Asia Lions vs India Maharajas, LLC T20 2023, Today Match Prediction 14 March 2023

aln vs imr Match Prediction & Analysis

Asia Lions will take on India Maharajas once again in the Legends League Cricket as they hunt for their third straight win of the season. The Lions' last match was affected by rain and reduced to 10 overs per side. Misbah’s unbeaten 44 off 10 balls at number 5 took the Lions’ score to 99 runs after they were to bat first.

India Maharajas, on the other hand, failed to chase down a total for the second time in a row this season. After failing to reach a 166-run target against Asia Lions in the opening match, India Maharajas fell short of the 167-run target against World Giants.

Gautam Gambhir is the only one in decent form in the India Maharajas batting lineup while Suresh Raina and the all-rounders haven’t found their rhythm. Asia Lions have a strong bowling attack and will pose a tough challenge to the Maharajas.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Asia Lions Preview

There haven’t been many highlight performances in this season of Legends League Cricket so far. There are only a couple of batters leading the scoreboard for every team.

For the Lions, one of their openers along with skipper Misbah has fired in both games and helped the team reach a competitive total. A 165-run total against India Maharajas wasn’t an ideal 1st innings total but thanks to the bowling effort, Asia Lions managed to secure a 9-run win.

Sohail Tanvir and Abdul Razzaq starred with the ball in that game while Abdur Razzaq and Shahid Afridi delivered crucial breakthroughs against World Giants in the last match. Thisara Perera and Shahid Afridi will be crucial in the middle order.

Skipper Shahid Afridi, who’s known for his big-hitting abilities hasn’t really fired yet. The Lions’ have a solid-looking batting order but unless others also contribute, they could get into trouble. Indian bowlers seem to be finding their rhythm and can bounce back in this game.

In that case, Asia Lions might face some tougher challenges and it will be again down to their bowlers to help them get an upper hand in the match. Abdur Razzaq, Sohail Tanvir, and Shahid Afridi will be key bowlers to watch out for in the Asia Lions camp.

Asia Lions Predicted Playing XI:

Upul Tharanga (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asghar Afghan, Sohail Tanvir, Abdur Razzak, Shahid Afridi (c), Paras Khadka, Thisara Perera, Mohammad Hafeez, Abdul Razzaq

Asia Lions Actual Playing XI:

Mohammad Hafeez, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mohammad Amir, Upul Tharanga, Abdur Razzak, Abdul Razzaq, Asghar Afghan, Thisara Perera, Misbah-ul-Haq, Isuru Udana, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir

India Maharajas Preview

Gautam Gambhir would be pleased after scoring his second consecutive fifty opening for the India Maharajas. However, the world-cup-winning captain hasn’t found any partners in the batting order to lead the Maharajas to their first win.

Robin Uthappa would be expected to stay longer on the crease and make a bigger contribution along with the captain. While Mohammad Kaif looks decent in the middle order, his contributions are ordinary and India need a match-winner.

The likes of Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan are indeed match-winning batters in the late middle order but neither of these brothers has looked in good touch. All that India Maharajas have missed is one Pathan innings that would help finish things off.

Years ago, the duo of Irfan and Yusuf had helped India chase down a big target against Sri Lanka in a T20I. Maharajas would be hoping for a recap of that. Suresh Raina is another key player in the middle order who has the potential to make a match-winning contribution to the game.

Harbhajan Singh and Pravin Tambe made huge contributions with the ball in the last game as India Maharajas continued to dominate with the ball. Dinda has looked consistent and the comeback from the spinners is big news for the Maharajas.

India Maharajas Predicted Playing XI:

Robin Uthappa (wk), Gautam Gambhir (c), Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, Yusuf Pathan, Stuart Binny, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, Pravin Tambe

India Maharajas Actual Playing XI:

Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Ashok Dinda, Irfan Pathan, Manvinder Bisla, Yusuf Pathan, Pravin Tambe, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Stuart Binny, RV Uthappa

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is a balanced one with spinners also finding help from the surface. Though challenging, batters can score runs once they are set. Sunny weather is expected in Doha with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

The two teams will lock horns again at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha. The average 1st innings score at this venue is 122 runs. However, Maharajas almost chased down 166 on this surface and we reckon a match-winning total should be something around 175-180 runs.

Toss: To Bat

The team batting first has won all of the matches so far this season. It hasn’t been easy to chase here with very few batters managing to score comfortably. Lions have successfully defended in both of their games so far while Maharajas have lost two in two matches while chasing. Batting first would be the obvious choice for both skippers if they win the toss.