World Giants vs India Maharajas, LLC T20 2023, Today Match Prediction 11 March 2023

wgs vs imr Match Prediction & Analysis

The defending champions, World Giants have a new skipper in Aaron Finch. The squad features some of the big names in T20 cricket like Chris Gayle, Ross Taylor, and Shane Watson. 

Gautam Gambhir will lead the India Maharajas who have already lost a match in the season opener against Asia Lions. In spite of a fifty from the skipper, the Maharajas fell 9 runs short of the 167-run target.

The Maharajas squad doesn’t feature Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh this year. However, the Pathan brothers along with Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha were retained for the Legends League 2023 season.

Suresh Raina and Robin Uthappa will be among the key players in this batting lineup whereas we could witness some big-hitting from the likes of Gayle, Finch, and Watson in the Giants’ camp. India Maharajas would look to quickly bounce back with a win here. Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, and Gambhir will be crucial in this endeavour.

TEAMS PREVIEW

World Giants Preview

Another season, another star-studded squad that features the legends of T20 cricket who made a name for themselves. The World Giants have retained the all-rounders Kevin O Brien and Albie Morkel in the batting department.

Among the bowlers, Brett Lee, Morne Morkel, and Monty Panesar continue being part of the squad from last season. The Pathan brothers were successful against the Giants’ bowling attack last year.

And with the bowling attack not changed a great deal, India Maharajas would be backing Yusuf and Irfan to go after the Giants’ bowlers. Giants will have more bowling options this season with Jacques Kallis and Shane Watson joining the camp.

Eoin Morgan, Ross Taylor, and Aaron Finch will be among the key batters in the lineup. Watson has played many big knocks against the Indian bowlers during his IPL stint as an opener for different franchises. He will be a must in the playing XI and would probably open the innings alongside skipper Aaron Finch.

The opening match of the season was a low-scoring affair with the Lions successfully defending 165 runs. The bowlers on both teams were successful with spinners being an exception. While Indian batters have a good record against Albie Morkel and Watson, Lee can make a difference with his pace and swing with the new ball.

World Giants Predicted Playing XI:

Aaron Finch (c), Chris Gayle, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Morne van Wyk, Eoin Morgan, Shane Watson, Kevin O Brien, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Brett Lee

World Giants Actual Playing XI:

Ross Taylor, Aaron Finch, Kevin O'Brien, Morne van Wyk, Chris Gayle, Tino Best, Brett Lee, Ricardo Powell, Chris Mpofu, Monty Panesar, Jacques Kallis, Shane Watson

India Maharajas Preview

Gautam Gambhir will be eager to turn things around for the India Maharajas in their second match of the season. It doesn’t look like a high-scoring venue in Doha looking at the opening match.

Both teams had some big-hitting players in their lineup and still failed to get going. Apart from Gambhir, no other batsman worked for the Maharajas. 

Not much can be expected of Mohammad Kaif at the moment. But Suresh Raina can offer a great deal of support at number 4. Moreover, the likes of Yusuf Pathan and Stuart Binny will add depth to this batting order at 6 and 7.

Binny can play a supportive role and Pathan can go about hitting the long ball. However, considering the pitch conditions, India Maharajas might have to adopt a different approach with more focus on building partnerships since the sixes won’t come easy.

Murali Vijay and Robin Uthappa will be key in the top order. These two can find gaps and run the twos and build crucial partnerships.

Binny was impressive with the ball along with Irfan Pathan and Dinda. India Maharajas have a good variety in their bowling attack. Though he didn’t feature in the last game, S Sreesanth can make a huge difference if he makes it to the playing XI.

India Maharajas Predicted Playing XI:

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

India Maharajas Actual Playing XI:

Gautam Gambhir, Pragyan Ojha, Suresh Raina, Ashok Dinda, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Pravin Tambe, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Stuart Binny, RV Uthappa

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The bowlers will have the advantage on this pitch though it is a balanced one, batting hasn’t been easy on this surface. The weather would be clear and by the time the match begins, the temperature would fall to 23 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

West End International Cricket Stadium in Doha will host all the matches of the Legends League Cricket 2023. The average 1st innings score here is quite low, just 122 runs from 13 T20s. We reckon a 165-170 total would be quite competitive on this surface.

Toss: To Bowl

Teams batting second have won 7 of the 13 T20s played on this ground. It doesn’t seem to be a high-scoring venue and teams with a reliable middle order would be comfortable chasing down a par total at this venue.