Nellai Royal Kings vs Dindigul Dragons, TNPLT20, Today Match Prediction 28 July 2024

NRK vs DID Match Prediction & Analysis

Dindigul Dragons have qualified for the playoffs with their recent win over Madurai Panthers. And while Nellai Royal Kings are still in the race, a win here won’t guarantee them a spot in the playoffs.

They will still need other results to go in their favor. Nevertheless, a win here will require a solid comeback from the Kings, especially in the batting department. 

Though they haven’t been terrible with the bat in their recent outings, their batters just failed to come together as a unit. In stark contrast, the Dindigul Dragons have been in great touch with the bat, defending 201 and chasing down 176 in their last two outings.

While it was a high-scoring game at this venue when the Dragons played the Panthers, overall, it hasn’t been a high-scoring venue. Only twice has a team scored over 180 runs in the last 10 matches here.

R Ashwin’s Dindigul Dragons will back themselves to carry the momentum as they approach the business end of the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2024.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

NRK

L L L W W

NRK

184/9 in 20.0 9.2

TNPLT20

IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans beat Nellai Royal Kings by 5 runs 24 Jul 2024

IDTT

189/8 in 20.0 9.45

TGC

182/6 in 19.3 9.33

TNPLT20

Ba11sy Trichy beat Nellai Royal Kings by 4 wickets 20 Jul 2024

NRK

177/9 in 20.0 8.85

LKK

172/1 in 18.3 9.3

TNPLT20

Lyca Kovai Kings beat Nellai Royal Kings by 9 wickets 13 Jul 2024

NRK

167/7 in 20.0 8.35

NRK

144/7 in 18.5 7.65

TNPLT20

Nellai Royal Kings beat Salem Spartans by 3 wickets 11 Jul 2024

SMS

141/10 in 19.2 7.29

NRK

168/7 in 19.5 8.47

TNPLT20

Nellai Royal Kings beat Chepauk Super Gillies by 3 wickets 07 Jul 2024

CSG

166/6 in 20.0 8.3

DID

W W W L L

DID

201/5 in 20.0 10.05

TNPLT20

Dindigul Dragons beat Siechem Madurai Panthers by 30 runs 26 Jul 2024

MPS

171/8 in 20.0 8.55

DID

176/5 in 19.2 9.11

TNPLT20

Dindigul Dragons beat Lyca Kovai Kings by 5 wickets 21 Jul 2024

LKK

172/5 in 20.0 8.6

IDTT

108/4 in 13.0 8.31

TNPLT20

Dindigul Dragons beat IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans by 8 wickets 17 Jul 2024

DID

111/2 in 11.5 9.38

CSG

65/1 in 4.5 13.46

TNPLT20

Chepauk Super Gillies beat Dindigul Dragons by 9 wickets (D/L) method 14 Jul 2024

DID

64/6 in 7.0 9.14

DID

149/9 in 20.0 7.45

TNPLT20

Salem Spartans beat Dindigul Dragons by 7 wickets 08 Jul 2024

SMS

150/3 in 18.1 8.26

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Nellai Royal Kings Preview

Nellai Royal Kings have had a terrible 2024 TNPL season so far. Their winning percentage has gone from 70% in 2023 to 40% in 2024. The top run-getters for the Kings in the past seasons have failed to live up to the expectations this year.

Arun Karthik is the only batter to have made a significant impact. He scored 51 off 36 and 84 off 51 balls while opening the innings for the Kings in his last two innings.

Ajitesh Guruswamy is another key batter who’s been among the top scorers for Nellai Royal Kings in the past. This year, however, Ajitesh has failed to get going and scored just 109 runs at an average of 18.17.

R Sonu Yadav is a crucial batsman in this lineup who has an impressive strike rate of 160 from 6 matches so far. He is crucial in the lower order and is a potential match-finisher for the Kings. 

Yadav’s 40 off 23 balls at number 6 in the last game brought the Kings very close to victory while chasing a 190-run target. He had the of R Easwaran, the wicket-keeper batsman with a decent strike rate and slightly better batting average than G Ajitesh.

Nidhish Rajagopal’s poor run of form has hurt Nellai Royal Kings a great deal. He holds a crucial place in this batting order and if he doesn’t make an impact, Kings’ batting will only slip further down.

Bowling has been a disaster for Nellai Royal Kings this season with terrible economies and bowling averages from their key bowlers. The top wicket-taker for the team, R Silambarasan has picked up 8 wickets in 6 games at an economy of 9.69. 

Nellai Royal Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Arun Karthik (c), RS Mokit Hariharan, Ajitesh Guruswamy, NS Harish, Nidhish Rajagopal, Rithik Easwaran (wk), Sonu Yadav, Laxmesha Suryaprakash, S Mohan Prasath, R Silambarasan, Emmanuel Cherian

Nellai Royal Kings Actual Playing XI:

Ajitesh G, Nidhish Rajagopal, Laxmesha Suryaprakash, R Sonu Yadav, Rithik Easwaran, N Kabilan, NS Harish, J Rohan, S Arunkumar, S Mohan Prasath, Ragupathy Silambarasan

Dindigul Dragons Preview

Dindigul Dragons should be looking to carry their winning momentum into the playoffs and as such winning this match becomes crucial. They will be expecting to overpower a struggling Nellai Royal Kings at this venue.

Shivam Singh led the Dragons to a 201-run total in the first innings with an unbeaten hundred in the last match. In the previous match, it was Baba Indrajith with a big knock where he missed on his hundred by just 4 runs.

His unbeaten 96 led the Dragons to a 5-wicket win over Lyca Kovai Kings while chasing 173 runs. These two are the top run-scorers for Dindigul Dragons this season averaging over 40 at a strike rate of over 140. 

Opening batsman Vimal Kumar is another promising player but hasn’t delivered a big, impactful knock lately. He can help build a strong opening partnership where the Dragons score quickly in the powerplay.

Considering the form of his opening partner and middle-order batter, Kumar should go out and play more freely, taking the attack to the Royal Kings. Unlike other teams in TNPL, Dindigul Dragons bat deep.

C Sarath Kumar, R Ashwin, and Bhoopathi Kumar are all capable batters who can and have delivered match-winning knocks for the Dragons. With the likes of Varun Chakravarthy, R Ashwin, and Sandeep Warrier in the bowling attack, Dindigul Dragons can decimate any batting lineup in the tournament.

Dindigul Dragons Predicted Playing XI:

Vimal Khumar, Shivam Singh, Baba Indrajith (wk), Boopathi Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Suboth Bhati, S Dinesh Raj, Varun Chakravarthy, VP Diran, P Vignesh, Sandeep Warrier

Dindigul Dragons Actual Playing XI:

R Vimal Khumar, Shivam Singh S, Suboth Bhati, Boopathi V Kumar, C Sarath Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Baba Indrajith, Varun Chakravarthy, VP Diran, Vignesh Puthur, Dinesh Raj S

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather is quite humid during this time of the year in the southern part of the country. Dindigul is likely to have a dense cloud cover around the match time with a high of 34 degrees Celsius but no rains are predicted.

NRK vs DID Pitch Report

The pitch looked brilliant for batting in the first match played here this season. However, historically, it has been a balanced wicket where bowlers have also enjoyed great help. The average 1st innings score here in the last 10 TNPL matches is 144 runs and only on two occasions has a team crossed the 180-run mark.

Toss: To Bowl

6 of the last 8 TNPL matches played at this venue went in favor of the team bowling first. The next few matches at this venue will give a better picture of how the pitch will behave and whether, like last season, it is still a good idea to chase a total.