Leicestershire vs Yorkshire, T20BLAST, Today Match Prediction 31 May 2024

LEI vs YOR Match Prediction & Analysis

Leicestershire are all set to kick off their 2024 season at home against Yorkshire Vikings. The Foxes lost both their encounters against Yorkshire last season and ended up at the bottom of the points table with just 2 wins from 14 matches.

The last time these two teams met at Grace Road in Leicester, the Vikings had successfully defended 156 runs. Leicestershire Foxes were bowled out for 126.

Vikings are coming into this match on the back of a huge win where the bowlers decimated the opposition. Daniel Moriarty and Dominic Leech were the top bowlers to have made the biggest impact as Yorkshire bowled out the Rapids for 101 at Headingley.

Rishi Patel, Colin Ackerman, and Louis Kimber will be the key players in the Leicestershire batting lineup to watch out for. Naveen-ul-Haq won’t be part of the XI given he’s ing Afghanistan for the T20 World Cup.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

LEI

W W W W W

LEI

267/7 in 50.0 5.34

RLODC

16 Sep 2023

HAM

265/8 in 50.0 5.3

LEI

126/4 in 28.3 4.45

RLODC

Leicestershire beat Gloucestershire by 6 wickets 29 Aug 2023

GLO

125/10 in 32.3 3.87

LEI

186/4 in 42.2 4.41

RLODC

20 Aug 2023

YOR

184/10 in 47.5 3.87

LEI

173/5 in 40.0 4.33

RLODC

Leicestershire beat Middlesex by 23 runs (D/L meathod) 18 Aug 2023

MID

191/10 in 40.1 4.76

LEI

251/8 in 48.3 5.2

RLODC

15 Aug 2023

ESS

250/8 in 50.0 5

YOR

W L L L W

YOR

104/2 in 11.4 8.91

T20BLAST

Yorkshire beat Worcestershire by 8 wickets 30 May 2024

WOR

101/10 in 15.4 6.45

MID

254/5 in 34.3 7.41

RLODC

Middlesex beat Yorkshire by 5 wickets 22 Aug 2023

YOR

253/10 in 50.0 5.06

LEI

186/4 in 42.2 4.41

RLODC

20 Aug 2023

YOR

184/10 in 47.5 3.87

YOR

128/9 in 30.0 4.27

RLODC

17 Aug 2023

HAM

311/6 in 50.0 6.22

YOR

243/9 in 48.3 5.03

RLODC

Yorkshire won by 1 wicket 15 Aug 2023

SUR

241/10 in 47.5 5.07

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Leicestershire Preview

Leicestershire Foxes won 1 of their 8 matches at this venue last season. They enjoyed no home advantage whatsoever. This year, Lewis Hill and Co. will be looking to turn things around.

Hill was the captain when Leicestershire took on Yorkshire in the home game while Colin Ackerman led the side when the Foxes locked horns with Vikings at Headingley.

Neither of these two batters were in good touch. And their form will be crucial in the top and middle order. Rishi Patel, Wiaan Mulder, and Louis Kimber are other big names in the middle-order whose form will play a big role in the batting success of the Foxes.

Given that it’s not a deep batting lineup with Mulder being a bowling all-rounder who comes in at number 4 or 5, we reckon a lot will be riding on the top 3 in this batting order.

Harry Swindells is also an option for opening the innings. It could be Nick Welch and Swindells or Lewis Hill. Rishi Patel’s poor run of form cost the Foxes dearly last year.

And he will be looking to make every opportunity count this time around. With the ball, Callum Parkinson, Rehan Ahmed, and Josh Hull will be leading the bowling attack.

Leicestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Nick Welch, Lewis Hill (c & wk), Rishi Patel, Wiaan Mulder, Louis Kimber, Rehan Ahmed, Arron Lilley, Callum Parkinson, Naveen-ul-Haq, Michael Finan, Josh Hull

Leicestershire Actual Playing XI:

Ben Mike, Wiaan Mulder, Rishi Patel, Louis Kimber, Rehan Ahmed, Sol Budinger, Josh Hull, Peter Handscomb, Scott Currie, Ben Cox, Ian Holland

Yorkshire Preview

Yorkshire Vikings have got most of their players from the last season and also brought back Joe Root into the XI. Adam Lyth scored an unbeaten 55 off 33 at the top as the Vikings chased down a 102-run target in 11.4 Overs at Headingley in their opening match of the season.

Skipper Shan Masood will be happy seeing new match-winners with the ball as Dominic Leech and Daniel Moriarty stepped up to deliver breakthroughs. 

This was a spin-dominant bowling attack as it featured Jafer Chohan and Dom Bess making it 4 spin bowlers and two medium pacers. The two pacers bowled a combined 3 overs against Worcestershire Rapids and ed for no wickets. 

Shan Masood was out cheaply and should be aiming for a quick comeback as the Vikings come to Leicester to take on the Foxes. Dawid Malan is another crucial figure in the top 3 for Yorkshire.

The middle-order features the experienced Root along with Donovan Ferreira followed by all-rounders like Jordan Thompson and Matthew Revis. We believe, much like the home team, the Vikings will also need their top order to fire if they are to succeed with the bat.

Yorkshire Predicted Playing XI:

Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Shan Masood (c), Joe Root, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Jordan Thompson, Matthew Revis, Dominic Bess, Jafer Chohan, Dominic Leech, Daniel Moriarty

Yorkshire Actual Playing XI:

Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Matthew Revis, Shan Masood, Donovan Ferreira, Daniel Moriarty, Dom Bess, Dominic Leech, Jafer Chohan, Jordan Thompson

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a balanced wicket that offers quite a bit of help to the bowlers. Batters need to be patient here but bowlers can rest assured they will find help from the surface. The weather will be mostly cloudy with a high of 15 degrees Celsius in Leicester on the match day.

LEI vs YOR Pitch Report

Grace Road in Leicester will be the venue for this T20 Blast fixture between Leicestershire and Yorkshire. The average 1st innings score here is 165 runs. This indicated that batters have enjoyed scoring big here in the past. The record for the highest total belongs to Yorkshire who scored 255 for 2. In this match, considering a fresh pitch would likely be available, we reckon 185+ runs should be a competitive 1st innings total.

Toss: To Bat

Teams bowling first have won 30 of the 58 domestic T20s played at this venue. There’s no clear advantage for either batting first or second on this ground. Nevertheless, having runs on the board is always a great strategy that can work well when the bowlers are in good rhythm.