Bahrain vs Kuwait: The Gulf Cricket T20I Championship continues with Bahrain taking on Kuwait in a crucial encounter. While Bahrain will look to bounce back after their opening defeat to the UAE, Kuwait, ranked 24th in the ICC T20I rankings, begins their campaign with optimism and an impressive recent record.

Bahrain vs Kuwait Head-to-Head

• Matches Played: 14
• Kuwait Wins: 11
• Bahrain Wins: 3

Kuwait has dominated this rivalry, winning 78.57% of their encounters against Bahrain. The teams last met in April 2024, where Kuwait emerged victorious by 26 runs.

Last 5 Meetings

1. April 15, 2024: Kuwait won by 26 runs
2. March 5, 2024: Bahrain won by 28 runs (DLS method)
3. November 2, 2023: Kuwait won by 4 wickets
4. September 16, 2023: Kuwait won by 8 wickets
5. March 12, 2023: Kuwait won by 6 wickets

Form Guide

Bahrain (Last 5 Matches):

• L: vs UAE by 8 wickets (December 13, 2024)
• L: vs UAE by 8 wickets (November 28, 2024)
• W: vs Cambodia by 49 runs (November 26, 2024)
• L: vs Qatar by 15 runs (November 25, 2024)
• W: vs Bhutan by 90 runs (November 23, 2024)

Kuwait (Last 5 Matches):

• W: vs Nepal by 5 wickets (November 2024)
• W: vs Malaysia by 8 runs (October 2024)
• W: vs Qatar by 37 runs (October 2024)
• L: vs UAE by 6 wickets (September 2024)
• NR: vs Hong Kong (September 2024)

Bahrain vs Kuwait Key Players

Bahrain:

• Haider Butt: Consistent batter with 453 runs in the last 10 matches, averaging 64.71 with a strike rate of 135.22.
• Ali Dawood: Leading bowler with 16 wickets in 9 matches, maintaining an impressive economy of 6.07.
• Ahmer Bin Nasir: Middle-order anchor, capable of stabilizing the innings.

Kuwait:

• Ravija Sandaruwan: Dynamic opener with 315 runs in 10 matches, striking at 164.92.
• Yasin Patel: Stellar bowler with 21 wickets at an economy of 5.1, posing a serious threat to Bahrain’s batters.
• Clinto Anto: Versatile middle-order batter with an average of 27.13 and a strike rate of 146.62.

Squads

Bahrain Squad:
Fiaz Ahmed, Haider Butt, Junaid Aziz, Muhammad Basil, Prashant Kurup (c), Ubaid Minhas, Yousif Wali, Asif Ali, Imran Anwar, Sai Sarthak, Sarfaraz Ali, Ahmer Bin Nasir (wk), Umer Toor (wk), Abdul Majid, Imran Khan, Muhammad Salman, Rizwan Butt, Sameer Yousuf.

Kuwait Squad:
Bilal Tahir, Clinto Anto, Mohammad Amin, Muhammad Umar, Ravija Sandaruwan, Adnan Idrees, Mohammed Aslam, Yasin Patel, Het Kishor (wk), Meet Bhavsar (wk), Usman Patel (wk), Ilyas Ahmed, Mirza Ahmed, Mohamed Shafeeq, Mohammad Aqif, Sayed Monib.

Key Stats

1. Kuwait has won 11 of the 14 matches played between these two sides.
2. Bahrain’s batting heavily relies on Haider Butt, who averages over 64 in T20Is.
3. Kuwait’s Yasin Patel is the most economical bowler between the two squads, with an economy of 5.1.
4. Bahrain has lost 4 of their last 5 matches, indicating a dip in form.
5. Kuwait’s Ravija Sandaruwan has a strike rate of 164.92 in the last 10 matches, making him a player to watch.

Bahrain vs Kuwait Prediction

Kuwait enters the match as favorites, given their superior head-to-head record and current form. Bahrain, however, has the potential to challenge, especially if their top order clicks and their bowlers contain Kuwait’s aggressive batters.

Predicted Result: Kuwait to win by 30-40 runs or 6 wickets.

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