Manipal Tigers vs Gujarat Greats, icc/llct20, Today Match Prediction 20 November 2023

MT vs GUGS Match Prediction & Analysis

Legends League Cricket (LLC) is back with its new season. The T20 cricket league, featuring recently retired international cricketers, has gained plenty of fan following since its inaugural season last year. The second match of the 2023 season will be played between Manipal Tigers and Gujarat Giants. The two teams didn’t qualify for the finals the last time and will be hoping to start the new edition on a positive note.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

MT

GUGS

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Manipal Tigers Preview

Harbhajan Singh will lead the Manipal Tigers this year too and will have plenty of talents at his disposal to make a winning start to the competition. 

For starters, there is Mohammad Kaif. The stylish Indian batter was the leading run-getter of the team last season, with 222 runs in 7 innings at an average of 44.40 and a strike rate of 115.62. Kaif will be the batting mainstay for the Tigers this season, too.

The Tigers have also roped in Robin Uthappa and Colin de Grandhomme this time, which will bolster their batting unit considerably. Uthappa is expected to open the innings and give the team quick starts, while Grandhomme will take on the bowling in the lower middle order. 

They also have the hard-hitting Corey Anderson, who is known to blaze away when he is on song. He is also a more than decent medium pacer and is expected to deliver at least two to three overs in the middle.

Harbhajan will, of course, be a vital part of the team’s bowling. The experienced Praveen Kumar will be more than handy on this surface with his cutters and slower ones. 

Manipal Tigers Predicted Playing XI:

Harbhajan Singh (c), Robin Uthappa (w), Hamilton Masakadza, Mohammad Kaif, Corey Anderson, S. Badrinath, Thisara Perera, Praveen Kumar, Mitchell McClenaghan, Pankaj Singh, Praveen Gupta

Manipal Tigers Actual Playing XI:

Kyle Coetzer, Hamilton Masakadza, Amitoze Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Thisara Perera, Robin Uthappa, Chadwick Walton, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Parvinder Awana, Imran Khan, Praveen Kumar

Gujarat Greats Preview

Gujarat Giants were knocked out in the Eliminator last year against Bhilwara Kings. They managed just two wins from six games and would like to do better this time.

Captain Parthiv Patel underperformed last season with just 68 runs in 4 innings. A lot is expected from him this time. 

The Giants will also hope that “Universe Boss” Chris Gayle fires for them. He may have retired from cricket, but Gayle can still be destructive, and if gets going, he will take the game away in a few overs.

Another batter to keep an eye out for is Kevin O'Brien. The hard-hitter from Ireland topped Gujarat’s batting charts last year with 203 runs in 6 innings at an average of 33.83 and, more importantly, at a strike rate of 166.

The Giants don’t have many exciting options in their bowling department this time. S. Sreesanth will lead this bowling unit, and a lot will depend on how his four overs go. Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn is also worth keeping an eye out for.

Gujarat Greats Predicted Playing XI:

Parthiv Patel (C & W), Richard Levi, Chris Gayle, Kevin O'Brien, Dishant Yagnik, Chirag Khurana, Elton Chigumbura, Sulieman Benn, Liam Plunkett, S. Sreesanth, Rayad Emrit

Gujarat Greats Actual Playing XI:

Chris Gayle, Richard Levi, Kevin O'Brien, Chirag Khurana, Parthiv Patel, Sarabjit Ladda, Sulieman Benn, Rayad Emrit, Jacques Kallis, Rajat Bhatia, Ishwar Chaudhary, Trent Johnston

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Typically a batsman-friendly surface, the JSCA Stadium pitch doesn't lend itself to immediate aggressive strokes from ball one. Spinners, particularly during the middle overs, can expect grip and turn. Seamers who bowl plenty of cutters and slower ones will get good rewards. 

The weather in Ranchi will be clear and pleasant. 

MT vs GUGS Pitch Report

The average score by the team batting first at JSCA Stadium is 162. The highest total ever recorded at the venue was 229-7 by Bhilwara Kings against Bhilwara Kings in the first match of the 2023 Legends League Cricket while chasing. A target of roughly around 190-200 runs should be challenging.

Toss: To Bowl

The chasing team has won eleven of the thirteen domestic T20 games played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, including the season opener of this year’s edition. This suggests that it is an excellent chase venue. Furthermore, it is late November now, and dew will play a big role this season. Hence, it makes sense to field first here.