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Kolkata Thunderbolts take on Calicut Heroes in the second PVL semi-final

The winners will meet Ahmedabad Defenders in the PVL final on Sunday

Kolkata Thunderbolts, partnered by The Telegraph My Kolkata, are a couple of victories away from becoming the champions of the inaugural PVL season. But standing in their way at the first hurdle are the Calicut Heroes, the team that the Thunderbolts got the better of to kick-start their campaign a fortnight ago.

The Thunderbolts arrive into Friday's semi-final with form and freshness on their side. Captain Ashwal Rai is back to full fitness and other key players such as Vinit Kumar and Matthew August also seem to be in fine fettle. Kolkata's service struggles, which Calicut will be well aware of, finally look like a thing of the past.

Although they start as the underdogs, Calicut arguably have the more settled lineup with clearly defined player roles for the men in red. Like in their round robin face-off, skipper Jerome Vinith and lynchpin Ajith Lal will be the danger men for the Heroes, who have found a way to be efficient without being outstanding in the PVL so far.

Having seen the Ahmedabad Defenders make light work of the Hyderabad Black Hawks on Thursday, both Kolkata and Calicut are aware of the challenge that awaits them on Sunday. But before that they must contend with each other in what promises to be another thrilling contest at the business end of the PVL.

Watch the clash live on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 2 (Malayalam), Sony Ten 3 (Hindi), Sony Ten 4 (Tamil and Telugu) or SonyLIV.