest bid of the auction. Meantime, the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders surprised everyone after buying back Venkatesh Iyer for INR 23 cr. They nearly fought a bidding war with Royal Challengers Bangalore to bring him back to Eden Gardens.

Jos Buttler was another marquee player, who was supposed to be big in the auction and he was Gujarat Titan's highest bid of the season at INR 15.75 cr. KL Rahul, went to Delhi Capitals for INR 14 cr, which everyone thought was another case of RCB not going all-out for a player. 

Trent Boult reunited with Jasprit Bumrah at Mumbai Indians, after the five-time champions decided to spend most of their money on retaining their core group of players. The Kiwi pacer was sold for INR 12.5 cr. Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood also attracted the same amount of money from RCB, who were looking for a good fast bowler, after they let Mohammed Siraj go in the retention and auction as well. 

Top 10 most expensive players in IPL 2025 auction