No clear favourite for T20WC: Muralitharan

India will compete in the final for the 12th time in 13 editions, showcasing the domination of the ‘Blue Tigers’ in the regional competition. A win against Nepal in the decider will hand head coach Igor Stimac his first trophy since taking charge of the national team in 2019.

Stimac will however not be present in the dugout as he was shown a red card (second yellow card) in the Maldives match for protesting the referee’s decisions. His assistant Shanmugam Venkatesh, a former SAFF Championship winner, will guide the side. India drew against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in its first two round-robin matches, which put it in danger of missing out on the final. But, a win against Nepal brought it back in the reckoning.

The 3-1 result against tournament host Maldives, thanks to a double strike from Sunil Chhetri, sealed India’s place in the final. The frayed nerves are no longer there after a dominant and crucial win over defending champion Maldives, but the job is not yet done.

Nepal, ranked 61 places below India at 168th in the world, has shown that it is no pushover. The last time the two teams met, India needed a late goal from Chhetri to clinch the victory.

Out of the five goals that India has scored so far in the five-team competition, Chhetri’s share is four. However, Manvir Singh’s strike against Maldives should ease some pressure off the 37-year-old warhorse. Defender Subhasish Bose is unavailable for the tie, having received a red card in the previous outing.