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After 15 league fixtures, we're down to the final 3 teams battling it out to win the CSA T20 2021 Title.
The semi finals is between Highvield Lions and the Warriors.
Lions were certain to qualify but the three defeats of Titans, including the one by the Warriors where they even got a bonus point, made it possible for the Warriors to qualify after having lost the first three of the five games this season, with Titans having won their first two.
The last time these two teams faced each other this season was in Match 3 where the Lions ended up winning the battle by 4 wickets.
Out of the 5 games that they've played respectively this season, the Lions have chased 4 times and batted first just once. However, the Warriors have the exact opposite scenario of having batted first 4 times and chased just once.
The entire season has happened at the same venue across three different types of wickets, but all of them have helped spinners get wickets and also seamers who bowl mainly at the death.
*Probable XIs*
Warriors - Gihahn Cloete, Jon-Jon Smuts, Lesiba Ngoepe, Wihaan Lubbe, Sinethemba Qeshile(C)(Wk), Triston Stubbs, Ayabulela Gqamane, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Lizo Makhosi
Lions - Ryan Rickleton(Wk), Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma(C), Rassie Van Der Dussen, Wiaan Mulder, Dwayne Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Aaron Phangiso, Bjorn Fortuin, Sisanda Magala, Beuran Hendricks
*Top Performers this season from both teams*
Reeza Hendricks - 11(6), 39(28), 47(48), 14(17), 75(59)
Sisanda Magala - 4/38, 1/31, 5/20, 0/36
Other than these two, Bjorn Fortuin, Temba Bavuma, Rassie Van Der Dussen and Kagiso Rabada have given a couple of noteworthy performances this season and can also do well in this knockout fixture.
However, it's been a chaotic and an inconsistent set of performances by the Warriors with Qeshile having done well in the first two games, followed by Smuts who did well in the previous two. Cloete has been off colors this season and the most impressive performer for them has been Ayabulela Gqamane but he hasn't been tossed he ball in the previous two games and is being sent to bat at No.7 irrespective of how he has impressed in both fields this season.
Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje have done well but again not been consistent wicket taking bowlers, but have been contributing points with the bat too. Mthiwekhaya Nabe has been the pick of the bowlers with 8 wickets in 3 games, and can be a surprise pick against the Lions as he didn't feature in their first encounter against each other.
*Key Players for Fantasy Teams*
Lions - R Hendricks, Bavuma, Mulder
Warriors - Nortje, Smuts, Qeshile
Rotation picks -
Lions - Rabada/Magala/B Hendricks/Fortuin - Any 2 in each team atleast.
Warriors - Nabe/Jansen/Gqamane/Lubbe - Any 1 in each team atleast.
Must try in GL - Van Der Dussen (Must try), Stubbs/Ngoepe/Cloete (Any 1), Rickleton/Pretorius/Phangiso (Any 1)
*My Fantasy Team*
(Pre Toss)(9 players)
Wk - Qeshile
Bat - Hendricks, Bavuma, Dussen/Cloete
AR - Smuts, Mulder
Bowl - Magala, Nabe/Nortje/Jansen, Rabada
Options - Fortuin/B Hendricks, Gqamane/Lubbe
Safe C/VC choices - R Hendricks, JJ Smuts, W Mulder
GL C/VC choices - Any bowler from Lions (whosoever you feel could do well), Lubbe, Bavuma, Dussen, Qeshile